Dinâmica de desflorestamento na região de Carajás

Abstract

The process of occupation of the Amazon has always been marked by the incentive of large projects of occupation of areas considered idle. The organization of southeastern Pará followed the logic of exploitative occupation of the use of natural resources. This logic of occupation with mining and agricultural projects, land subdivision, opening of roads and growth of infrastructure served as a foundation for the consolidation of the Carajás Integration Region. Carajás is located in a frontier region with intense use of agriculture and cattle ranching, therefore the objective of this work was to analyze deforestation in the Carajás region through the dynamics of land use occupation over 35 years. For the analysis of land use in the dose municipalities that make up Carajás, data from the MapBiomas platform were analyzed. This platform works on image processing in order to elucidate processes of occupation and land use in the Amazon biome. The study selected data with the main activities practiced in the region and elaborated thematic maps with the most significant land use classes and subclasses in the Carajás region: Forest (subclass/Forestry); Agriculture (subclass/Pasture; Agriculture; Soybean) Non-vegetated area (subclass/Urbanized area; Mining); Water (subclass/Rivers and lakes). The analysis of the data and maps produced shows the intensive use of the soil for the practice of extensive farming and cattle raising, with a significant advance over forest areas. Deforestation reached 57% of this amount, the vast majority of the areas being occupied by pasture, followed by mining and urban infrastructure. Despite the history of large mining projects, this activity seems to be a secondary cause of deforestation. It was observed peaks of greater advance over the forest between 2003 and 2004 when pasture exceeded areas occupied by forest. It was verified that the areas that contained deforestation are Conservation Units and Indigenous Lands in contrast to regions occupied by rural settlements where a significant part of the deforested areas is concentrated. Thus, it can be concluded that deforestation in the Carajás region over the three decades analyzed has occurred due to the systematic felling of the forest for pasture.