Population distribution and land cover: the protected areas in Pará, Brazil in 2010

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze population distribution in the state of Pará in Brazil using data from the2010 Population Census in association with the land use and land cover data from TerraClass arranged in a statistical grid. The role of 113 Protected Areas (including 46 Indigenous Lands, 51 Sustainable Use Conservation Units and 16 Integral Protection Conservation Units) is analyzed from the standpoint of their demographic rural-urban gradients and in terms of their land use cover. Information on the use and cover of land in Protected Areas along with census data were incorporated into a statistical grid using GIS. The spatial relationship of information layers in the cells indicates that the state’s population is highly concentrated in a few areas, a pattern that is reproduced to some extent in the Protected Areas (Gini coefficient for the distribution of households is higher than 0.9). The area of the Protected areas is less populated and retains a greater extension of forested areas, by comparison to the state. Despite having extensive segments devoid of occupied households and the largest expanse of forest coverage (57%) in the state, Protected Areas also have urban areas associated with other uses and land cover change. The results indicate that population dynamics and changes in the uses and covering of land are related in a broader manner, thereby suggesting the need for reflection on urbanization and changes in land use and land cover change within a more integrated approach.

DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-3098201500000032