ANALYSIS OF LAND USE AND OCCUPATION IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF DOURADOS – MS, WITH DATA FROM MAPBIOMAS

Abstract

Land use and land cover analysis is employed to understand the landscape of an area, municipality, or region. The primary tool for this analysis is the use of satellite imagery. This process has become more promising with the advent of new onboard sensors that have enhanced the spatial and radiometric resolution of images. The MapBiomas portal currently provides organized land use and land cover data for Brazil dating back to 1985, utilizing images from the Landsat satellite series. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the evolution of the landscape (land use and land cover) in the municipality of Dourados, MS, through data and mosaics obtained from MapBiomas. For this study, the boundaries of Dourados, MS, were sourced from the IBGE cartographic base. Land cover and land use data for all of Brazil from MapBiomas Collection 8 were downloaded in GeoTIFF format for the years: 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2020, and 2022. Using QGIS software, processing was conducted to analyze the various land use and cover classes over time. It was observed that the evolutionary process of land use and land cover in the municipality of Dourados, MS, has changed over time, shifting from a predominantly pasture-based region to one focused on agriculture, particularly starting in the year 2000. Agriculture in the municipality has advanced with soybean and sugarcane cultivation, with around 88% of the area cultivated in the summer now devoted to soybeans. The area of the municipality with lower soil fertility, characterized by dystrophic Red Latosols, also transitioned to agricultural land but occupies a smaller percentage relative to the municipality's total area.