Spatial distribution and molecular epidemiology of Babesia vogeli in household dogs from municipalities with different altitude gradients in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We performed a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 456 household dogs from urban and rural areas in two different regions situated at different altitudes in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The PCR technique using 18S rRNA as target revealed prevalence of 7.9% of dogs positive for piroplasmids. These samples were sequenced, and all the sequences were 99.9% to 100% similar to Babesia vogeli sequences from other countries. The spatial distribution of positive cases was analysed using kernel interpolation in the QGIS software, and the spatial correlation indicators among positive dogs, altitude, and presence of ticks were obtained by calculating the local Moran index using the GeoDa software. The spatial correlation between positive cases and altitude was clear based on both visual and statistical observations. Logistic regression applying the Wald method with a cutoff point of 0.1 revealed that dogs from a region with altitude <600 m had a 2.29-fold chance of B. vogeli infection (OR = 2.29; p-value = 0.04; CI: 1.03-5.07), while the rainy season was 2.45 times more associated with B. vogeli infection (OR = 2.45; p-value = 0.01; CI: 1.20-5.01), and dogs infested with Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato had a 2.47 times higher chance of being infected (OR = 2.47; p-value = 0.02; CI: 1.13-5.38). Entropy analysis of the alignment between B. vogeli 18S rRNA (> 1.600 bp) sequences revealed that the most variable region corresponds to the hypervariable V4 region. Genetic homogeneity was observed among the B. vogeli 18S rRNA sequences, with distance values ranging from 0 to 0.007 and a mean value of 0.001. The evolutionary distance (0.003) was greater between the sequences from the municipalities of Barra do Pirai (low altitude) and Teresopolis (high altitude). This study expands the molecular epidemiologic knowledge of B. vogeli and shows points of variability in the B. vogeli 18S rRNA. The results indicate the potential use of spatial analysis tools to improve screening for positive cases, enabling more in-depth studies to strengthen understanding of tick infection prevention in dogs.

Spatialization of breeding values of Brangus animals associated with climatic, physical, and socio-economic factors.

This study was realized to analyze the combinations of climatic, physical, and socio-economic variables on distribution of breeding values for performance characteristics and scrotal circumference of Brangus cattle. Records of 84,703 Brangus animals, born from 2000 to 2010 distributed in 65 farms in Brazil were used. The characteristics analyzed were average daily gain from birth to weaning and from weaning to yearling (WW and YW), visual scores of conformations (WC and YC), muscle score (WM and YM), precocity score (WP and YS), and size score (WS and YS) at weaning and yearling and scrotal circumference (SC) at yearling. Components of (co)variance estimated through the animal model employing methodology to AIREML. Mean estimates of direct heritability obtained for visual scores at weaning (WC 0.16, WM 0.16, WP 0.19, and WS 0.22) were lower than those obtained at yearling (YC 0.28, YM 0.26, YP 0.24, and YS 0.40). WW had heritability greater than YW (0.27 and 0.12) and a heritability of 0.36 obtained for SC. Canonical, discriminant, and cluster analyses were performed in the SAS® 9.4 program. Three clusters of genetic values averages per farm were formed according to climatic, physical, and socio-economic variables. Brangus animals are from states of RS, PR, SP, MG, GO, MG, and MS. The highest breeding values were strongly related to thermal amplitude and municipality area. Spatial distribution of the breeding value of Brangus animals can help in the development of environmental indices, genetic evaluations, and the choice of animals for certain environments.

Analysis of the landscape complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal wetland / Análise da complexidade e heterogeneidade da paisagem do Pantanal

Abstract This is the first report on analysis of habitat complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal wetland. The Pantanal encompasses a peculiar mosaic of environments, being important to evaluate and monitor this area concerning conservation of biodiversity. Our objective was to indirectly measure the habitat complexity and heterogeneity of the mosaic forming the sub-regions of the Pantanal, by means of remote sensing. We obtained free images of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the sensor MODIS and calculated the mean value (complexity) and standard deviation (heterogeneity) for each sub-region in the years 2000, 2008 and 2015. The sub-regions of Poconé, Canoeira, Paraguai and Aquidauana presented the highest values of complexity (mean NDVI), between 0.69 and 0.64 in the evaluated years. The highest horizontal heterogeneity (NDVI standard deviation) was observed in the sub-region of Tuiuiú, with values of 0.19 in the years 2000 and 2015, and 0.21 in the year 2008. We concluded that the use of NDVI to estimate landscape parameters is an efficient tool for assessment and monitoring of the complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal habitats, applicable in other regions.

Resumo Este é o primeiro trabalho sobre análise da complexidade e heterogeneidade de habitats do Pantanal. O Pantanal é constituído por um mosaico de ambientes com características peculiares, sendo importante a avaliação e o monitoramento dessa área voltado para a conservação da biodiversidade. O objetivo do estudo é mensurar de forma indireta a complexidade e a heterogeneidade do mosaico de habitats os quais formam as sub-regiões do Pantanal, por meio do sensoriamento remoto. Foram obtidas, gratuitamente, imagens de índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada (NDVI) do sensor MODIS e calculado o valor de média (complexidade) e desvio padrão (heterogeneidade) para cada sub-região do Pantanal, para os anos de 2000, 2008 e 2015. Os pantanais de Poconé, Canoeira, Paraguai e Aquidauana são as regiões que apresentaram os maiores valores de complexidade (NDVI médio), variando entre 0.69 a 0.64 para os anos avaliados. Maior heterogeneidade (NDVI desvio padrão) foi observada na sub-região pantaneira do Tuiuiú, sendo o valor para os anos de 2000 e 2015 igual a 0.19 e para o ano de 2008 o valor de 0.21, o que implica que a região tem a maior heterogeneidade horizontal quando comparada com as demais sub-regiões. Constata-se que o uso de NDVI na estimativa de parâmetros da paisagem é uma ferramenta eficiente para o reconhecimento e monitoramento da complexidade e heterogeneidade de habitats do Pantanal, replicável em outras regiões.

Geotecnologias na gestão de reservatórios: uma revisão e uma proposta de integração / Geotechnologies on water reservoir management: a review and an integration proposal

RESUMO Este trabalho teve como foco apresentar uma visão geral dos sistemas de informações geográficas (SIGs) e do sensoriamento remoto (SR), com ênfase nas suas aplicações para obtenção de informações da massa d'água. Essas informações são integradas ao Quadro da Diretiva da Água, e nesse sentido, busca-se propor a ligação dessas informações à Resolução nº 357/2005, de forma a servir de ferramenta para a tomada de decisão em uma gestão estratégica da qualidade da água, principalmente em grandes reservatórios. Assim, é realizada uma revisão integrando as geotecnologias à ciência limnológica e à gestão de reservatórios, ressaltando os possíveis potenciais da interação interdisciplinar. Por fim, é esquematizado um modelo integrando SIGs, SR e limnologia para o monitoramento e a gestão dos padrões de qualidade da água conforme a Resolução nº 357/2005.

ABSTRACT An overview of geographical information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) is the main focus of this work, that emphasizes their application to obtain water body information. This information is integrated to the Framework Directive, and in this way, seeks to propose the linkage of these information to the Resolution 357/2005, in order to serve as a tool for decision making in strategic management of water quality mainly in large reservoirs. Thus, a review that integrates geotechnology to limnological science and to reservoirs management was done, highlighting the possible potential of interdisciplinary integration. At the end, an integration model of GIS, RS and limnology is schematized for monitoring and management of water quality standards according to the Resolution 357/2005.

Fuzzy logic applied to prospecting for areas for installation of wood panel industries.

Prospecting for suitable areas for forestry operations, where the objective is a reduction in production and transportation costs, as well as the maximization of profits and available resources, constitutes an optimization problem. However, fuzzy logic is an alternative method for solving this problem. In the context of prospecting for suitable areas for the installation of wood panel industries, we propose applying fuzzy logic analysis for simulating the planting of different species and eucalyptus hybrids in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. The necessary methodological steps for this study are as follows: a) agriclimatological zoning of different species and eucalyptus hybrids; b) the selection of the vector variables; c) the application of the Euclidean distance to the vector variables; d) the application of fuzzy logic to matrix variables of the Euclidean distance; and e) the application of overlap fuzzy logic to locate areas for installation of wood panel industries. Among all the species and hybrids, Corymbia citriodora showed the highest percentage values for the combined very good and good classes, with 8.60%, followed by Eucalyptus grandis with 8.52%, Eucalyptus urophylla with 8.35% and Urograndis with 8.34%. The fuzzy logic analysis afforded flexibility in prospecting for suitable areas for the installation of wood panel industries in the Espírito Santo State can bring great economic and social benefits to the local population with the generation of jobs, income, tax revenues and GDP increase for the State and municipalities involved. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other areas and agricultural crops.

Analysis of the landscape complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal wetland

Abstract This is the first report on analysis of habitat complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal wetland. The Pantanal encompasses a peculiar mosaic of environments, being important to evaluate and monitor this area concerning conservation of biodiversity. Our objective was to indirectly measure the habitat complexity and heterogeneity of the mosaic forming the sub-regions of the Pantanal, by means of remote sensing. We obtained free images of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the sensor MODIS and calculated the mean value (complexity) and standard deviation (heterogeneity) for each sub-region in the years 2000, 2008 and 2015. The sub-regions of Poconé, Canoeira, Paraguai and Aquidauana presented the highest values of complexity (mean NDVI), between 0.69 and 0.64 in the evaluated years. The highest horizontal heterogeneity (NDVI standard deviation) was observed in the sub-region of Tuiuiú, with values of 0.19 in the years 2000 and 2015, and 0.21 in the year 2008. We concluded that the use of NDVI to estimate landscape parameters is an efficient tool for assessment and monitoring of the complexity and heterogeneity of the Pantanal habitats, applicable in other regions.

Resumo Este é o primeiro trabalho sobre análise da complexidade e heterogeneidade de habitats do Pantanal. O Pantanal é constituído por um mosaico de ambientes com características peculiares, sendo importante a avaliação e o monitoramento dessa área voltado para a conservação da biodiversidade. O objetivo do estudo é mensurar de forma indireta a complexidade e a heterogeneidade do mosaico de habitats os quais formam as sub-regiões do Pantanal, por meio do sensoriamento remoto. Foram obtidas, gratuitamente, imagens de índice de vegetação por diferença normalizada (NDVI) do sensor MODIS e calculado o valor de média (complexidade) e desvio padrão (heterogeneidade) para cada sub-região do Pantanal, para os anos de 2000, 2008 e 2015. Os pantanais de Poconé, Canoeira, Paraguai e Aquidauana são as regiões que apresentaram os maiores valores de complexidade (NDVI médio), variando entre 0.69 a 0.64 para os anos avaliados. Maior heterogeneidade (NDVI desvio padrão) foi observada na sub-região pantaneira do Tuiuiú, sendo o valor para os anos de 2000 e 2015 igual a 0.19 e para o ano de 2008 o valor de 0.21, o que implica que a região tem a maior heterogeneidade horizontal quando comparada com as demais sub-regiões. Constata-se que o uso de NDVI na estimativa de parâmetros da paisagem é uma ferramenta eficiente para o reconhecimento e monitoramento da complexidade e heterogeneidade de habitats do Pantanal, replicável em outras regiões.

Geotechnology and landscape ecology applied to the selection of potential forest fragments for seed harvesting.

The Atlantic Forest biome is recognized for its biodiversity and is one of the most threatened biomes on the planet, with forest fragmentation increasing due to uncontrolled land use, land occupation, and population growth. The most serious aspect of the forest fragmentation process is the edge effect and the loss of biodiversity. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of forest fragmentation and select potential forest fragments with a higher degree of conservation for seed harvesting in the Itapemirim river basin, Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Image classification techniques, forest landscape ecology, and multi-criteria analysis were used to evaluate the evolution of forest fragmentation to develop the landscape metric indexes, and to select potential forest fragments for seed harvesting for the years 1985 and 2013. According to the results, there was a reduction of 2.55% of the occupancy of the fragments in the basin between the years 1985 and 2013. For the years 1985 and 2013, forest fragment units 2 and 3 were spatialized with a high potential for seed harvesting, representing 6.99% and 16.01% of the total fragments, respectively. The methodology used in this study has the potential to be used to support decisions for the selection of potential fragments for seed harvesting because selecting fragments in different environments by their spatial attributes provides a greater degree of conservation, contributing to the protection and conscious management of the forests. The proposed methodology can be adapted to other areas and different biomes of the world.

EVI2 index trend applied to the vegetation of the state of Rio de Janeiro based on non-parametric tests and Markov chain / Tendência do EVI2 aplicado na vegetação do estado do Rio de Janeiro Baseado em testes não-paramétricos e cadeia de Markov

The study aimed to assess the growth and decrease in vegetation trend by Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) through the application of statistical tests and Markov's chain in the state of Rio de Janeiro (SRJ). Monthly data from EVI2 were calculated for the vegetations of the State of Rio de Janeiro (SRJ) from 2001 to 2012. Mann-Kendall (MK), Pettitt (P) and Estimator of Curvature Slope Sen (Se) tests assessed EVI2 trend, while the future scenarios were evaluated by Markov chain. Overall, there is an insignificant trend in vegetation growth in 75%, followed by a significant trend of decreasing in 25% of the regions. Pettitt's test showed that there is not significant (NS) abrupt changes, both growth and decreasing vegetation, and significant (S) abrupt changes of decreasing vegetation in the others Government regions. Spatial analysis from EVI2 in the regions Médio Paraíba amd Serrana showed the occurrence of NS abrupt change in the vegetation in November 2007 and 2003. Norte Fluminense and Metropolitana showed a NS vegetation increase in October 2003 and 2005. Noroeste Fluminense and Centro Sul Fluminense revealed an NS and S abrupt change of decreasing vegetation in April 2006. In Costa Verde and Baixadas Litorâneas NS and S abrupt changes in decreasing vegetation were observed in May 2004. Future scenarios showed changes in vegetation trend in SRJ with indication of decreasing. Predictions of changes in future scenarios ranging from 1 to 2 years in constant intervals (3 to 10 years) were observed in all future scenarios analyzed in the SRJ.

O estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o crescimento e a diminuição da tendência de vegetação por Indice de Vegetação Aprimorado 2 (EVI 2) e com a aplicação de testes estatísticos e cadeia de Markov no estado do Rio de Janeiro (ERJ). Dados mensais do índice Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) foram calculados para vegetação do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (ERJ) entre 2001 a 2012. A tendência do EVI2 foi avaliada pelos testes Mann-Kendall (MK), Pettitt (P) e Estimador da Inclinação da Curvatura Sen (Se), enquanto os cenários futuros pela Cadeia de Markov. De um modo geral, há uma tendência insignificante de crescimento da vegetação em 75%, seguido de uma tendência significativa de diminuição em 25% das regiões de Governo. O teste de Pettitt mostrou a existência de mudanças bruscas não significativas (NS), ambos de crescimento e diminuição da vegetação em seis regiões de Governo e significativas (S) de diminuição da vegetação nas demais. Análise espacial do EVI2 nas regiões do Médio Paraíba e Serrana mostrou a ocorrência NS de mudança brusca da vegetação em novembro de 2007 e 2003. As regiões Norte Fluminense e Metropolitana mostraram um crescimento NS na vegetação em outubro de 2003 e 2005. As regiões Noroeste Fluminense e Centro Sul Fluminense revelaram uma mudança brusca de diminuição da vegetação NS e S em de abril de 2006. As regiões Costa Verde e das Baixadas Litorâneas observaram-se mudanças bruscas S e NS de diminuição da vegetação em maio de 2004. Os cenários futuros constataram mudanças na tendência da vegetação no ERJ com indicação de diminuição. Os prognósticos de mudanças dos cenários futuros com variação de 1 a 2 anos em intervalos constante (3 a 10 anos) foram observados, em todos os cenários futuros analisados no ERJ.

GIS applied to location of fires detection towers in domain area of tropical forest.

In most countries, the loss of biodiversity caused by the fires is worrying. In this sense, the fires detection towers are crucial for rapid identification of fire outbreaks and can also be used in environmental inspection, biodiversity monitoring, telecommunications mechanisms, telemetry and others. Currently the methodologies for allocating fire detection towers over large areas are numerous, complex and non-standardized by government supervisory agencies. Therefore, this study proposes and evaluates different methodologies to best location of points to install fire detection towers considering the topography, risk areas, conservation units and heat spots. Were used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques and unaligned stratified systematic sampling for implementing and evaluating 9 methods for allocating fire detection towers. Among the methods evaluated, the C3 method was chosen, represented by 140 fire detection towers, with coverage of: a) 67% of the study area, b) 73.97% of the areas with high risk, c) 70.41% of the areas with very high risk, d) 70.42% of the conservation units and e) 84.95% of the heat spots in 2014. The proposed methodology can be adapted to areas of other countries.

Applying GIS to develop a model for forest fire risk: A case study in Espírito Santo, Brazil.

A forest fire risk map is a basic element for planning and protecting forested areas. The main goal of this study was to develop a statistical model for preparing a forest fire risk map using GIS. Such model is based on assigning weights to nine variables divided into two classes: physical factors of the site (terrain slope, land-use/occupation, proximity to roads, terrain orientation, and altitude) and climatic factors (precipitation, temperature, water deficit, and evapotranspiration). In regions where the climate is different from the conditions of this study, the model will require an adjustment of the variables weights according to the local climate. The study area, Espírito Santo State, exhibited approximately 3.81% low risk, 21.18% moderate risk, 30.10% high risk, 41.50% very high risk, and 3.40% extreme risk of forest fire. The areas classified as high risk, very high and extreme, contemplated a total of 78.92% of heat spots.

GIS applied to agriclimatological zoning and agrotoxin residue monitoring in tomatoes: A case study in Espírito Santo state, Brazil.

Searches related to global warming have provided important insights into the response of terrestrial ecosystems, but few have examined the impacts on agricultural crops, particularly those associated with the monitoring of agrotoxin residues. In this context, the agriclimatological zoning is an important tool in the planning and consolidation of crops and should be considered in any initiative that involves such planning. This tool is particularly important in the analysis of agrotoxin residues and may be applied by the Program Analysis of Agrotoxin Residues in Food (PARA) created by the National Health Vigilance Agency of Brazil (ANVISA), which enables greater food security and contributes to the improvement of human health. The aim of this study was to elaborate the current and future agriclimatological zoning for the tomato crop, relating it with the monitoring of samples collected by PARA in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. The results indicate that a temperature increase of 5 °C creates a decrease in apt areas from 37.3% to 4.3%, for a total reduction of 33 percentage points (-88.5%). It is noted that of the 41 producing municipalities, only 26 have apt areas greater than 50%, highlighting the municipalities with apt areas greater than 90%, represented by Mantenópolis (100%), Guaçuí (98.5%), São José do Calçado (97.8%), Irupi (94.4%), Santa Teresa (92.3%), and Marechal Floriano (91.4%). The veracity of agriclimatological zoning is proved by a Kendall rank correlation coefficient of 0.876, indicating that the distribution of the variables of apt areas and productivity are similar at the significance level of 0.05 with a confidence interval 95%. After validation of the agriclimatological zoning for the tomato crop, it is recommended that the PARA should monitor 36 municipalities rather than the current 18, representing an increase of 100%. The methodology can be adjusted to agricultural crops of other countries.

Influence of relief on permanent preservation areas.

Many countries have environmental legislation to protecting natural resources on private property. In Brazil, the Brazilian Forestry Code determines specific areas to maintain with natural vegetation cover, known as areas of permanent preservation (APP). Currently, there are few studies that relate topographic variables on APP. In this context, we sought to evaluate the influence of relief on the conservation of areas of permanent preservation (APP) in the areas surrounding Caparaó National Park, Brazil. By using the chi-squared statistical test, we verified that the presence of forest cover is closely associated with altitude. The classes of APP in better conservation status are slopes in addition to hilltops and mountains, whereas APP streams and springs are among the areas most affected by human activities. The most deforested areas are located at altitudes below 1100.00 m and on slopes less than 45°. All orientations of the sides were significant for APP conservation status, with the southern, southeastern, and southwestern sides showing the lower degrees of impact. The methodology can be adjusted to environmental legislation to other countries.

Modeling pollution potential input from the drainage basin into Barra Bonita reservoir, São Paulo – Brazil / Modelagem do potencial de contribuição da bacia de drenagem para a poluição da qualidade da água do reservatório de Barra Bonita, São Paulo – Brasil

In this study multi-criteria modeling tools are applied to map the spatial distribution of drainage basin potential to pollute Barra Bonita Reservoir, São Paulo State, Brasil. Barra Bonita Reservoir Basin had undergone intense land use/land cover changes in the last decades, including the fast conversion from pasture into sugarcane. In this respect, this study answers to the lack of information about the variables (criteria) which affect the pollution potential of the drainage basin by building a Geographic Information System which provides their spatial distribution at sub-basin level. The GIS was fed by several data (geomorphology, pedology, geology, drainage network and rainfall) provided by public agencies. Landsat satellite images provided land use/land cover map for 2002. Ratings and weights of each criterion defined by specialists supported the modeling process. The results showed a wide variability in the pollution potential of different sub-basins according to the application of different criterion. If only land use is analyzed, for instance, less than 50% of the basin is classified as highly threatening to water quality and include sub basins located near the reservoir, indicating the importance of protection areas at the margins. Despite the subjectivity involved in the weighing processes, the multi-criteria analysis model allowed the simulation of scenarios which support rational land use polices at sub-basin level regarding the protection of water resources.

Este estudo aplica ferramentas de modelagem multicritério para mapear a distribuição espacial do potencial de contribuição da bacia de drenagem para a poluição do reservatório de Barra Bonita, Estado de São Paulo, Brasil. A bacia de drenagem Barra Bonita passou por intensas alterações no uso e cobertura da terra, incluindo um rápido aumento na conversão de pastagens em cana-de-açúcar nas últimas décadas. Assim sendo, este estudo contribui com a demanda de informação sobre os fatores (critérios) que afetam o potencial de poluição das bacias de drenagem através da construção de um Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG), com sua distribuição espacial ao nível de sub-bacia. A base de dados foi alimentada por diversos órgãos públicos, que forneceram informações georreferenciadas sobre a geomorfologia da bacia de drenagem, pedologia, geologia, rede de drenagem e precipitação. Imagens do satélite Landsat e ferramentas de geoprocessamento permitiram a obtenção do mapa de uso e cobertura da terra referente ao ano de 2002. Especialistas definiram as classificações e pesos de cada critério subsidiando o processo da modelagem. Obteve-se que o potencial sub-bacia para poluir o reservatório varia amplamente de um critério para o outro. Se somente o uso da terra for analisado, por exemplo, menos de 50% da área da bacia é classificada como tendo alto potencial de poluição da água do reservatório em questão. Essa área de alto potencial, nesse caso está associada às regiões mais próximas ao reservatório, indicando ser crucial a criação de áreas e preservação em sub-bacias próximas às margens do reservatório. Apesar da subjetividade envolvida no processo de ponderação, a análise multi-critério utilizada nesta pesquisa mostrou ser uma importante ferramenta para simulação de cenários que possam fornecer suporte às políticas de ordenamento e uso adequado da terra em nível de sub-bacia, visando à proteção dos recursos hídricos.

Análise da variação da cobertura do solo no Pantanal de 2003 a 2010 através de sensoriamento remoto / Analysis of landcover changes using remote sensing between 2003 and 2010 in the Pantanal region

O Pantanal é um dos ecossistemas mais ricos em biodiversidade do Brasil, estendendo-se pelos territórios de Mato Grosso e de Mato Grosso do Sul, além de pequenas porções da Bolívia e Paraguai. A compreensão desse sistema é muito importante, já que para preservar é necessário conhecer. Assim, através da utilização de imagens MODIS, objetivou-se estimar as diferenças de cobertura do solo do Pantanal entre os anos de 2003 e 2010, avaliando a capacidade dessas imagens na identificação das mudanças na cobertura do solo da região. O limite de Pantanal adotado foi adaptado de limites consagrados na literatura; o método utilizado para a classificação das imagens foi o da classificação automática não supervisionada. Como resultado foi identificada a diminuição da vegetação arbóreo-arbustiva e o aumento das áreas de gramíneas entre os anos de estudo.

The Pantanal is one of the richest Brazilian ecosystems in terms of biodiversity, extending into the territories of Mato Grosso and Mato Grosso do Sul, as well as small portions of Bolivia and Paraguay. Understanding this system is very important because in order to preserve it is necessary to understand. Thus, using MODIS images, the present work aimed to estimate the differences in soil covering the Pantanal region between the years 2003 and 2010, evaluating the capacity of these images to identify changes in land cover. The Pantanal boundary used was adapted from boundary consecrated in the literature. The method used for image classification was the unsupervised automatic classification. As a result we identified a decrease in forest vegetation and an increase in grassland areas during the studied years.