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What is the relationship between Indigenous peoples and violent reactions to contemporary states? This research explores differing, culturally informed notions of attachment to land or place territory. Mechanistic ties and organic ties to land are linked to a key distinction between Indigenous peoples and non-Indigenous peoples. Utilizing the Minorities at Risk (MAR) data set, a subset relationship is explored addressing propensity for Indigenous peoples to rebel against state encroachment of their lands. The results of this research must be considered with the serious limitations of MAR in mind. Within the marginalized groups in the Americas, 28 have an attachment to a place territory. Of these 28 groups, 22 are Indigenous and of the 22 groups, 13 have exhibited some form of rebellious behavior between 1945 and 2003. The power of attachment to place territory, specifically the organic attachment most often displayed by Indigenous peoples of the Americas, is a strong tie surviving 500 years of European encroachment. The findings are indicative of an attachment that Indigenous peoples retain to their specific homelands. The findings suggest a plethora of future research questions. (Contains 8 tables, 3 figures, and 41 notes.)

Role-playing games in natural resource management are currently being tested as research, training, and intervention tools all over the world. Various studies point out their potential to deal with complex issues and to contribute to training processes. The objective of this contribution is to analyze the limits and potentialities of this tool for capacity building in environmental management of stakeholders with low educational levels by comparing various Brazilian experiences. Five games that were developed and used to train local stakeholders or state technicians about specific aspects of new and difficult to understand legislation are compared. The comparison of these experiences is based on (a) an analysis of the materials (game support) provided by the developers, (b) interviews with authors and game developers, and (c) participation in game sessions whenever possible. (Contains 6 tables and 5 figures.)

Different mechanisms act to structure metacommunities. Among them, the most studied are those related to environmental and spatial drivers. Also, most studies on metacommunities are based on data obtained in snapshot surveys, hindering the test of other potential mechanisms, including historical effects. Here, we quantified the relative importance of different sets of variables that could potentially structure zooplankton communities in 39 small reservoirs in Midwest Brazil. In addition to local environmental, spatial, and land use variables, as a proxy for potential priority effects, we tested the effect of earlier zooplankton composition on (later) zooplankton metacommunity structure. The relative importance of these sets of explanatory variables varied over time. However, earlier zooplankton community data were, in general, the most consistent predictors (especially for microcrustaceans) of zooplankton community structure. This result may indicate the role of historical effects on later zooplankton metacommunity structure. Our results highlight the importance of considering multiple surveys and past community data in spatiotemporal studies aiming to unveil the determinants of zooplankton metacommunity structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased availability of remote sensing products and new legislative agendas are driving a growing focus on farm‐level traceability and monitoring to tackle commodity‐driven deforestation. Here, we use data on land use change in Brazil (1985–2021) from Mapbiomas to demonstrate how analyses of the drivers of deforestation are sensitive to the scale of analysis: while pixel‐ or property‐level analyses identify proximate drivers of deforestation, analyses at larger scales (subnational regions or countries) capture more complex land use dynamics, including indirect land use change. We argue that initiatives which seek to monitor and address commodity‐driven deforestation—such as the European Union's deforestation due‐diligence regulation and the World Business Council on Sustainable Development's Greenhouse Gas Protocol—must be conscient of these wider land use dynamics. Only by measuring progress and defining success at multiple scales can initiatives for sustainable commodity sourcing create the right mix of incentives for addressing deforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic carbon performs essential functions in soils, which act as sources or sinks of atmospheric organic carbon. Agricultural management affects the carbon cycle in the soil, with effects on climate change. One of the crops most vulnerable to climate change is coffee. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, with a predominance of management under a conventional system, with sloping terrain and the absence of conservationist practices. The absence of conservationist practices increases in soil loss rates due to water management and carbon emissions, as well as a reduction in coffee production. This paper intended to estimate soil and organic carbon losses by RUSLE in coffee farms in southern Minas Gerais, south-eastern Brazil. Data were obtained from fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and cartographic products. The results indicated, exclusively for coffee crops, soil and carbon losses between 7 and 32 Mg ha−1 year−1 and 87 and 460kg ha−1 year−1, respectively. However, the highest soil losses occurred on sloping terrains with eucalyptus plantations located downhill, and the lowest losses occurred on flat land with native forests. Organic carbon losses were linked directly to soil losses, as a result from the land practices, slope and agricultural management adopted. These results can be used for the planning and priority definition of areas needing conservationist practices, such as green manuring, planting in contour and maintaining of vegetation between coffee rows, which are already used in some sites of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Legal Amazon of Brazil holds vast mangrove forests, but a lack of awareness of their value has prevented their inclusion into results-based payments established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Based on an inventory from over 190 forest plots in Amazon mangroves, we estimate total ecosystem carbon stocks of 468 ± 67 Megagrams (Mg) ha−1; which are significantly higher than Brazilian upland biomes currently included into national carbon offset financing. Conversion of mangroves results in potential emissions of 1228 Mg CO2e ha−1, which are 3-fold higher than land use emissions from conversion of the Amazon rainforest. Our work provides the foundation for the inclusion of mangroves in Brazil's intended Nationally Determined Contribution, and here we show that halting mangrove deforestation in the Legal Amazon would generate avoided emissions of 0.9 ± 0.3 Teragrams (Tg) CO2e yr−1; which is equivalent to the annual carbon accumulation in 82,400 ha of secondary forests. A new study shows that deforestation of Amazon mangroves releases up to four times more carbon dioxide when compared to emissions arising from terrestrial biomes. This study set a foundation for the use of mangroves in Brazil's international policy agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Disasters caused by rainfall extremes represent social challenges in several sectors, especially in climate change scenarios. Along with changes in land use and land cover, this relationship may become more complex. Thus, the present study aimed to detect recent trends in the pattern of rainfall indicators and associate them with records of natural disasters and the evolution of changes in land use and land cover for the state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil. Daily rainfall data from 77 rain gauge stations from 1970 to 2018 were used to analyze climate trends in different rainfall indicators obtained using the RClimDex software. Records of natural disasters from 1991 to 2020 in the state of Espírito Santo were gathered from the Brazilian Integrated Disaster Information System. Additionally, land use and land cover data from 1985 and 2019 were also used. The Mann–Kendall (MK) test and the Sen slope were used to detect and quantify trends. In the Litoral Norte Espírito-santense and Noroeste Espírito-santense mesoregions of the State, trends of drought intensification are expected mainly in the regions further north. Associated with the great recent agricultural expansion in the region, this trend is concerning. The Central Espírito-santense and Sul Espírito-santense mesoregions tend to become wetter, which explains the recent increase in floods and heavy rainfall. No significant trends were found in the other regions studied. The approach adopted in this study has the potential to assist decision-making, implement mitigation and/or adaptation measures, and reduce the impacts of natural disasters in different regions of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use change (LUC), specifically the cultivation of monoculture sugarcane, can negatively impact soil biodiversity, leading to a decline in soil health and ecosystem functioning. However, while studies focusing on macrofauna and microorganisms are more frequent in the literature, the impacts of LUC on mesofauna are still little known. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impacts of the predominant LUC for sugarcane production in Brazil on the diversity of edaphic mesofauna in soils with contrasting textures. In addition, we assessed correlations between biodiversity and soil properties chemical, biological, and physical attributes. We took samples from two sites (clayey and sandy soils) in southeastern Brazil. The sequence of LUC included i) native vegetation (NV), ii) pasture (PA), iii) sugarcane (SC), and iv) sugarcane ratoon (SCr). In the rainy season, monoliths (25 x 25 x 10 cm), soil samples were collected at 0-10,10-20, and 20-30 cm to assess soil mesofauna, soil chemical (pH, soil organic matter, phosphorus, sulfur, potassium, calcium, magnesium, potential acidity, cation exchange capacity), physical (soil porosity) and biological (microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen) properties. The mesofauna taxonomic groups were quantified after the classification. Briefly, a total of 22 taxonomic groups were classified. The most predominant groups were non-oribatid mites, oribatid mites, and Collembola. Richness and abundance were lower in the three land uses studied (PA, SCr, SC) compared to the intercept (NV). In clayey soil, diversity decreased from NV to PA (-0.68 ± 0.27) and SC (-0.55 ± 0.27) but not to SCr. In sandy soil, land use significantly impacted the mesofauna diversity and evenness index, significantly reducing these indexes in SCr in relation to NV. Although land use change towards more intensified systems resulted in a loss of richness and abundance of soil mesofauna, sugarcane cultivation over the years can recover the diversity of mesofauna in clay-textured soils. These results provide a scientific background to better understand the LUC effects on sugarcane cultivation and support the establishment of sustainable practices that enhance soil health and biodiversity in different soil textures. This study highlights the need for tailored land management considering soil texture and biodiversity for improved ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metacommunity studies have demonstrated that local macroinvertebrate communities are structured not only by local environmental conditions but also by spatial processes. Effective bioassessment tools should account for spatial processes while doing so with the least amount of cost. In this study, we applied variance partition techniques based on redundancy analysis to assess the performance of three sets of benthic invertebrate metrics in detecting agricultural land-use effects in a SE Brazil rainforest watershed. Macroinvertebrate data were analyzed separately regarding their taxonomic, functional structure and bioindicator metrics developed for the study region. We stipulated that groups of metrics most sensitive to land-use effects should have the highest amount of variance explained by the joint effects of land use and environmental variation, independently of spatial structuring. Statistical analyses were repeated removing rare taxa in order to assess the effects of their inclusion in the responsiveness of each group of metrics. Traditional bioindicator metrics were more responsive to environmental variation associated with agriculture than taxa abundances and functional attributes. Furthermore, a few common taxa drove a high proportion of the variation observed in invertebrate communities, regardless of how invertebrate data were organized. Similar analytic approaches have the potential to be useful in curtailing sorting and identification efforts when developing macroinvertebrate-based biomonitoring protocols, especially in areas where information regarding the taxonomy of benthic communities is still poorly described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in land use can cause degradation of soil physical quality with negative effects on the environment and agricultural production. The effects of different land uses on soil physical-hydric attributes were studied in the Renato River and Caiabi River watersheds in the southern Brazilian Amazon. Three conditions of land use were evaluated: native forest, crops, and pasture in the headwater, middle, and mouth of each watershed. Particle size, particle density, bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, water contents at field capacity and permanent wilting point, and available water capacity in soil were evaluated in three soil layers down to 0.4 m. Data collected were subjected to the Kruskal–Wallis nonparametric test and Pearson's correlations. Multivariate analyses were also performed using the principal component method. In the Renato watershed, in comparison with native forest, conventional management of pasture and crops caused soil physical degradation, increasing soil density in the surface layer and reducing macroporosity and total porosity. In the Caiabi watershed, converting native forest areas into pasture and crops altered water quality, influencing the water dynamics in the soil, by reducing soil water conductivity. Soil attributes varied by watershed, with texture variations between the headwater and mouth, indicating that changes in soil properties result from both management and the granulometric composition of the soil in different regions of the same watershed. Adoption of crop and pasture conservation practices can improve soil physical attributes in regions bordering agricultural areas in the southern Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to assess the influencing factors of the presence of mercury in a river within the Savanna biome (Cerrado), we surveyed total mercury (THg) in bottom sediment from 50 lakes along 750 km of the Middle Araguaia floodplain. The sampling sites included non-urban and urban surroundings over three distinct geomorphologies. We measured water physicochemical parameters at each site and tested statistically if land use nested within the geological formation influenced the THg concentration in bottom sediments and related water parameters. Multivariate results indicate that the interaction between geological groups and land use is statistically significant (p < 0.05). Nested ANOVA and Tukey HSD tests confirmed that the geological formation with its nested land use influences the THg, pH, DO, conductivity, and TDS (p < 0.05). THg was significantly lower in Quaternary terrains (p < 0.05) and differed significantly between non-urban and urban areas in Neoproterozoic terrains (p = 0.02). The spatial projections of the THg eigenvector on the main axes with the scoring factors of the Neoproterozoic/Paleoproterozoic terrains, and urban/non-urban, confirmed the spatial correlations. These results indicate that the association of land use and geology could be the main driver of THg in the bottom sediments of lakes from the Middle Araguaia floodplain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the trends in land use and land cover (LULC) is crucial for modeling streamflow and sediment yield, particularly in hydrological basins. This study examined the impact of LULC on the dynamics of streamflow and sediment yield within a humid tropical basin of the Atlantic Forest biome in Brazil, focusing on the period from 2000 to 2016. Changes in LULC were analyzed using annual MapBiomas data products for the same period. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model was deployed to simulate streamflow and sediment yield based on LULC changes. To investigate temporal trends in LULC, a suite of non-parametric statistical tests, including the Mann–Kendall, Pettitt, and Sen's slope estimator tests, was employed. Ecological diversity indices such as Shannon–Weaver, Simpson, and Pielou were applied to assess forest fragmentation, along with the Forest Fragmentation Index. The results revealed a growing trend in urban and sugarcane areas, coupled with a decline in dense vegetation, mangroves, and other forms of dense vegetation. With regard to the correlation between land uses and hydrological variables, the findings indicate minor variations in hydrological balance, attributable to the not-so-significant changes among the studied land-use scenarios, except for sediment yield estimates, which showed more considerable alterations. Notably, the estimates for 2000 and 2013–2016 were the most divergent. In a broader scientific context, this research conclusively establishes that the incorporation of dynamic LULC data into the SWAT model augments the precision and robustness of simulations pertaining to agricultural watersheds, thereby enabling a more comprehensive hydrological characterization of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale land use/land cover changes have occurred in Mato Grosso State (hereafter MT), Brazil, following the introduction of extensive mechanized agriculture and pastoral activities since the 1980s. Author investigated what kind of agro-pastoral activities which are both cattle ranching and top five crops (soybean, sugarcane, corn, cotton and rice) that are closely related to land use change on lands experiencing conversion land use change (such as deforestation and the increase in deeply anthropogenically influenced areas) at each municipal district in MT. Then, this study identifies the volume of exports including contribution ratio by municipal districts where land use changed due to agro-pastoral activities. The patterns of vegetation change indicated that cattle ranching, corn, cotton, rice croplands in the northwest, and soybean and sugarcane fields in the central areas are the main contributors to deforestation. It is shown that land use change due to soybean or corn cultivation occurs mainly in the west and the southeast, respectively. Corn cultivation is associated with a greater increase in anthropogenically influenced areas than soybean cultivation. The municipal districts that export each agro-pastoral product with land use change are limited. Exports of soybeans, corn, and cotton in the municipal districts associated with deforestation had increased dramatically after experienced land use change. For example, Sapezal, which has experienced deforestation, was the only municipal district associated with export of corn to only Switzerland. Since 2007, the number of export partners has increased to 56 countries with the export volume increased 2300 times. These findings highlight the overall non-sustainability of environmental resource development activities in MT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomass burning (BB) emissions negatively impact the biosphere and human lives. Orbital remote sensing and modelling are used to estimate BB emissions on regional to global scales, but these estimates are subject to errors related to the parameters, data, and methods available. For example, emission factors (mass emitted by species during BB per mass of dry matter burned) are based on land use and land cover (LULC) classifications that vary considerably across products. In this work, we evaluate how BB emissions vary in the PREP-CHEM-SRC emission estimator tool (version 1.8.3) when it is run with original LULC data from MDC12Q1 (collection 5.1) and newer LULC data from MapBiomas (collection 6.0). We compare the results using both datasets in the Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado biomes during the 2002–2020 time series. A major reallocation of emissions occurs within Brazil when using the MapBiomas product, with emissions decreasing by 788 Gg (−1.91% year−1) in the Amazon and emissions increasing by 371 Gg (2.44% year−1) in the Cerrado. The differences identified are mostly associated with the better capture of the deforestation process in the Amazon and forest formations in Northern Cerrado with the MapBiomas product, as emissions in forest-related LULCs decreased by 5260 Gg in the Amazon biome and increased by 1676 Gg in the Cerrado biome. This is an important improvement to PREP-CHEM-SRC, which could be considered the tool to build South America's official BB emission inventory and to provide a basis for setting emission reduction targets and assessing the effectiveness of mitigation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic changes in habitats are one of the main threats to biodiversity. Understanding how species diversity and their functions are affected by these changes is crucial to assess environmental impacts. In this work, we aim to understand how lizard composition, taxonomic and functional diversity respond to differences in native vegetation regeneration stages (conserved vegetation and open secondary vegetation) and agricultural land use in different vegetation types (Caatinga sensu stricto, Cerrado sensu stricto and Relictual Humid Forest) in Caatinga domain, Brazil. In more degraded areas (open secondary vegetation and agricultural areas), we found a decline in species evenness, shown by greater dominance of few species. Moreover, we found a lower functional evenness in agricultural areas than in areas of conserved vegetation, which suggests that a smaller portion of functional traits present greater dominance in more anthropized areas. We did not detect any significant differences in species richness, but we did registered differences in species composition in Relictual Humid Forest. Contrary to our expectations, lizard abundance was also greater in more degraded areas, probably as a result of the increased abundance of species benefited by anthropization. In this work, we advance the knowledge of how anthropogenic changes influence lizard diversity and emphasize the importance of analysing different facets of diversity and different habitat environments to understand how anthropization affects patterns in community ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyzed the occurrences of fire foci between years 2001 and 2015 in Mato Grosso state, Brazil. For this, we used remote sensing data and we correlated fire with surface temperature, rainfall, wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, and vegetation index. The data were analyzed within the state according to use and cover classes. We also spatialize the fire occurrence using Kernel density and analyze trends with the Mann–Kendall test. The year 2015 was the year with the highest average annual air temperature and lowest annual cumulative rainfall, and wet season with the lowest relative humidity and highest surface temperature. Therefore, it was the year with less difference in the number of fire foci between wet (40.53%) and dry (59.47%) seasons. The period 2002–2005 and the years 2007 and 2010 had the highest fire foci, representing about 66.5% of the total from 2001 to 2015. In these years, 80 to 83% of fire foci occurred in the dry season. The classes with the highest density of fire were Mining Area, Urban Area, Temporary Crops, and Pasture. The fire foci in Urbanized Area, Temporary Crops, Pasture and Forestry classes tended to decrease throughout the 15 years evaluated. Fire foci were negatively correlated with rainfall, relative humidity and soil water and positively correlated with wind and surface temperature. This demonstrates that public policies related to combating fires in Brazil must be intensified especially in years with prediction of extreme drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of native forest into agricultural land, which is common in many parts of the world, poses important questions regarding soil degradation, demanding further efforts to better understand the effect of land use change on soil functions. With the advent of 3D computed tomography techniques and computing power, new methods are becoming available to address this question. In this direction, in the current work we implement a modification of the Fisher–Shannon method, borrowed from information theory, to quantify the complexity of twelve 3D CT soil samples from a sugarcane plantation and twelve samples from a nearby native Atlantic forest in northeastern Brazil. The distinction found between the samples from the sugar plantation and the Atlantic forest site is quite pronounced. The results at the level of 91.7% accuracy were obtained considering the complexity in the Fisher–Shannon plane. Atlantic forest samples are found to be generally more complex than those from the sugar plantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way water resources behave in the face of changes in land use are essential for managing a watershed. The Ibicuí river basin, located in the center of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, has great agricultural potential and peculiar characteristics regarding its hydrological regime. Changes in land use and land cover with the purpose of expanding economic activities in this area can generate major impacts on the flow regimes of this watershed. This study shows an analysis of the influence of land use and land cover changes on the flow regime in the Ibicuí river basin from the large-basin hydrological model (MGB-IPH), considering maps of land use history and vegetation cover in the study area. The results were used to analyze the changes in the maximum and minimum annual and monthly average flows. The efficiency of the model was evaluated by the Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (between 0.636 and 0.801) for peak flows and by the Nash-Sutcliffe log (between 0.682 and 0.863) for recession flows, indicating high correlation and low volume error (- 0.45 to - 8.20%). The greatest change in land use was the forest coverage reduction associated with agriculture land use. As a result, an increase in the average monthly flows and in the reference flow Q90 was verified. In some sub-basins, a significant modification in the reference Q90 flow and maximum flow was verified. The Mann-Whitney test showed that the results were accurate. The results indicated that changes in forest coverage and land use have an impact in the flow regime in the Ibicuí Watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern times have required studies that take into account the main soil features, aligning the use of land with the protection of more sensitive environments. From this perspective, this study aimed to perform a morphological description and determine the physical and chemical attributes for soil classification in the community of Poção, located in the municipality of Martins/RN, by highlighting the more sensitive attributes in the differentiation of environments through multivariate analysis. Nine soil profiles were identified to perform the morphological description and collect samples for physical and chemical analyses. The study updates the soil classes found in the study area: Acrisols, Planosols, and Cambisols, with the relief being the main factor responsible for the difference between soil attributes. The influence of organic matter on the soil attributes highlights the importance of its maintenance. Aluminum and the clay fraction are responsible for the distinction of the Acrisol class, whereas silt, potassium sodium, total organic carbon, the electrical conductivity of the saturation extract, and the cation exchange capacity allow the differentiation of Fluvisols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies on soils and their interrelationships with land use in the context of the semi-arid region of Brazil are still scarce, even though they have the potential to assist in understanding the use and management of soil and agricultural crops. From this perspective, this study investigated four land uses in different locations of the Apodi Plateau, an elevated area in semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil. The different soils were analyzed for their resistance to root penetration, water infiltration, inorganic fractions, soil density, total porosity, potential of hydrogen, electrical conductivity, total organic carbon, potential acidity, and sum of bases. The soil resistance to root penetration and water infiltration were determined in the field. The results obtained were interpreted using multivariate and geostatistical analysis. The resistance data were subjected to the Shapiro–Wilk test at 5% of probability and expressed in maps, whereas infiltration data curves were constructed to estimate the amount of infiltrated water at the different time intervals. The textural classification was an important factor for the analysis of soil resistance to root penetration (Q) and the infiltration rate, being evidenced in the cluster analysis and allowing the formation of two groups, one for the surface layers of the areas and another for the subsurface layers, with the inorganic sand and clay fractions standing out with the greatest dissimilarity. The establishment of conservation practices for soil management is suggested to correct the pore space problems and the degradation of agroecosystems in areas with soils whose conditions are similar to the ones of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing is valuable for estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) stocks. However, its application in agricultural and pasture areas is limited compared with forest areas. This study quantifies AGB in agriculture–pasture mosaics within Brazil's Campo Maior Complex (CMC). The methodology employs remote sensing cloud processing and utilizes an estimator to incorporate vegetation indices. The results reveal significant changes in biomass values among land use and land cover classes over the past ten years, with notable variations observed in forest plantation, pasture, sugar cane, and soybean areas. The estimated AGB values range from 0 to 20 Mg.ha−1 (minimum), 53 to 419 Mg.ha−1 (maximum), and 19 to 57 Mg.ha−1 (mean). In Forest formation areas, AGB values range from approximately 0 to 278 Mg.ha−1, with an average annual value of 56.44 Mg.ha−1. This study provides valuable insights for rural landowners and government officials in managing the semiarid territory and environment. It aids in decision making regarding agricultural management, irrigation and fertilization practices, agricultural productivity, land use and land cover changes, biodiversity loss, soil degradation, conservation strategies, the identification of priority areas for environmental restoration, and the optimization of resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental vulnerability is an important tool to understand the natural and anthropogenic impacts associated with the susceptibility to environmental damage. This study aims to assess the environmental vulnerability of the Doce River basin in Brazil through Multicriteria Decision Analysis based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS-MCDA). Natural factors (slope, elevation, relief dissection, rainfall, pedology, and geology) and anthropogenic factors (distance from urban centers, roads, mining dams, and land use) were used to determine the environmental vulnerability index (EVI). The EVI was classified into five classes, identifying associated land uses. Vulnerability was verified in water resource management units (UGRHs) and municipalities using hot spot analysis. The study employed the water quality index (WQI) to assess the EVI and global sensitivity analysis (GSA) to evaluate the model input parameters that most influence the basin's environmental vulnerability. The results showed that the regions near the middle Doce River were considered environmentally more vulnerable, especially the UGRHs Guandu, Manhuaçu, and Caratinga; and 35.9% of the basin has high and very high vulnerabilities. Hot spot analysis identified regions with low EVI values (cold spot) in the north and northwest, while areas with high values (hot spot) were concentrated mainly in the middle Doce region. Water monitoring stations with the worst WQI values were found in the most environmentally vulnerable areas. The GSA determined that land use and slope were the primary factors influencing the model's response. The results of this study provide valuable information for supporting environmental planning in the Doce River basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, significant changes have driven the advancement of agricultural production systems in Brazil. The objective of this study is to analyze the efficiency and transformation of the agricultural production system in the Ibirapuitã Environmental Preservation Area (EPA) through nitrogen input and output flows. Methodologically, the approach is considered mixed, consisting of a case study and based on quantitative and qualitative techniques. Flowcharts and indicators were elaborated to evaluate nitrogen flows over time. The results were confirmed through semi-structured interviews. The results indicated that production based on economic efficiency is one of the main factors transforming the livestock system. The transformation of the production system into livestock did not reduce nitrogen flows. Productive and economic indicators reaffirm the transformation and volatility of livestock systems under economic and political contexts, even in an environmental protection unit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aims to develop a new method to map Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) classes in the São Paulo State, Brazil, using Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data. The novelty of the proposed method consists of selecting the images based on the spectral and temporal characteristics of the LULC classes. First, we defined the six classes to be mapped in the year 2020 as forest, forest plantation, water bodies, urban areas, agriculture, and pasture. Second, we visually analyzed their variability spectral characteristics over the year. Then, we pre-processed these images to highlight each LULC class. For the classification, the Random Forest algorithm available on the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform was utilized individually for each LULC class. Afterward, we integrated the classified maps to create the final LULC map. The results revealed that forest areas are primarily concentrated in the eastern region of São Paulo, predominantly on steeper slopes, accounting for 19% of the study area. On the other hand, pasture and agriculture dominated 73% of all São Paulo's landscape, reaching 39% and 34%, respectively. The overall accuracy of the classification achieved 89.10%, while producer and user accuracies were greater than 84.20% and 76.62%, respectively. To validate the results, we compared our findings with the MapBiomas Project classification, obtaining an overall accuracy of 85.47%. Therefore, our method demonstrates its potential to minimize classification errors and offers the advantage of facilitating post-classification editing for individual mapped classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use is a driver for hydrological and soil erosion responses at the watershed scale. This study aimed to assess the hydrological and soil erosion processes in small watersheds under three different land uses, at three time scales. We investigated four small watersheds in southern Brazil: Agricultural North watershed (ANW), Agricultural South watershed (ASW), Eucalyptus watershed (EW), and Grassland watershed (GW). The SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was used to simulate streamflow (SF) and sediment yield (SY) at monthly, daily and hourly time scales. EW had the lowest SF and SY, whereas ANW showed the highest SY with an increase of 90% and ASW had the highest SF with an increase of 70%. The SWAT model had a satisfactory performance in all time scales and watersheds for SF and SY (NSE and R2 ≥ 0.3 and Pbias ≤ ± 39%). Overall, land use has a major impact on hydrological and soil erosion responses, and the magnitude of these processes depends on the time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between land use and cover and a basin hydrological regime are complex and dynamics. The identification of trends and changes in rainfall and flow regimes in a region is relevant in water resources planning and management so that environmental, economic and social adversities are avoided. Thus, this study aims to identify possible trends in the historical series of rainfall and fluviometric stations in Rio das Mortes basin, Minas Gerais, Brazil, as well as to relate the modifications in the flow rate behaviour due to changes in land use and cover in the basin between the years of 1985 and 2017. For that, hydrological data were used from the Ibituruna-MG river station and 12 rainfall stations and orbital images from Landsat-5 and Sentinel satellites. Flow rate and precipitation behavior were performed using the nonparametric Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt's test, while the land use and cover classification was performed in an eCognition Developer® 64 environment. Significant trends were observed in the average of total annual rainfall series and decreasing trends in the average of monthly flow rate series of lowest runoff over the years 1925 to 2014. There were changes in land use and cover in the studied region, however, these were not significant enough to modify the hydrological regime of Rio das Mortes basin during the analysed period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Xingu River Basin (XRB) in the Brazilian Amazon region has a great relevance to the development of northern Brazil because of the Belo Monte hydropower plant and its crescent agribusiness expansion. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of the Lavras Simulation of the Hydrology (LASH) model to represent the main hydrological processes in the XRB and simulate the hydrological impacts in the face of land-use change scenarios. Following the trend of the most relevant agribusiness evolution in the XRB, four agribusiness scenarios (S) were structured considering the increase in grasslands (S1: 50% over the native forest; S2: 100% over the native forest) and soybean plantations (S3: 50% over the native forest; S4: 100% over native forest). Average hydrographs were simulated, and the frequency duration curves (FDC) and average annual values of the main hydrological components for each scenario were compared. The results showed that, in general, changes in land use based on deforestation in the XRB would lead to an increase in flood streamflow and a reduction in baseflow. The increases in direct surface runoff varied from 4.4% for S1 to 29.8% for S4 scenarios. The reduction in baseflow varied from −1.6% for S1 to −4.9% for S2. These changes were reduced when the entire XRB was analyzed, but notable for the sub-basins in its headwater region, where the scenarios were more effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Amazon region comprises the largest tropical forest on the planet and is responsible for absorbing huge amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. However, changes in land use and cover have contributed to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions, especially CO2, and in endangered indigenous lands and protected areas in the region. The objective of this study was to detect changes in CO2 emissions and removals associated with land use and land cover changes in the Brazilian Legal Amazon (BLA) through the analysis of multispectral satellite images from 2009 to 2019. The Gross Primary Production (GPP) and CO2Flux variables were estimated by the MODIS sensor onboard Terra and Aqua satellite, representing carbon absorption by vegetation during the photosynthesis process. Atmospheric CO2 concentration was estimated from the GOSAT satellite. The variables GPP and CO2Flux showed the effective flux of carbon in the BLA to atmosphere, which were weakly correlated with precipitation (r = 0.191 and 0.133). The forest absorbed 211.05 TgC annually but, due to its partial conversion to other land uses, the loss of 135,922.34 km2 of forest area resulted in 5.82 TgC less carbon being absorbed. Pasture and agriculture, which comprise the main land conversions, increased by 100,340.39 km2 and absorbed 1.32 and 3.19 TgC less, and emitted close to twice more, than forest in these areas. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations increased from 2.2 to 2.8 ppm annually in BLA, with hotspots observed in the southeast Amazonia, and CO2 capture by GPP showed an increase over the years, mainly after 2013, in the north and west of the BLA. This study brings to light the carbon dynamics, by GPP and CO2Flux models, as related to the land use and land cover in one of the biggest world carbon reservoirs, the Amazon, which is also important to fulfillment of international agreements signed by Brazil to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and for biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation estimation is a challenging task, especially in regions where its spatial distribution is irregular and highly variable. This study evaluated the spatial distribution of annual rainfall in a semiarid Brazilian basin under different regimes and its impact on land use and land cover dynamics. Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) records and observed data from 40 weather stations over a time series of 55 years were used, in addition to the Standardized Precipitation Index. Spatiotemporal analysis was carried out based on geostatistics. Remote sensing images were also interpreted for different rainfall regimes using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Modified Normalized Difference Water Index. The Gaussian semivariogram model best represented the rainfall spatial structure, showing strong spatial dependence. Results indicated that rainfall amount in the basin significantly increases with elevation, as expected. There is high variation in the dynamics of water storage that can threaten water security in the region. Our findings point out that the application of geostatistics for mapping both the annual precipitation and the Standardized Precipitation Index provides a powerful framework to support hydrological analysis, as well as land use and land cover management in semiarid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) help in strategies for maintaining biodiversity and inhibiting deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. However, there are few studies that evaluate the effectiveness of lands protected by states (or federation units). Our goal was to compare land use change over 35 years in state-level PAs with another area of protection, both in the Amazon of the Maranhão state, Brazil. We employed remote sensing techniques, the geographic information system (GIS), and statistical analysis with the use of analyses of covariance (ANCOVAS) to analyze the presence of the classes of land use and change in the PA. The results indicate that the state PAs were effective in preserving forest cover and decelerating grazing. The implications of the results are discussed in the context of supporting public policies at the state level for the protection of the Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conversion of Brazilian savanna into exotic pastures leads to the loss of dung beetles and a decrease in their contribution to ecological functions. We hypothesized that the dung beetle communities from exotic pastures would show greater significant differences between climatic zones, when contrasted to communities from Brazilian savanna in the same region, since dung beetle assemblages in pastures are more simplified. We assessed which variables (purpose of production, type of management, percentage the habitat per buffer, soil penetration resistance, pasture area and herd size) affect more the dung beetle community in exotic pastures. We carried out this study in 48 areas of native Brazilian savannas and exotic pastures distributed across four bioclimatic zones: BZ1, hot with three dry months; BZ2, hot with 4–5 dry months; BZ3, sub‐hot with 4–5 dry months and BZ4, meso‐thermal with 4–5 dry months of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. In each BZ, six areas of Brazilian savannas and six areas of exotic pasture were selected. In the Brazilian savanna areas, the species richness, abundance and biomass of dung beetles did not differ between the bioclimatic zones, unlike the exotic pastures. The composition of the dung beetle community was different between land use systems and between bioclimatic zones; the interaction between the two factors was also significant. Our results provide evidence that dung beetle communities active in exotic pastures are more susceptible to climatic environmental variations than communities from more complex and stable habitats, such as savannas. Finally, the best model suggested that all the six variables combined explained about 91% of the total variability in species composition observed between sampling sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work performs an analysis of the spatial pattern of the coffee harvested area in the Rio de Janeiro state between 1988 and 2018. To relate changes in land cover and land use with the coffee land abandonment, geographically weighted regressions (GWR) were adopted with the rates of change in forest and pasture cover, and also with changes in the size of the cattle herd. The coffee-crop area evolution identifies three behaviors: the concentration of planted area in the northwest, with constant growth after the 1990s; a remaining area in the mountainous region; and the abandonment of coffee farms in the south. Although bivariate models can't explain the changes in land cover and land use, geographically weighted regressions point to a trend of replacing coffee cover with pasturelands in the south region of the state, while eventual changes for forest cover are more likely in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work brings a refined estimation of the land use change and derived CO2 emissions associated with sugarcane cultivation, including changes in management practices and refined land-use carbon stocks, over the last two decades for Brazil's center–south and north regions. The analysis was carried out at the rural property level, considering spatially explicit land conversion data. With the refinements, we found a net carbon removal of 9.8 TgCO2∙yr−1 in sugarcane cultivation areas in the 2000–2020 period, which was due to the expansion of sugarcane over poor quality pastures (55% of the gross removals), croplands (15%) and mosaic (14%) areas, and the transition from the conventional burned harvesting to unburned (16%). Moreover, 98.4% of expansion was over existent agricultural areas. Considering all the land use changes within sugarcane-producing rural properties, the net removal is even larger, of 17 TgCO2∙yr−1, which is due to vegetation recovery. This suggests that public policies and private control mechanisms might have been effective not only to control deforestation but also to induce carbon removals associated with sugarcane cultivation. These results indicate sugarcane production system and derived products as contributors to net carbon removals in the land sector in Brazil and should be considered for both bioenergy and agricultural sustainability evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioenergy could play a major role in decarbonizing energy systems in the context of the Paris Agreement. Large‐scale bioenergy deployment could be related to sustainability issues and requires major infrastructure investments. It, therefore, needs to be studied carefully. The Bioenergy and Land Optimization Spatially Explicit Model (BLOEM) presented here allows for assessing different bioenergy pathways while encompassing various dimensions that influence their optimal deployment. In this study, BLOEM was applied to the Brazilian context by coupling it with the Brazilian Land Use and Energy Systems (BLUES) model. This allowed investigating the most cost‐effective ways of attending future bioenergy supply projections and studying the role of recovered degraded pasture lands in improving land availability in a sustainable and competitive manner. The results show optimizing for limiting deforestation and minimizing logistics costs results in different outcomes. It also indicates that recovering degraded pasture lands is attractive from both logistics and climate perspectives. The systemic approach of BLOEM provides spatial results, highlighting the trade‐offs between crop allocation, land use and the logistics dynamics between production, conversion, and demand, providing valuable insights for regional and national climate policy design. This makes it a useful tool for mapping sustainable bioenergy value chain pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims is to apply a methodology to identify Trip Generating Territories (TGT) in order to discuss the relationship between transport and land use. To achieve this goal, indirect methods were applied through digital processing of orbital remote sensing images along with spatial analysis, using the Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) method. The image processing results have revealed an overall accuracy of 71% for differentiation and characterization of intra-urban classes use through the adopted typologies. In this way, through data on land use and occupation, it was possible to map out the density of the trip generating territories associated to the main built surfaces and that can indicate a higher potential of trip attraction in the urban area. Additionally, the relationship between land use and public transport system was observed in the city of Petrolina-Brazil, the empirical area of study, and the highest concentration of TGT was observed to be located in the central portion of the city, on its surroundings and on the margins of some arterial roads. Thus, it is possible to extract, in the preliminary analysis, information to support the city's transport and mobility planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of natural processes on community building and the modification of nature by man's hands are an intrinsic part of the co-production of the landscape between man and nature. However, the interactions of this co-production have scarcely been analyzed. Based on data from the MapBiomas project, an analysis of the variation in land use and cover over 35 years in the Quilombola São Roque and Mãe dos Homens communities in southern Brazil was carried out. The sociogeomorphological units in the study area were established, and its geomorphological units and social units were analyzed and described. There is a prevalence of more than 50% of forest formation. Cluster analysis classified the analyzed variables into two groups, with the first corresponding to forest and grassland formations associated with more natural landscape features. The second group is formed by anthropogenic activities. Social units including traditional communities seem to be more related to the stimulation of forest formation. The action of conservation units influences the variation in land use and land cover. There is a Supplementary Material which explains abbreviations concerning the manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forestry promotion is one of the approaches to forestry production with an increasing tendency in Brazil. The objective of this work was to present an agroclimatic zoning (AGZ), based on environmental conditions necessary for the planting of four species of eucalyptus in the southern mesoregion of Bahia State, Brazil, on a surface of 54,642.35 km². AGZ was proposed for Eucalyptus grandis Hill, E. urophylla, E. camaldulensis and Eucalyptus urograndis (E. grandis X E. urophylla), using geographic information systems for crossing spatial variables of temperature, precipitation, water deficit, evapotranspiration, soils, altitude, slope, conservation units and land use. The region showed planting aptitude of 27.93, 11.87, 3.74 and 1.70%, for E. grandis, E. urophylla, E. camaldulensis and Eucalyptus urograndis, respectively. The AGZ is an important alternative to minimize, in the long term, the negative effects of a monoculture with a high rate of transpiration that could compromise environmental sustainability and reduce water availability in a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying a watershed in the Amazon region requires understanding that this region has national and global relevance. The fact that the study area is located in the socalled arc of deforestation raises the need to understand its context, its vulnerabilities, and its physical, environmental, and anthropic components. This research assesses the environmental vulnerability of the Buriticupu River Watershed in Maranhão State, Brazil. The aim is to foster improvements that may contribute to environmental planning and, specifically, to water resource management. For this purpose, the authors used the Geographic Information System environment to work with Map Algebra, interrelating primary and secondary data on geology, relief, pedology, and land use and land cover to generate synthesis cartography. The results pointed to areas with predominantly medium vulnerability. However, the analyses highlight alluvial plains, which became the most fragile areas from an environmental point of view. This is mainly because these areas comprise water-saturated soils (gleysols), unconsolidated deposits of sand and silt (alluvial deposits), and extensive humid vegetation, characteristics of igapó and floodplain forests. This research generated a document that applies is applicable to the study area. It also provided, in a systemic and integrated way, a product that will help in planning, which is very important for the creation of a watershed committee, something necessary and still embryonic in Maranhão State, Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southern region of the Amazon stands out for the growing agricultural development and installation of large hydroelectric projects. Given this scenario, the objective of this study was to quantify the Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APPs), Permanent Preservation Areas, of the water bodies of the Teles Pires river basin according to the current legislation, checking whether there is conflict regarding the use and occupation of these areas, and then check for the occurrence of degradation and identify the environmental fragility of the area. Using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), the water bodies located in the study area were delineated and the APPs were delimited according to Law 12,651/2012. To identify the existence of conflicts within these areas, a map of land use and occupation was generated through Maximum Likelihood supervised classification, which was compared with the limits of the APPs, considering conflict areas whose land use is related to anthropic activities. Lastly, the potential and emerging fragility of the area were calculated, considering data of the slope, soil type and land cover/land use. The delimited APP comprised 3.96% of the total area of the basin and it showed a state of low degradation, with 83.83% of the area conserved under native vegetation cover and 15.93% showing conflicting type of use, with the occupation by pastures standing out, and among the APP categories mapped the headwaters were the most impacted. The spatialization of conflicts within the basin indicated that it has a very different conservation pattern, with the most critical areas concentrated in the center-east, where municipalities that have more than 40% of the APP occupied by anthropic activities are located. The north of the basin has areas with higher potential fragility, which is attenuated by the great soil protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Direito da Cidade is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Thematic maps of land cover and use can assist in the environmental monitoring of semiarid regions, mainly due to the advent of climate change, such as drought, and pressures from anthropic activities, such as the advance of urban areas. The use of geotechnologies is key for its effectiveness and low operating cost. The objective was to evaluate and understand the spatiotemporal dynamics of the loss and gain of land cover and use in a region of the Brazilian semiarid region, and identify annual trends from changing conditions over 36 years (1985 to 2020), using cloud remote sensing techniques in Google Earth Engine (GEE). Thematic maps of land cover and land use from MapBiomas Brazil were used, evaluated by Mann–Kendall trend analysis. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was also determined from the digital processing of about 800 orbital images (1985 to 2020) from the Landsat series of satellites. The trend analysis for land cover and use detected, over time, the loss of forest areas and water bodies, followed by the advance of exposed soil areas and urban infrastructure. The modification of native vegetation directly influences water availability, and agricultural activities increase the pressure on water resources, mainly in periods of severe drought. The NDVI detected that the period from 2013 to 2020 was most affected by climatic variability conditions, with extremely low average values. Thematic maps of land cover and use and biophysical indices are essential indicators to mitigate environmental impacts in the Brazilian semiarid region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subterranean habitats around the world can shelter diversified and threatened faunal communities. However, issues related to alterations in the landscape and structure of subterranean habitats still need to be better understood. Therefore, we used a multi-spatial scale analysis of land cover, land use, and cave habitats to predict the diversity of communities of subterranean invertebrates. We hypothesized that changes in land cover promote alterations in both faunal richness and composition and microhabitat diversity and that microhabitat features determined subterranean biodiversity. Sixteen limestone caves were sampled in Brazil at micro, meso, and macro scales using quadrats (1m²), transects (100 meters) as sample units inside caves and buffers with the radius of 100 and 250 meters in the surroundings of the cave entrances. Models performed showed that land cover and land use influenced cave environments, regarding both microhabitats traits and terrestrial invertebrate richness and composition. We also observed a relationship between microhabitat structure and terrestrial invertebrate richness and composition. Our results showed that deforested areas had negative effects on species richness and changed their composition, while natural areas had positive effects on microhabitat diversity. The same effects were observed for both 100 and 250 meters buffers. Invertebrate richness was negatively predicted by deforested areas while positively predicted by natural areas. Richness was also positively predicted by the combination of all microhabitat traits, and dissimilarity of fauna was influenced by microhabitat diversity in mesoscale and microscale by all microhabitat elements. The results highlight the importance of the landscape surrounding the caves to conserve the subterranean habitats and their fauna. Due to the spatial and temporal changes in the global environmental scenario, we argue the urgency of further detailed studies in fragmented landscapes to define minimum areas of protection for cave environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mapping priority areas for environmental conservation and restoration is essential to informing policy formulation and decision-making. This study proposes a methodology based on multicriteria analysis and on-site assessment to develop environmental zoning that enhances the provision of water ecosystem services (WES) from Brazil's Água Quente River Basin. Integrated analysis of multiple criteria enabled identification of degrees of susceptibility to degradation, assessment of effects of land-use changes between 1990 and 2020, and validation of the study's methodology via field protocol. The results indicated that the spatial and temporal patterns of WES susceptibility to degradation varied little within the study area with the most critical levels occurring primarily in the Agua Quente's floodplain, where there are sandy textured soils and coverage with a low degree of soil protection. Zoning analysis designates 40% of the basin's area as consolidated use, 28% for environmental conservation, 19% as anthropic use, and 13% for environmental restoration. Field analysis indicates that the occurrence of degraded areas and pollution by solid waste and urban effluents are relevant factors that affect the basin's water resources. Linear regression analysis indicated a good fit between the data modeled by the multicriteria analysis and those observed on-site (R² = 0.6 p < 0.05). The study's method is effective and its structure can be used in other river basins, as its approach is simple and flexible and can be readily adjusted to fit the characteristics of the study site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A regional approach to the study of Brazil's beef industry is increasingly relevant as deforestation takes centre stage in policy debates worldwide. To what extent has beef production expanded toward regions hosting sensitive ecosystems such as the Amazon? Important data limitations remain to answer this question, especially regarding slaughterhouses, fundamental to the beef supply chain. This paper addresses the data gap on slaughterhouse location and history and provides novel regional analysis. We map the beef industry's evolution into Brazil's interior over the last six decades and quantify changes in market concentration between 2006 and 2016. To accomplish this, we triangulated across fiscal and animal sanitation data sources to produce the first longitudinal dataset with information on the opening and closing dates, locations, and production volumes of 2602 slaughterhouses. We show the linear movement of slaughterhouses and cattle herds to the Amazon by tracking their geographical centres of gravity. We also show the clustering pattern of slaughterhouses. Until the 1960s, all the geographical clusters were located south of the capital, Brasília. By the early 2000s, clusters north of Brasília were almost as extensive. Finally, we assessed the degree of market power that the largest beefprocessing companies possess. The results indicate that market concentration increased in regions of more recent settlement further away from the coast, and that it remained relatively stable in states near the coast (Minas Gerais, São Paulo). The results shed light on the relationship between displacement toward the Amazon and Cerrado regions and economic concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats on Earth, due mainly to anthropogenic pollutants made up of complex mixtures. The Iguaçu River is world famous for the Iguaçu Falls and highlighted by its endemism. Unfortunately, it is considered the second most polluted urban river in Brazil. We aimed to perform an environmental evaluation of Neotropical streams in the Iguaçu River basin, using a multibiomarker approach from a land use and landscape perspective. A set of biomarkers in the fish Psalidodonbifasciatus was analyzed using an Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR) index and correlated with surrounding land uses. Agricultural and urban sites presented more alterations compared to references sites, with elevated protein carbonyls at agricultural sites, increased DNA damage and depletion of glutathione S-transferase at urban sites and decreased glutathione associated with higher histopathological indices at urban and agricultural sites. The IBR shows a consistent increase in negative effects in anthropized areas, with similar values at agricultural and urban sites. The multibiomarker approach, associated with a well-elaborated sample design and a statistical analysis, is an ideal method to obtain more conclusive results about the effects of human activities, revealing the effective result of exposure in the real world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of native vegetation cover in the watershed is known to affect stream fish communities. However, community response may not occur immediately after land cover change, and may become apparent only years later. In this study, we investigated how a c.a. 30-year (1985–2017) historical trajectory of native vegetation loss affected fish communities in 47 streams of southern Brazilian grasslands. We tested whether current species richness and composition would be more related to past or to recent natural vegetation cover. We then defined trajectories of vegetation loss and tested whether different attributes (frequency, magnitude and duration of disturbance) affected particular species and functional groups. We found that current species richness and composition were more related to past than to current vegetation cover. However, we also observed that responses of particular species and functional groups were dependent on specific trajectory attributes. We concluded that present fish community characteristics may respond not only to past watershed conditions but also to how watershed conditions have changed over the time. Exploring land use trajectories seems a promising approach for improving our understanding of landscape effects on stream ecosystems, as well as the predictability of present landscape management and planning on freshwater communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydropower dams are touted as one of the cleanest forms of energy production, yet they are associated with severe environmental impacts on both the physical structure and functioning of river ecosystems. The threat is particularly acute in the Brazilian Cerrado—a biodiverse savanna region, spanning over 2 million km2, that concentrates the headwaters of several critical South American watersheds. Our study analyzed the current distribution of large and small hydroelectric plants in the Cerrado and focused on understanding their effect on land use changes. We also propose a Dam Saturation Index (DSI) to help spur more integrated planning for this region. Results indicate that the Cerrado river basins contains 116 (30%) of Brazil's large hydroelectric plants and 352 (36%) of its small hydroelectric plants. Moreover, these plants spurred significant land use changes within a 5-km buffer of the dams, with over 2255 km2 of native vegetation cleared by 2000 and an additional 379 km2 in the ensuing 20 years, could reach ~1000 km2. Based on the historical anthropization process in the Brazilian savannas, we expect new crops, pastures, and urban equipment to be incorporated into this landscape, with different impact loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Climatic changes and land usage and cover (LULC) can significantly impact the availability of water resources in a region. On the other hand, water resources are intrinsically linked to economic production. Thus, managing water resources and their know-how on how they are affected by the climate and LULC are essential in regional development. The Global Climatic Model evaluated water resource management on its effects of climatic changes (2019–2099) based on four R epresentative Concentration Pathways (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) and the impact of changes in LULC in the Hydrographic Basin of the Cubatão River (HBCR), in Brazil. The fragilities of water resource management were observed. The scarcity of precipitation data made a direct impact on the estimated monthly average flow, as the estimated reduction was 45.4 % (RCP 2.6), 41.9 % (RCP 4.5), 43.2 % (RCP 6.0), and 41.7 % (RCP 8.5) by the end of the century. The forecast change in LULC reduces the impact on the decreased average monthly flow to 2.9 % by 2099 (RCP 2.6), 2.5 % (RCP 4.5), and 2.7 % (RCP 6.0 and 8.5). The actual evapotranspiration will be less than 2.4 % (RCP 2.6 and 6.0) and 2.3 % (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) with changes in the LULC in future scenarios. The HBCR already uses the entire status of authorized flow that will further aggravate as population growth continues. The results display faulty water resource maintenance of the basin that indeed will interfere in local economic development. • Climate change models estimate higher precipitation, but it is still insufficient. • Without the management of water resources, economic development is threatened. • The lack of instrument prevents the management of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]