ABSTRACT

 

The increasing dynamics in land use and the elevated incidence of fires observed during the last decade in the Legal Amazon have reached an alarming scale that attracted the attention of politicians, environmentalists and the society in general. Different policies, strategies and monitoring actions to the control of fires were proposed during this period, with the goal of restraining the movement and the advance of the agricultural frontier over the remaining natural vegetation, especially on areas of Tropical Rain Forrest. Mato Grosso State, located in the Legal Amazon, presents special characteristics for the understanding of the relationship between land occupation and the incidence of fires, for it congregates in its territory an important environmental and socioeconomic diversity. Based on spatial and statistical analyzes developed from fire data, as well as on environmental, economical and social variables, this thesis focuses on the identification, mapping and explanation of the main driving forces of fire dynamics in Mato Grosso State.

 

 

Key-words: burnings, environmental monitoring, land use dynamics, Mato Grosso State, Legal Amazon.