Spatial and temporal deforestation in the Brazilian Savanna: The discrepancy between observed and licensed deforestation in the state of Goi′as

Approximately 47% of the Brazilian savanna (Cerrado) has already been converted, mainly for agriculture and livestock activities. With low legal protection and few legally protected areas as Conservation Units, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of land use conversion and the existing legal instruments for Cerrado conservation. The state of Goi ' as had the second largest loss of accumulated area of native vegetation in all of the Cerrado. We evaluated the temporal and spatial trends of deforestation in Goi ' as between 2011 and 2021 using environmental licensing data (i.e., licensed deforestation) and land use conversion detected by remote sensing (i. e., observed deforestation). We found that observed deforestation was higher than licensed deforestation during these years, and only 13.33% of the entire deforested area in the state of Goi ' as obtained authorized environmental licenses. The temporal trends of deforestation indicated a reduction in deforestation from 2014 to 2019; however, in most recent years, observed deforestation increase at a higher rate than licensed deforestation. In a spatial context, the municipalities with the highest discrepancies among observed and licensed deforestation are situated in the north, northeast, and east of Goi ' as State. These areas are new frontiers for unlicensed deforestation, and they also presented most remaining native vegetation in Goi ' as. Therefore, the findings of this research may contribute to an improvement in environmental governance in Cerrado regions, thereby strengthening the Cerrado's protection.

Automated summary

Approximately 47% of the Brazilian Cerrado has been converted for agriculture and livestock activities, leading to low levels of legal protection and few conservation units. A study in the state of Goiás revealed that observed deforestation exceeded licensed deforestation, with only 13.33% of deforestation having authorized environmental licenses. Spatially, areas in the north, northeast, and east of the state showed the highest disparities between observed and licensed deforestation, indicating unlicensed deforestation in these regions where significant native vegetation remains.