Forest depletion gradient along the Amazon floodplain

Abstract

This article analyzes the process of forest cover depletion over the last 40 years at three landscapes distributed along the Amazon floodplain. To this end, we created multi-temporal forest cover maps based on time series of Landsat images, and then analyzed the forest cover dynamics through landscape metrics. Based on landscape analyzes and bibliographic information, we assessed the degree of forest depletion of each landscape and made inferences regarding the main drives of forest changes and their impacts on ecosystem integrity. Results show the existence of an east-to-west gradient of forest depletion that varies in time and space along the floodplain of the Solimões/Amazonas River, and provides evidence that it is a response to the history of human occupation and public policies. The most degraded landscapes are located on the eastern region, where forest depletion degree indicates substantial damage to biodiversity and ecosystem services. The study increases the scarce knowledge about the dynamics of the floodplain forest over the last decades, allows a deeper understanding of the human influence on the floodplain ecosystem, and supports further studies on the impacts of forest loss and fragmentation on biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being in the Amazon floodplain.