Integrated Landscape Change Analysis of Protected Areas and their Surrounding Landscapes: Application in the Brazilian Cerrado

A novel methodology combining land use and land cover (LULC) data with vegetation index-based indicators reveals significant ecological degradation within the Cerrado Protected Areas, despite minimal natural vegetation loss. The study, focusing on Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks in Brazil, used Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) proxies to assess productivity, phenology, and structural changes between 2001 and 2016. Results showed substantial LULC conversions from natural vegetation to farming land, productivity loss, forest homogenization, and agricultural expansion, indicating habitat degradation and intensified land use. This integrated approach underscores the need for complementary indicators to monitor ecologically relevant dynamics in conservation areas.

Bellón, B., Blanco, J., De Vos, A., de O. Roque, F., Pays, O., & Renaud, P.-C. (2020). Integrated Landscape Change Analysis of Protected Areas and their Surrounding Landscapes: Application in the Brazilian Cerrado. Remote Sensing, 12(9), 1413. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12091413