Published

2018-07-01

Geospatial assessment of eco-environmental changes in desertification area of the Brazilian semi-arid region

Evaluación geoespacial de los cambios ecoambientales en el área de desertificación de la región semiárida brasileña

Keywords:

Zoning, soil management, erosion, semi-arid zone (en)
Zonificación, manejo del suelo, erosión, zona semiárida (es)

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Authors

  • Richarde Marques da Silva Federal University of Paraíba https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6601-5174
  • Celso Augusto Guimarães Santos Federal University of Paraíba https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7927-9718
  • Karinna Ugulino de Araújo Maranhão Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Paraíba
  • Alexandro Medeiros Silva Federal University of Paraíba
  • Valéria Raquel Porto de Lima Paraíba State University
Eco-environmental change prediction models are important decision tools for policy makers as they help to quantify environmental sensitivity and understand the relationship between human activities and environmental quality. Thus, this paper aims to analyze eco-environmental changes in Monteiro County, a semi-arid zone within northeastern Brazil. This study used means of satellite images, geographic information system and global position system techniques, topographic map, climatic data and soil maps, as well as field survey data. The result outputs were evaluated on their ability to accurately predict the most sensitive and least sensitive areas. The results showed that land cover changes have modified the environment in general, and two prominent environmental degradation processes were identified: land degradation, and low soil loss. The mean soil loss increased from 0.09 t ha−¹ yr−¹ in 1987 to 0.18 t ha−¹ yr−¹ in 2010, as an effect of vegetation gain and particularly the conversion of thousands of square kilometers of Tropophile forest middle slope and barren land into Tropophile forest plain and Tropophile forest high strand. Thus, this study provides insight on territorial ordering and management of environmental services with a regional perspective.

Los modelos de predicción del cambio ecológico ambiental son herramientas de decisión importantes para los responsables de la formulación de políticas, ya que ayudan a cuantificar la sensibilidad ambiental y comprenden la relación entre las actividades humanas y la calidad ambiental. Por lo tanto, este artículo tiene como objetivo analizar los cambios ecológicos en el condado de Monteiro, una zona semiárida en el noreste de Brasil. Este estudio utilizó medios de imágenes satelitales, sistema de información geográfica y técnicas del sistema de posición global, mapas topográficos, datos climáticos y mapas de suelos, así como datos de encuestas de campo. Los resultados fueron evaluados en su capacidad para predecir con precisión las áreas más y menos sensibles. Los resultados mostraron que los cambios en la cobertura terrestre han modificado el medio ambiente en general, y se han identificado dos procesos importantes de degradación ambiental: la degradación de la tierra y la baja pérdida de suelo. La pérdida media de suelo aumentó de 0.09 t ha-¹ año-¹ en 1987 a 0.18 t ha-¹ año-¹ en 2010, como un efecto del aumento de la vegetación y particularmente la conversión de miles de kilómetros cuadrados de bosque Tropophile de pendiente media y tierra estéril en la llanura del bosque Tropophile y el bosque alto Tropophile. Por lo tanto, este estudio proporciona información sobre el ordenamiento territorial y la gestión de los servicios ambientales con una perspectiva regional.

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