CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT HABITAT LOSS IN CHAPADA DIAMANTINA, BAHIA, BRAZIL

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation is characterised by reducing a continuous vegetation area in isolated patches. The objective was to evaluate if there is a process of fragmentation or habitat loss in the Chapada Diamantina and to report the first impressions on how local biodiversity is affected. We used Geoprocessing techniques and elaborated a map of vegetation cover and land use with Sentinel satellite images. We also used QGIS 3.10, visual analysis, photo interpretation, and classification techniques supervised by the Dzetsaka algorithm. The results indicate that the Morro do Chapéu State Park (MCSP) is not yet fragmented, and there is an intermediate level of habitat loss; if it persists, it could lead to the fragmentation of the protected area and further impact biodiversity. For this problem to be repaired or mitigated, it is necessary to think of priority areas for land regularisation and increased supervision, an attempt to repress illegal activities in this conservation area.