Landscape Structure and Regeneration Stages of Amazonian Secondary Vegetation from Satellite Data for Restoration Public Policies

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Abstract
Secondary vegetation (SV) is the vegetation regenerating after deforestation or degradation of primary vegetation. Its identification and qualification are relevant to public policies for conservation and sustainable land management. This study analyzed the structural attributes of SV in the Amazon biome and their associations with land-tenure categories, considering the mapping evolution from 2008 to 2022. SV were analyzed regarding the age of each patch; landscape ecology metrics: area, core area, fractal dimension index, and Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance; the nearest-neighbor vegetation type; and the land-tenure categories. A principal component analysis synthesized the qualification of the vegetation. The SV landscape is predominantly in early-to-intermediate stages, with a mean age and half-life of approximately 7 years. Most polygons were small and had no core area, suggesting edge-dominated SV. Primary vegetation was the dominant neighboring class, and this prevalence of near-zero distances indicates a high degree of connectivity between these vegetation areas. Nearly half of the SV is associated with the land-tenure class, area without land registration, reflecting the fragility of forest conservation in contexts of weak or undefined land regulation. Four SV clusters were identified: Initial regeneration, Isolated small fragments, Consolidated regeneration, and Largest patch. This information is the basis for public policies such as the Brazilian National Vegetation Recovery Plan to identify priority areas for conservation and/or restoration.
Funding Information
  • Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (422354/2023-6)

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