Mapeamento de culturas permanentes e caracterização dos imóveis rurais no município de Mãe do Rio, no estado do Pará, Brasil: relatório técnico 03/2025

Abstract

The balance between food production and environmental protection is essential for a sustainable future, and this can be achieved through sustainable agricultural practices and land use monitoring. However, land use and land cover mapping technologies still have limitations in identifying permanent crops. In this study, we used high-resolution imagery to map oil palm (Elaeis guineensis), citrus (Citrus sp.), and black pepper (Piper nigrum) cultivation areas in the municipality of Mãe do Rio, located in the northeastern region of Pará State, Brazil. We quantified the number of properties producing each crop based on data from the Cadastro Ambiental Rural (CAR) – the Brazilian Rural Environmental Registry. Properties were classified according to the number of fiscal modules (55 ha each) into small (<1 MF), medium (≥1 and <5 MF), and large (≥5 MF) properties. The mapping was performed using Maxar image mosaics (~30 cm resolution) provided by Google, and the cultivated areas were manually delineated using QGIS software. The results indicated a total of 1,881 ha of mapped permanent crops, with 97% occupied by oil palm (1,829 ha), 2% by citrus (33 ha), and only 1% by black pepper (19 ha). A total of 63 properties registered in the CAR were identified with these crops, of which 13 properties cultivate more than one crop. In total, 37 properties cultivate oil palm, 20 cultivate citrus, and 14 cultivate black pepper. Additionally, 620 ha (33% of the mapped area) are located in properties not registered in the CAR, reinforcing the need for environmental regularization in the region. A comparison with data from the Municipal Agricultural Production of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE, 2023) and Annual Mapping Project of Land Cover and Use in Brazil (MapBiomas) revealed discrepancies among different data sources. High-resolution image mapping indicated a larger planted area than reported by IBGE for oil palm (+31%) and citrus (+9%), while the black pepper area was lower than the official records. In MapBiomas data, more than 90% of the mapped permanent crop areas were classified as pasture, highlighting the limitations in detecting permanent crops. These findings contribute to a better understanding of land use dynamics and provide support for public policies aimed at monitoring and environmental regularization, as well as territorial management and agricultural planning in the region.