ASSESSING THE DYNAMICS OF WOODY VEGETATION IN THE ABOBRAL REGION, SOUTHERN PANTANAL WETLAND (BRAZIL): CONTRIBUTIONS OF FUNCTIONAL INDICES DERIVED FROM SATELLITE IMAGE TIME SERIES

The Pantanal biome is a heterogeneous and dynamic ecosystem in central South America, exhibiting complex relationships with climatic and geomorphological factors. This study investigates the spatiotemporal variability of woody vegetation dynamics in the Pantanal do Abobral, a subregion of the Pantanal. We analyzed: (1) Land cover changes (2015–2023) using annual maps from the Brazilian Annual Land Use and Land Cover Mapping Project (MAPBIOMAS); Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) product and precipitation from the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) to identify spatial patterns in vegetation-precipitation relationships via Pearson correlation; and Functional indices derived from NDVI time series. Although woody cover remained stable (~16.75% from 2015–2023), we observed a 19.85% loss in savanna areas relative to 2015, compensated by a 21.81% transition from non-woody to savanna areas. Even within the same land cover class, distinct vegetation types showed differential responses to local precipitation regimes. Functional indices corroborated this heterogeneity, revealing spatial patterns in plant functional groups. Our findings underscore the importance of vegetation functional trait mapping for climate change mitigation and adaptation planning in this ecosystem.