ABSTRACT
The present study aimed at evaluating the evolution of land use in the Lavapés river basin, Botucatu, São Paulo State, over a twenty-seven period, considering fíve kinds of vegetative covers (forest land, savanna rangeland coffee cropland, sugar cane and reforestation). The study was based on the vertical aerial photographs from 1962, in approximately 1:25.000 nominal scale, and on the LANDSAT-5 Multispectral Scanner 1989 images, in 1:50.000 scale. The analysis of the results revealed that sugar cane was the only vegetative cover that had an area expansion, which was due to reduction in coffee cropland, forestland, reforestation and savanna rangeland, refleting the high economic return in the establishment of governamental programs for Proalcohol. The savanna rangeland and coffee cropland showed more reductions in areas than the others. It was observed that, in general, forestland occurred mostly in the higher parts of the sloping area, while savanna rangelands, coffee croplands, sugar canes and reforestation occurred mostly in the intermediate parts. In this context, during 1989 the predominating vegetative cover sequence was sugar cane, forestland, reforestation, savanna rangeland and coffee cropland.
Key words:
vegetative cover; photointerpretation; soil occupation