Current Organizations / Institutes

The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article


René Poccard-Chapuis has a total of 169 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:


Latest Publications

  • Open Access

    Continuous Monitoring of Fire-Induced Forest Loss Using Sentinel-1 SAR Time Series and a Bayesian Method: A Case Study in Paragominas, Brazil

    by Marta Bottani, Laurent Ferro-Famil, René Poccard-Chapuis, Laurent Polidori

    Forest fires, intensified by climate change, threaten tropical ecosystems by accelerating biodiversity loss, releasing carbon emissions, and altering hydrological cycles. Continuous detection of fire-induced forest loss is therefore critical. However, commonly used optical-based methods often face limitations, particularly due to cloud cover and coarse spatial resolution. This study explores the use of C-band Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) time series, combined with Bayesian Online Changepoint Detection (BOCD), for detecting and continuously monitoring fire-induced vegetation loss in forested areas. Three BOCD variants are evaluated: two single-polarization approaches individually using VV and VH reflectivities, and a dual-polarization approach (pol-BOCD) integrating both channels. The analysis focuses on a fire-affected area in Baixo Uraim (Paragominas, Brazil), supported by field-validated reference data. BOCD performance is compared against widely used optical products, including MODIS and VIIRS active fire and burned area data, as well as Sentinel-2-based difference Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) assessments. Results indicate that pol-BOCD achieves spatial accuracy comparable to dNBR (88.2% agreement), while enabling detections within a delay of three Sentinel-1 acquisitions. These findings highlight the potential of SAR-based BOCD for rapid, cloud-independent monitoring. While SAR enables continuous detection regardless of atmospheric conditions, optical imagery remains essential for characterizing the type and severity of change.


  • Élevages et pâturages sous tension. Nouveaux regards sur les territoires méditerranéens et tropicaux

    by Olulumazo Alinon Koffi, Duteurtre Guillaume, Jacques Lasseur, René Poccard-Chapuis

    Élevages et pâturages sous tension - Nouveaux regards sur les territoires méditerranéens et tropicaux - (EAN13 : 9782759240456)

  • Open Access

    Influence of plant population density of Chamaecrista rotundifolia on its value for hay making in the Eastern Amazon, Brazil

    by Angélica Lucelia da Silva Nascimento, Natan Lima Abreu, Raimundo Vagner de Lima Pantoja, Ingrid Stefanie Queiroz de Oliveira, Josilene Do Nascimento Gomes, René Jean Marie Poccard Chapuis, Letícia de Abreu Faria

    Chamaecrista rotundifolia is a forage legume little used with Brazilian livestock; however, it has been studied for this purpose for over 40 years in Australia. The aim of this study was to characterize the influence of plant densities of approximately 444,400, 111,100 and 27,800 plants/ha (equivalent to spacings of 0.15 × 0.15; 0.30 × 0.30 and 0.60 × 0.60 m) on quantitative and qualitative parameters of C. rotundifolia grown in pure stands as forage under exclusive cropping for hay. While leaf dry matter yields in the first 93 days after planting ranged from 1.48 to 9.32 t DM/ha, declining to 0.71–4.92 t DM/ha in the subsequent 83 days, crude protein concentration of the material was only 7–8%. Since this species tends to lose leaf during periods of stress, larger paddock studies are needed to determine how well leaf material is retained under conventional hay-making conditions. Optimal stubble height following harvesting should be investigated in an endeavor to increase DM yields at second harvest along with improved survival of plants.

  • Open Access

    Aptidões biofísicas e intensificação agroecológica da pecuária leiteira em assentamentos da Amazônia brasileira

    by Laura Angélica Ferreira Darnet, René Jean Marie Poccard-Chapuis, Lívio Sérgio Dias Claudino, Soraya Abreu Carvalho

    Melhorar as atividades agrícolas e a proteção dos recursos naturais, especialmente na Amazônia e nos perímetros de reforma agrária, concebendo sistemas sustentáveis a partir de paisagens ecoeficientes é uma alternativa promissora e está sendo implantada em Paragominas, no Pará, a partir do Plano Municipal de Inteligência Territorial. Este artigo analisa em que medida o microzoneamento proposto no Plano é coerente com as possibilidades de intensificação agroecológica da produção forrageira em propriedades leiteira familiares, e se os ajustes de uso da terra correspondem às aptidões biofísicas das propriedades. Este estudo de caso foi realizado na Comunidade de Nova Jerusalém, do Assentamento Luiz Inácio e se apoiou nos dados georreferenciados do Plano Municipal, além de entrevistas com as famílias e acompanhamentos de experimentos de produção forrageira agroecológica em campo. utilizamos o software Arcgis © para compilar e cruzar informações espaciais em formato shape. Os resultados apontam que na comunidade estudada 56% das famílias têm condições favoráveis para seguir o Plano, dada as aptidões nas suas propriedades, mas há famílias em que a propriedade se encontra em condições biofísicas restritas para produção forrageira e uma atenção especial deve ser dada a este grupo.


  • Open Access

    CARTOGRAPHY OF THE PIONEER FRONTS AND CONTRIBUTION TO THE ANALYSIS OF DEFORESTATION IN PARÁ

    by Marcelo Thalês, René Poccard-Chapuis, Maria de Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo

    The present study is based on a diachronic cartography of the pioneer fronts in the Brazilian state of Pará, which was used to analyze deforestation patterns between 2002 and 2017. For this cartography, the territory of Pará was divided into cells of 5 km x 5 km, in which the cumulative percentage of deforestation was calculated for each year from 2002 to 2017, with the data being classified in five evolutionary phases of the pioneer front. This cartography permitted the systematic representation of the spatiotemporal dynamics of deforestation in the study area and the evaluation of regional patterns, which allowed the pioneer regions to be delimited and characterized in three principal categories – expansion, stabilization, and consolidation. By relating the pioneer fronts to deforestation rates in each period, it was possible to classify them as consolidated territories, focused on the intensification of agricultural practices, or under expansion, through a strategy of occupation, in addition to areas free of deforestation. The approach adopted in the present study is easy to understand and can provide important guidelines for decision-makers in different administrative spheres, contributing to the formulation of effective measures for the control of deforestation and the sustainable development of the region. Keywords: Pioneer fronts. Deforestation. Territorial Dynamics. Brazilian Amazon.


  • Open Access

    Mapping Land Suitability to Guide Landscape Restoration in the Amazon

    by René Poccard-Chapuis, Sophie Plassin, Reinis Osis, Daniel Pinillos, Gustavo Martinez Pimentel, Marcelo Cordeiro Thalês, François Laurent, Mario Rodrigo de Oliveira Gomes, Laura Angelica Ferreira Darnet, Jaqueline de Carvalho Peçanha, et al.

    Beyond reducing deforestation, the control of forest degradation, the promotion of forest restoration, and the improvement of agricultural practices in the Brazilian Amazon are becoming increasingly important for sustainable development. To enable farmers and authorities to organize their landscapes and optimize both agricultural practices and the provision of ecosystem services, mapping land suitability is essential, but it is lacking in the region. In this paper, we present a method for mapping land suitability at a fine scale (30-m pixels), adapted to the needs of farmers and municipalities, to not only optimize agricultural production but also the ecosystem services provided by forests. We used topographic data from the Brazilian municipality of Paragominas to produce four maps, one each of soil texture, slope, floodplains, and hydrography, that we then combined into a single land suitability map. This map has been incorporated into a spatial database, which also contains information on land use, remoteness, and land tenure. We performed spatial analyses to measure the process of land use change, and to define indicators that enable local stakeholders to organize landscape restoration. We highlight an organic link between agricultural intensification and forest restoration, and provide a spatial tool for landscape design, assessment, and monitoring.


  • Drought sensitivity of pastures related to soil and landform in the eastern Amazon

    by François Laurent, René Poccard-Chapuis, Sophie Plassin, Marie-Gabrielle Piketty, Ali Fadhil Hasan, François Messner, Reinis Osis, Florent Perrier, Ling Zi Huang

    The Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (JARS) is an online journal that optimizes the communication of concepts, information, and progress within the remote sensing community to improve the societal benefit for monitoring and management of natural disasters, weather forecasting, agricultural and urban land-use planning, environmental quality monitoring, ecological restoration, and numerous other commercial and scientific applications.


  • Open Access

    Understanding Landscape Multifunctionality in a Post-forest Frontier: Supply and Demand of Ecosystem Services in Eastern Amazonia

    by Daniel Pinillos, Felix J. J. A. Bianchi, Rene Poccard-Chapuis, Marc Corbeels, Pablo Tittonell, Rogier P. O. Schulte

    Sustainable food production requires approaches that reconcile agricultural production with the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. While the contribution of agriculture to the provision of individual ecosystem services has received considerable scientific attention, little is known about the extent to which tropical landscapes can meet societal expectations related to food production and environmental sustainability simultaneously. We assessed how the spatial configuration of pedo-morphology and land uses influences the provision of three soil-based ecosystem services in eastern Amazonia: carbon storage (CS), habitat for biodiversity (HB), and agricultural commodity production (CP). We use the Functional Land Management framework to assess the supply and demand of these ecosystem services in a spatially explicit manner to identify areas of (mis)matches and trade-offs in the municipality of Paragominas, Brazil. The supply of ecosystem services was informed by a literature review for the various combinations of pedo-morphological characteristics and land uses in the region. The demand for ecosystem services was mapped based on federal and state policy targets. Mapping the supply and demand of CS indicated that half of the carbon in the region is stored in remnants of undisturbed forest which cover only a third of the municipality. Demand for HB in terms of forested area is met but it does not guarantee safeguarding biodiversity. Roughly a third of the territory shows scarce quality of HB even when compliant with legislation. Concerning CP, we identified areas where both supply and the demand to increase production are relative high due to road access and lower intensification costs. The demand for agricultural production can eventually incentivize the expansion of agriculture on fertile soils, which could compromise environmental targets. Our results suggest that the simultaneous delivery of multiple ecosystem services may require land-use pathways that combine land sparing and sharing approaches. Our analysis can inform integrated land-use planning initiatives where, historically, the supply and demand for CP have been the single dominant driver for the current landscape configuration.


  • Open Access

    Os Territórios de desmatamento na Amazônia. Uma análise geográfica no Estado do Pará.

    by René Poccard-Chapuis, Marcelo Cordeiro Thalês, Jaqueline De Carvalho Peçanha, Marie-Gabrielle Piketty

    O desmatamento na Amazônia parou de declinar a partir de 2013, questionando a comunidade científica quanto as causas dessa persistência. O artigo apresenta uma metodologia original de análise dos dados oficiais de desmatamento, com foco territorial e baseando-se no conceito sistêmico marcha pioneira. Os autores elaboram uma tipologia municipal, onde cada tipo corresponde a uma etapa na construção territorial, na qual o desmatamento assume papeis específicos. Os autores explicam a existências de territórios de persistência do desmatamento, e outros onde o desenvolvimento ocorre de forma livre de novos desmatamentos. Com base nessa análise, os autores formulam elementos de estratégias e suporte a políticas públicas para combater o desmatamento persistente e promover desenvolvimento sustentável em cada situação territorial.


  • Open Access

    Simulation of land use dynamics in Paragominas-PA: differences in spatial rules between smallholdings and agribusiness areas

    by Reinis Osis, François Laurent, René Poccard-Chapuis

    The aim of this paper is to present the results of the land use dynamic simulations in the municipality of Paragominas-PA. The simulation is based on models built from past land use data and spatial variables of the natural environment and infrastructure. Two spatial units were analyzed: the central area of commercial agricultural production and the area of settlements and smallholdings the east. The results show distinct spatial dynamics between the analyzed areas, among which we highlight the role of soil characteristics and, associated with the topography and the occupation history, are part of the context in which is defined rationality producers. Considering the transition from forest to pasture in the commercial farming area most often associated soils are sandy. This raises the following hypothesis: the deforestation that occurred in the period are related to livestock activities. Livestock favors access to water and low fertility sands does not affect production. On the other hand, the soybean expansion occurred preferentially on existing pastures and on clay soils (Belterra clay), reducing the availability of pastures on these soils. The relative importance of types of soil increases with time. In the area of settlements, the transition from forest to pasture and family crops occurred preferentially on the variegated clay. However, it is possible that the prevalence of this transition on this texture has been given due more to the history of occupation of this area. Historically the sandy valleys were the first to be occupied, and the continuity of the deforestation occurred toward the slopes dominated by variegated clay and plateaus with Belterra clay. These associations observed indicate that, within a wider context of social, economic and political factors, natural variable factors in space are important for the choice of managements in the properties, but they are done differently in the territory, and the best knowledge of these relationships are useful for territorial planning.