Spatiotemporal dynamics of land use and cover in the Atlantic Forest Biome: quantifying spatial patterns along Bahia’s north coast and agreste region

• Main Author: Soares, Silvana Oliveira Wenceslau
• Publication Date: 2025
• Other Authors: Vasconcelos, Rodrigo Nogueira de, Lobão, Jocimara Souza Britto, Barbosa, Elaine Cristina Cambuí, Santana, Mariana Martins Medeiros de, Franca-Rocha, Washington de Jesus Sant'Anna da, Souza, Deorgia Tayane Mendes
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Ciência Florestal (Online)
• Download full: https://periodicos.ufsm.br/cienciaflorestal/article/view/68141
• topic: Ecologia da paisagem; Métricas de paisagem; Geoprocessamento; MapBiomas; Landscape ecology; Landscape metrics; Geoprocessing; MapBiomas

The different land uses and coverages can generate various environmental impacts, both positive and negative. In the Bahia’s north coast and agreste region, the diversified land use has resulted in significant changes in the spatial structure over the years. In this study, we aimed to understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of these transformations by analyzing a multitemporal series from 2000 to 2016 to quantify spatial patterns using landscape ecology methods and geoprocessing techniques. Land use and coverage data were obtained from the Annual Mapping Project of Land Use and Cover in Brazil (MapBiomas), using collection 2.3 for the study area. The quantitative analysis of the classes was conducted through metrics such as CA (area), NP (number of patches), LPI (largest patch), and PLAND (percentage of coverage). After  reclassifying  the  land  use  and cover maps into the classes Agropastoral, Forest Formations, Mangrove, Grasslands, Water Bodies, Beaches and Dunes, and Urban Infrastructure, the CA metric indicated a gradual loss of 20% in forest formation areas and a 29% reduction in agropastoral and urban infrastructure areas. The LPI metric revealed that the largest fragment of forest formations occupies 22.7% of the total area, equivalent to 12,318.6 km². These analyses may support conservation and maintenance actions for forest areas, guide managers in creating or expanding conservation units, and inform environmental policies focused on sustainability and the conservation of this region.