Anthropogenic threats in the border zone of the Amazon Forest: a case study of land use and land cover in RESEX Ciriaco, Maranhão, Brazil

The state of Maranhão is located in northeastern Brazil and covers three biomes, the Amazon Forest, Cerrado (savannah), and Caatinga (semi-arid), and an endemic ecosystem known as the Mata de Cocais (coconut forest). This study aimed to identify the land use and land cover (LU/LC) in RESEX Ciriaco, located in the border zone of the Amazon Forest of Maranhão, where occurs the Mata de Cocais. The database used in this study was obtained from the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project (Mapbiomas). The LU/LC in RESEX Ciriaco was carried out across 8,106.7 ha and a buffer zone with a 3 km radius was adopted. A map representing the class changes in the study area was created for the years 1985, 1992, 1999, 2006, 2013, 2020, and 2021. Despite the findings indicate a troubling particularly driven by the presence of pasturelands, the results demonstrate that RESEX Ciriaco has fulfilled its function of guaranteeing the sustainable use of natural resources without deforestation. However, the advancement of livestock and agriculture around RESEX Ciriaco poses a risk to the ecosystem. Creating a buffer zone for RESEX Ciriaco is vital for stopping the advancement of anthropogenic activities in the conservation unit.