EGU25-14172, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14172
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Monitoring land degradation in Brazil: Impacts on vulnerable populations and their livelihoods
John Cunha1, Ulisses Bezerra2, Sabrina Oliveira2, Laisa Costa2, Aldrin Perez-Marin3, Carlos Galvão4, and Rodolfo Nóbrega5
John Cunha et al.
  • 1Federal University of Campina Grande, Campina Grande, Center for the Sustainable Development of the Semi-Arid, Sumé, Brazil (john.elton@professor.ufcg.edu.br)
  • 2Federal University of Campina Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Civil e Ambiental, Campina Grande, Brazil
  • 38National Institute for the Semi-arid, Núcleo de Desertificação e Agroecologia, Campina Grande, Brazil
  • 47 Federal University of Campina Grande, Centre for Natural Resources and Technology, Campina Grande, Brazil
  • 5University of Bristol, Faculty of Science, School of Geographical Sciences, Bristol, UK

As a signatory to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Brazil has made significant progress in combating desertification through initiatives such as the National Policy to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought (PNCD), implemented in 2015, and the New Brazilian Action Plan to Combat Desertification and Mitigate the Effects of Drought (PAB-Brasil 2024). Despite these advances, extensive areas throughout the country continue to face intensified degradation processes driven by inadequate land management and the increasing frequency of severe drought events. Our work introduces a novel approach to classify land degradation and conservation levels across Brazil, employing indicators such as land cover, soil organic carbon, and net primary productivity, as recommended by the UNCCD. Results indicate that 5.1% (422 thousand km²) of Brazil's territory is classified under critical or severe levels of degradation. The Caatinga and Pantanal biomes are the most affected, with 23.1% (197 thousand km²) and 15.2% (22 thousand km²) of their areas in critical or severe conditions, respectively. In contrast, 53.2% (4.4 millions km²) of the national territory is classified as having good to excellent conservation levels. The analysis highlights the disproportionate impacts of land degradation on vulnerable populations, including Indigenous Peoples, Quilombola communities, and smallholder farmers, who rely directly on natural resources for their livelihoods. These groups face challenges such as loss of productive land, water scarcity, and territorial expropriation. The findings support the urgent need for sustainable practices and inclusive public policies to mitigate degradation, protect ecosystems, and ensure the land rights of local communities.

How to cite: Cunha, J., Bezerra, U., Oliveira, S., Costa, L., Perez-Marin, A., Galvão, C., and Nóbrega, R.: Monitoring land degradation in Brazil: Impacts on vulnerable populations and their livelihoods, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-14172, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-14172, 2025.