Atividade agrícola, expansão de rodovias e aumento do desmatamento nos municípios de Lagoa do Tocantins, Novo Acordo e Ponte Alta do Tocantins

Abstract

The State of Tocantins, composed of 139 municipalities, faces a serious environmental issue related to the deforestation of the Cerrado, one of its main biomes. In 2023, the Cerrado surpassed the Amazon in deforested areas, with 1,110,326 hectares cleared, an increase of 67.7%. The MATOPIBA region, which includes Tocantins, accounted for 47% of Brazil's native vegetation loss, with Tocantins being the third most affected state. The study focuses on the municipalities of Lagoa do Tocantins, Novo Acordo, and Ponte Alta, located in the former Jalapão Microregion, to investigate whether agricultural expansion and road maintenance contribute to the increase in deforestation. Data shows that deforestation in Novo Acordo reached 21.40% in the first quarter of 2023. The study also explores how agricultural expansion and infrastructure development, such as roads, may be linked to this environmental degradation, highlighting the negative impacts on Tocantins' biodiversity and natural landscape. As a result, it was concluded that although road maintenance indirectly contributed to the increase in deforestation in the aforementioned municipalities, it was the advancement of agricultural.