Impactos recentes por desmatamento e incêndios florestais em áreas protegidas da Amazônia brasileira

Abstract

Protected areas in the Amazon play a key role in biodiversity conservation, especially in the face of increasing pressures associated with the expansion of soybeans and livestock farming. However, the relationship between the types of protected areas in the face of these threats is still poorly understood. This study analyzes the current vulnerability status of 816 protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon, including 340 conservation units, 334 indigenous lands, and 142 quilombola territories, in the face of the impacts of deforestation and fires that occurred between 2022 and 2023. To this end, we used an impact classification and performed a covariance analysis, allowing a situational diagnosis and the investigation of governance aspects, such as land regularization and management instruments in mitigating these threats. Protected areas cover 51.64% of the Amazon biome, and are mostly composed of conservation units and indigenous lands. The results show that indigenous lands had the highest percentage of affected lands (56.29%), but with a lower percentage of impacted territorial extension (1.78%). In contrast, quilombola territories recorded the lowest number of impacted areas (38.03%) and the highest proportion of affected territory (4.04%). No relationship was observed between the types of protected areas and the impact; it was found that the impacted area was significantly larger in larger protected areas. Governance aspects may be related to the vulnerability of protected areas. In the case of the impacted conservation units, only 30% have a management plan and 39.12% have a management council. Among the affected indigenous lands, less than half (48.50%) are regularized, while only 20.42% of the impacted quilombola territories are titled. These data reinforce the complexity of the challenges faced by protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon and highlight gaps in the management and legal recognition of these areas, making them more susceptible to external pressures. In addition, the resolution of land conflicts and territorial regularization emerge as essential factors to strengthen governance and ensure the effectiveness of these areas in environmental protection and in the maintenance of traditional ways of life. Finally, the importance of addressing territorial overlap between different categories of protected areas is highlighted, seeking strategies that reconcile conservation and the territorial rights of traditional populations.