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Deforestation and conservation in major watersheds of the Brazilian Amazon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 February 2010

RALPH TRANCOSO ,
ARNALDO CARNEIRO FILHO ,
JAVIER TOMASELLA ,
JULIANA SCHIETTI ,
BRUCE RIDER FORSBERG  and
ROBERT PRITCHARD MILLER
RALPH TRANCOSO*
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), Laboratory of Spatial Analysis (SIGLAB), Large Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazon (LBA), INPA Campus II, Avenida André Araújo 2936, Aleixo, Manaus, Amazonas 69083-000, Brazil
ARNALDO CARNEIRO FILHO
Affiliation:
Social Environmental Institute (ISA), SCLN, 210, Bloco C, sala 112, Brasília – DF 70862-530, Brazil
JAVIER TOMASELLA
Affiliation:
National Institute for Space Research (INPE), Centre for Terrestrial System Sciences, Rodovia Presidente Dutra km 39 12630-000 Cachoeira Paulista/SP, Brazil, Large Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazon (LBA), INPA Campus II, Avenida André Araújo 2936, Aleixo, Manaus, Amazonas 69083-000, Brazil
JULIANA SCHIETTI
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), Laboratory of Spatial Analysis (SIGLAB), Large Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazon (LBA), INPA Campus II, Avenida André Araújo 2936, Aleixo, Manaus, Amazonas 69083-000, Brazil
BRUCE RIDER FORSBERG
Affiliation:
National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), Coordination for Research in Ecology (CPEC), INPA Campus III, Avenida André Araújo 2936, Aleixo, Manaus, Amazonas 69083-000, Brazil
ROBERT PRITCHARD MILLER
Affiliation:
National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), SEPS Quadra 702/902, Ed. Lex, Brasília–DF 70390-025, Brazil
*
*Correspondence: Mr Ralph Trancoso, National Indian Foundation (FUNAI), Coordination for Protection of Indigenous Lands (CPTI) Territorial Monitoring (CGMT) SEPS Quadra 702/902, Ed. Lex, Brasília–DF 70390-025, Brazil, Tel: +55 61 3313 3694 Fax: +55 61 3313 3694 e-mail: [email protected]
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Summary

Conserving natural vegetation cover is of critical importance for maintaining the ecological integrity and hydrological properties of large river basins (more than 100 000 km2). Recent estimates indicate that more than 700 000 km2 of Brazilian Amazon have already been deforested, and to reduce further losses and preserve the important natural and cultural resources in this region, large conservation areas have been created by the Brazilian government. The present study analysed land cover and land use change in the major watersheds of the Brazilian Amazon, in order to evaluate the current balance between deforestation and conservation of natural areas in the region. The results show that watersheds draining the southern part of the basin have suffered the highest deforestation rates, with the largest losses (8.3–20% of total basin area) occurring in the Madeira, Tapajós, Xingu, Araguaia and Tocantins river basins. Most large watersheds already have significant deforestation in their headwaters, which can affect hydrological functions and ecological sustainability. The greatest allocation of land for conservation was encountered in the Trombetas, Xingu and Negro watersheds, where conservation areas occupied 92.5, 56.9 and 50.6% of the total basin, respectively. While extensive areas of the Amazon biome have been deforested, on the scale of large watersheds there is a positive balance between conservation areas and deforestation, and on average the area delimited by conservation areas is more than three times larger than the deforested areas. An analysis by subwatersheds, however, indicates that certain regions have achieved more critical levels of deforestation, in some situations affecting more than 80% of the subwatersheds.

Keywords

AmazonBrazildeforestationdigital elevation modelhydrological impactsindigenous landslarge watershedsprotected areas
Type
EC Perspectives
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 36 , Issue 4 , December 2009 , pp. 277 - 288
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2010

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