AS IMPLICAÇÕES DECORRENTES DAS MUDANÇAS NO USO E COBERTURA DA TERRA SOBRE OS CAMPOS DE ALTITUDE NO MUNICÍPIO DE SÃO FRANCISCO DE PAULA/RS, BRASIL

Abstract

This study deals with the conversion of the Campos de Altitude areas in the Atlantic Forest Biome to agricultural crops in the last three decades, in the municipality of São Francisco de Paula, northeast of the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The main objective is to measure the losses of areas of the biome ecosystems based on land use transformation in this municipality, from 1985 to 2020. The data were obtained from a bibliographic survey and cartography based on geospatial data generated by the MapBiomas Collection 6.0 project and the use of QGIS software. Analyzing the data provided by MapBiomas it was possible to identify a reduction of about 30% in the area of Rangeland during the period from 1985 to 2020. Although with a smaller reduction, a decrease of 7.5% was detected in the Forest Formation. The converted extensions were replaced by uses for cattle farming, that is to say, Temporary Crops and by Trees Plantation. The biodiversity of the Altitude Rangeland of the municipality of São Francisco de Paula is protected by international treaties of Biodiversity Conservation, inserted as a Priority Area of Conservation of Brazil and under the protection shield of the Atlantic Forest Law. Conserving it is not just about protecting species, but about ecosystems. Not only of biotas, but of preserving a unique landscape, as well as an identity and a way of life characteristic of the human populations of the territory of Campos de Cima da Serra.