Temporal dynamics and land use in the marine protected area of Baía do Iguape in Northeastern Brazil

This study investigated land-use dynamics in a protected area and how dams and hydroelectric as anthropic tensors of spatial changes in mangrove areas, in addition to evaluating the spectral response for vegetative vigor, efficiently use radiation in the photosynthetic process and the flux of atmospheric carbon by vegetation indices. The temporal mapping and the transition of land use were evaluated between 1986 and 2020, using images from the Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellites using a visual interpretation technique. Spectral analysis of mangroves was performed using vegetation indices. The results showed that the establishment of the protected area decreased the rate of conversion from natural to anthropic areas, allowing natural areas to increase by 332 ha, driven by the increase in mangroves by 240 ha. Mangroves, dense ombrophilous forests, and grasslands are the classes that most transit between categories temporally. The combination of the dam and power generation reduced the flow to the estuary, causing an increase in saline intrusion, which contributed to the increase in the mangrove area in areas distant from anthropic activities, suggesting the maintenance of the protected area and the greater flow of atmospheric carbon.