Análise multitemporal da dinâmica de uso e ocupação do solo do município de Extremoz/RN e seus aspectos ambientais

Abstract

This work aims to evaluate the process of urban expansion in the municipality of Extremoz and its pertinent environmental implications. For this, a multitemporal map and a land use and occupation map were developed, and data were sought to corroborate the premise that there was urban growth and the consequences of this growth for the municipality. For the elaboration of the land use and occupation map in 2021, eight dominant categories of land use were classified in the study area: agriculture, shrimp farming, water bodies, dunes, urban expansion, urban zone, dense vegetation, and sparse vegetation. The largest land use in the municipality is agriculture, which corresponds to 49.572 km², or 34.99% of the territory. The spatial and temporal dynamics of land use changes were quantified using five Landsat images and the supervised classification technique. In the Landsat images from 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2021, it was possible to track the growth of the urban area in Extremoz. The greatest urban growth was observed between 2015 and 2021, with 24.23km², which corresponds to an increase of 269% in this period alone. With urban expansion, there was also increased pressure for occupation in environmental preservation areas, and without proper government supervision, this occupation brings interference to the environment.