PASTO LEGAL: impacto da expansão das pastagens sobre áreas de preservação permanente, secamento de lagos e escassez hídrica na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Vermelho, Goiás

Abstract

Environmental sustainability has become a central theme in global public policies, especially in the context of livestock farming, one of the economic activities that most impact the environment. Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) in the Rio Vermelho Hydrographic Basin (BHRV) in Goiás were used or illegally occupied for pastures in violation of the Brazilian Forest Code, causing damage to the ecosystem and water resources with the scarcity and drying up of rivers and lakes. The objective of this research was to evaluate the percentage of illegal use and occupation of river and lake APPs for pasture in BHRV. To do so, we use information collected in field campaigns, images captured by unmanned aerial vehicles, data from MapBiomas, satellite images and information from the National Rural Environmental Registry System (Sicar). This made it possible to quantify the APPs preserved and degraded by pasture between 1985 and 2023, making up approximately 50% of APPs used and occupied for pasture formation. The illegal occupation of APPs for pasture in the Rio Vermelho Hydrographic Basin has the immediate consequence of water scarcity and drying up of the lake system, affecting rivers and lakes in the region, mainly Lago dos Tigres in Britânia, Goiás. We demonstrate that, from 1985 to 2023, environmental degradation caused a decrease in the number of lakes and water surface. In 1985 there were 4,698 lakes, a number that was reduced to 4,251 in 2012 and to 4,023 in 2020. The drilling of water holes within the lake areas and free access for livestock were detected, coinciding with the increase in pastures on the APPs that were used and illegally occupied by livestock activities, in violation of the provisions of the Brazilian Forest Code, which determines that APPs are protected by law and fulfill the function of preserving the balance of the natural ecosystem. Given the context presented, we propose the program called Pasto Legal, which analyzes the use and occupation of APPs along rivers and lakes for pasture, highlighting their environmental and legal repercussions. The study highlights how the exploitation of these areas can compromise the quality of water resources, biodiversity and the integrity of ecosystems. Furthermore, possible contradictions in the statements provided to the Rural Environmental Registry in the Rio Vermelho basin are discussed, where many landowners do not follow environmental regulations, which results in inconsistencies that hinder the effectiveness of conservation policies. We draw attention to the need for an integrated approach that reconciles agricultural production with environmental protection, aiming for a more sustainable management of permanent preservation areas. The Pasto Legal program emerges as an innovative public policy tool with the aim of promoting sustainable practices in livestock farming and reducing the environmental impacts of this essential activity in the Cerrado of Goiás state.