Relação entre conflitos de uso do solo e suscetibilidade à queimadas: um diagnóstico utilizando ferramentas do geoprocessamento e sensoriamento remoto

Abstract

Inadequate and unplanned land use, together with the accelerated advancement of agricultural frontiers, is associated with environmental degradation and environmental conflicts over land use. These conflicts have already been linked to a higher propensity for erosion, lower soil fertility, and compromised water quality. However, the relationship between land use conflicts and wildfires had not been studied yet. The main causes of wildfires and fires include agricultural practices, hunting, inappropriate land use, recreational activities without precautions, urban pressure, and lack of concern for forest preservation. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between environmental land use conflicts and the occurrence and severity of wildfires and fires in the Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Rio Uberaba during the period 2017-2021. The APA covers about 53,500 hectares and has a drainage system with a dendritic pattern, responsible for the water supply to Rio Uberaba during the dry period. However, the replacement of native vegetation with sugarcane monocultures and other inappropriate activities is threatening the preservation of the area. Using maps of agricultural suitability and land use and occupation, maps of land use conflict were obtained, identifying areas at risk or with significant limitations for crops and pastures. Next, the relationships between these conflict areas and the fire hotspots were analyzed, as well as the severity indices of the fires (dNBR), using polynomial regression techniques and statistical analysis to understand the spatial distribution of the fires and their relation to environmental conflicts. It was found that the majority of fire hotspots occur in conflict areas and their surroundings, indicating the importance of these areas as critical points for fire occurrence. Furthermore, the dNBR index values revealed a higher severity of the fires in these areas, confirming the trend of more severe fires in these regions.