MapBiomas Network's new platform shows the evolution of land cover and land use in the 1,005,780 km² occupied by the biome - 43.2% of which is covered by native vegetation 

29 de abril de 2021 – The South American Pampa had a net loss of native vegetation of 16.3% in 20 years, between 2000 and 2019, with a reduction from 519,496 km² to 434,795 km². The data was calculated by researchers from Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay who produced the most complete series of annual maps of land cover and use ever produced for the biome. In addition to the typical Pampa areas of the three countries, the initiative included the neighboring areas of the Espinhal and the Paraná River delta region in Argentina.

The South American Pampa covers the southern half of Rio Grande do Sul, all of Uruguay and part of Argentina, south of the River Plate. It is a region with very old anthropogenic occupation and is home to three major metropolises (Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Porto Alegre).

The biodiversity of the Pampa is characterized by the predominance of native herbaceous vegetation, known as grassland vegetation, while forests, although present, naturally occupy a smaller proportion. The region's climate varies from subtropical to temperate, with pronounced thermal seasonality (cold winters and hot summers) and no dry season (rain occurs every month of the year).

Due to the natural supply of fodder resources from the abundant grassland vegetation, beef cattle production was the region's characteristic economic activity in the early centuries of European colonization, with a strong influence on regional customs and culture. However, since the 20th century, the biome has undergone profound changes in land use, especially due to the advance of grain agriculture and, more recently, forestry. As a result, its ecosystems are among the least protected and most threatened on the continent.

Native vegetation now covers 43.2% of the biome's area. Most of it is grassland vegetation, traditionally used for livestock farming. This is a unique case in which animal production and biodiversity conservation generally integrate productive systems with remarkable environmental sustainability.

The Pampa has undergone significant landscape changes over the last two decades. The country with the greatest proportional loss of native vegetation was Brazil, with 21,356 km² (20% of the area existing in 2000), mainly due to the expansion of agricultural areas to plant soybeans.

However, Argentina suffered the greatest loss of native vegetation in absolute terms, approximately 51,242 km² (18% of the area in 2000). A variation from 291,094 km² in 2000 to 239,851 km² in 2019, also due to the expansion of agricultural areas and pastures with exotic species.

In Uruguay, a loss of 12,102 km² of native vegetation was recorded, from 119,139 km² in 2000 to 107,03 km² in 2019. This was a slightly less marked drop compared to the total area in 2000: 10%, and was a combined effect of the advance of agriculture and forestry. 

Of the total loss of native vegetation throughout the region, 85% corresponds to the loss of grassland vegetation cover.

In terms of farming activities, the area of agriculture and planted pastures grew by 17.4%, from 427,239 km² to 501,489 km², with the greatest increase in area in Argentina and Brazil.

Although forest plantation occupies a much smaller percentage of the region's land than agriculture, it has grown rapidly over the last two decades, with the exception of Argentina. In Uruguay, there was an increase of 6,364 km2 in the period (69%). In Brazil, the increase was 3,254 km2 (212%).

With a resolution of 30 by 30 meters and 8 classes in the legend, the MapBiomas South American Pampa Collection 1 (2000-2019) covers the 1,005,780 km² of the biome that occupies 5.6% of South America. The platform can be accessed pampa.mapbiomas.orgThe MapBiomas collections are continually being developed and improved. The researchers from the South American Pampa, who have just finished their first collection, are already working on improvements and new features for new versions.

Highlights:

- The South American Pampa, including the Espinhal and the Paraná Delta, occupy 5,6 % (1.005.780 km²) of South America.

- Along with the typical Pampa areas in the three countries, the initiative considered the neighboring areas of the Espinal phytogeographic province and the Paraná River delta.

– 63% of the mapped area is in Argentina (633.924 km²), 19% in Brazil (193.949 km²), e 18% in Uruguay (177.907 km²).  

- Net loss of natural vegetation between 2000 and 2019 was: 84.701 km²;

- Agriculture and planted pastures grew by 17.4%, from 427,239 km² to 501,489 km².

Planted forest areas Forest Plantation increased from 13,867 km² to 23,328 km²increase of 68%).

MapBiomas South American Pampa

MapBiomas South American Pampa is an initiative involving a collaborative network of experts from Argentina (Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria-INTA, Universidad Nacional de San Luis and the NGO Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina), Brazil (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and GeoKarten) and Uruguay (Faculty of Agronomy and Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad de la República, Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria-INIA and the Ministry of the Environment). The project uses Landsat satellite images (30 x 30 meter resolution) and cloud computing through the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform to produce annual maps of land cover and use with high technology and low cost. The initiative is part of the MapBiomas Network, which began in 2015 with MapBiomas Brasilmapbiomas.org.).

PRESS

BRAZIL

MapBiomas
Liuca Yonaha
imprensa@mapbiomas.org
+55 (11) 94186-4029

UFRGS
Heinrich Hasenack
heinrich.hasenack@gmail.com

ARGENTINA

INTA
Diego de Abelleyra
deabelleyra.diego@inta.gob.ar

URUGUAI

Facultad de Agronomia – UdelaR
Santiago Baeza
santiago.baeza@gmail.com