Marcelo Henrique Schmitz, Žiga Malek, Edivando Vitor do Couto, Eduardo Gentil, Ana Lúcia Paz Cardozo, Yara Moretto, Natália Stefanini da Silveira, Angelo Antonio Agostinho
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Effective watershed management is essential for biodiversity conservation and mitigating environmental impacts like deforestation and ecosystem disruptions, especially in the context of climate change. The Tocantins/Araguaia Basin (TOAR), Brazil's second-largest watershed, faces significant challenges due to unsustainable land use practices. To address this, we modeled future land use and cover changes (2015-2045) using the CLUE model under three scenarios: Business-as-usual (BAUS), Conservation-based (CONS), and Production-based (PROD). Key drivers included soil type, average temperature, and yearly precipitation. Projections indicate persistent deforestation and habitat fragmentation, particularly under PROD, while CONS still projects notable losses in forests, savannas, and grasslands. These results highlight the urgent need for proactive conservation measures, stricter environmental regulations, and sustainable land use planning to protect TOAR's ecosystems and biodiversity. Addressing these issues is critical for preserving this vulnerable and understudied region amidst growing environmental pressures.
期刊介绍:
Explores the link between anthropogenic activities and the environment, Ambio encourages multi- or interdisciplinary submissions with explicit management or policy recommendations.
Ambio addresses the scientific, social, economic, and cultural factors that influence the condition of the human environment. Ambio particularly encourages multi- or inter-disciplinary submissions with explicit management or policy recommendations.
For more than 45 years Ambio has brought international perspective to important developments in environmental research, policy and related activities for an international readership of specialists, generalists, students, decision-makers and interested laymen.