Análise espaço-temporal do desmatamento no município de Apuí/AM

Abstract

Deforestation is one of the most recurrent and worrying environmental problems on a global scale, affecting various regions of our planet over time. This study aimed to conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of deforestation in the municipality of Apuí, Amazonas, located in the south of the state, seeking to understand the patterns, trends, and environmental impacts of this activity over time, and to identify patterns, trends, and factors associated with the advance of deforestation. To this end, deforestation data from the PRODES Project, provided by the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), were used, in addition to meteorological variables such as air temperature and precipitation obtained from the MERGE and ERA5-Land databases. Socioeconomic data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), through the SIDRA platform, encompassing information on population growth and cattle numbers, were also used. Data processing and statistical analysis were performed in a Python programming environment, while the maps were created using QGIS software. The results showed a significant increase in deforestation from 2015 onwards, intensifying in subsequent years and reaching a historical peak in 2022, when 731.72 km² of forest cover were lost. This increase was associated, among other factors, with the weakening of environmental enforcement actions, intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed a strong positive association between deforestation, cattle herd growth, and population increase, indicating the conversion of forest to pasture as the main driver of environmental degradation in Apuí. A direct relationship was also observed between the loss of forest cover and the increase in average annual temperature, while precipitation did not show an immediate significant correlation. It is concluded that reducing deforestation in the municipality requires strengthening public policies for monitoring and enforcement, along with the conservation of Amazonian ecosystems.