Linking spatial patterns of deforestation to land use using satellite and field data

The Brazilian Amazon is an area where extensive tropical rainforest areas are being converted to agriculture and cattle raising activities, contributing to environmental and landscape changes of this large region. The main objective of this paper is test whether spatial patterns of deforestation as visualized by satellite images are related to land use data as collected by household survey. This linkage would allow for a better understanding of the dynamic of land use and cover change at a regional scale. The results demonstrated the capacity of our methodology in quantifying and mapping deforestation patterns and to relate these patterns to land use activities at the household level.