Linking vegetation indices and land tenure to assess passive restoration dynamics in the Brazilian Cerrado

The Cerrado biome, a biodiversity hotspot, faces challenges such as soil degradation and water resource depletion. Passive restoration is a strategy used to recover its ecosystem, with remote sensing technology enabling monitoring of forest recovery and environmental changes. This study applied multi-temporal analysis using environmental data and vegetation indices to assess a passive restoration area in a reserve at Brotas, Brazil. Data were gathered from a meteorological station and Landsat-8 satellite images. Vegetation indices such as the Simple Ratio Index (SRI), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI), and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) were calculated and analyzed over time (2014–2020) by year and season (winter and summer). The environmental analysis revealed seasonal differences, highlighting the contrast between the dry winter months and wet summer months. All vegetation indices varied across years, SRI and EVI also showing seasonal differences. A noticeable deviation was observed in 2014–2015, attributed to the severe drought of 2014, with a lagged response in vegetation. Our results demonstrate that vegetation indices are effective tools for assessing ecological resilience under climate extremes and can provide evidence for designing public policies. Specially, linking passive restoration outcomes to land tenure security and watershed conservation highlights the role of tenure – restoration nexus in ensuring log-term success. These findings have implications for conservation policy in Brazil and elsewhere, reinforcing that ecological recovery strategies must be integrated with land use and land tenure frameworks to achieve sustainable climate adaptation and ecosystem services. • Water bodies mitigate arid conditions, supporting vegetation and biodiversity recovery. • Seasonal and yearly differences influence vegetation indices, notably SRI and EVI. • NDWI links moisture availability to vegetation indices in semi-arid ecosystems. • Vegetation indices guide restoration and agricultural decisions in climate-sensitive regions.