Analysis of the Land Use and Land Cover and the Normalized Difference Indexes of Vegetation and Water within Indigenous Lands and Surrounding Areas in the Brazilian Amazon Basin

Abstract

The majority of Brazilian Indigenous lands, more than 98%, are found in the Amazon region. They are a major barrier to the advance of deforestation in this region. The Amazon region and its vast biodiversity have suffered from the advance of agriculture and illegal and legal occupations that do not consider regional environmental characteristics. This study analyzed changes in vegetation between 1985 and 2020, within and around Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. The analysis was conducted using the land use and land cover classification, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and the Land Surface Temperature (LST). Results showed that Indigenous lands and their surroundings, located far from agricultural properties and close to other Indigenous lands or federal Conservation Units (UCs), maintained the conservation of vegetation, temperature, and soil moisture in their internal and surrounding areas. Indigenous lands adjacent to areas of agricultural expansion, while still conserving their vegetation, experienced changes in their surroundings. Soybean fields and pasture areas have replaced the forest, which increased LST. This study showed the resilience and importance of Indigenous lands in protecting and preserving the Amazon biome and its vast biodiversity.

Keywords:
Amazon Rainforest; Indigenous Territories; NDVI and NDWI; LST