**7. Conclusion**

196 Biodiversity Loss in a Changing Planet

(2006), the dominant vegetation in the Ecological Station of Uruçui-Una is really the *cerrado* 

It is known that depending on the intensity and frequency, forest fires may cause severe damage to the vegetation. However, during the *in loco* visit it was found that the vegetation in some areas was at an advanced stage of regeneration, indicating resilience. Fire is an important factor in maintaining biodiversity, since while some species are affected by fires, others may be benefited in the process of germination and dormancy break of seeds. Thus, the frequency of fires in UUES may be the cause of the predominance of the two existing physiognomic forms. If the germination of tree species is prevented from occurring because of periodic fires, there is a decrease in the density of trees in the region, which leads to a change in the *cerrado sensu amplo* forest landscape, with a larger concentration of trees. Analysis of fire recurrence (Fig. 11) was carried out in areas adjacent to the checkpoint that characterized the physiognomic form *campo cerrado*. In this region, biodiversity loss is apparent (Fig. 5). Considering the combined damage of fauna and flora, this loss is still more

The area of recurrence of fires presented in Fig. 11 measures 9.53 km2. The measure of this area was determined in the intersection of the burned areas for the years 1978, 1989, 1996 and 1998. Since the burned areas coincided in only two years, a considerable variation

All the indexes for the year 1985 are low due to the small extent and sparse spatial distribution of the burned areas. 1996, on the contrary, as the year with the largest area of intersection with another year, especially the 1996-1998 pair, which had an area of intersection of 135.25 km2. The intersection of burned areas in 1996 was due to the spatial

Analysis of the graphs of Figs. 6 and 9 shows that the La-Niña climate phenomenon has started two years before 1985. This phenomenon may also have contributed to the reduced

occurs depending on the pairs of years analyzed. Table 1 shows this variation.

Fig. 11. Areas of recurrence of fires in period 1978-1998

extension and homogeneity of the area.

*strict sensu*.

serious.

The findings of the present study allow inferring the intensity, distribution form, location and cause of the fires that took place in the Uruçuí-Una Ecological Station (UUES), as well as the biodiversity loss provoked by these fires. Additionally, it is possible to infer the influence of the climatic phenomena El-Niño and La-Niña on the occurrence of fires.

In agreement with the results obtained, the Landsat 5 TM images were found to be useful in the analyses of fires in CUs, especially due to the collection frequency and quality spectral/spatial of the data.

The burned locations were correctly defined in the proposed method. They were located so much the burned areas individualized by year, as the total area reached by fire in the

Identification and Analysis of Burned Areas in Ecological Stations of Brazilian Cerrado 199

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analyzed period. Additionally, all the areas were measured facilitating a more detailed analysis concerning the intensity of the fire.

The burning frequency was also accurately measured, indicating the recurrence of fire among pairs of years and in the most affected years. The study of the frequency of fires made it possible to identify the most critical areas, elaborate a strategy to support fire fighting, e. g., the creation of rural roads or accesses to these areas to facilitate the movement of the fire brigades.

The variation of the type of vegetation (biodiversity loss) was analyzed based on the occurrence of fire. It was noticed that in areas of high fire frequency the physiognomy of *cerrado sensu stricto* vegetation was changed into *campo cerrado* because of the damage caused to some species by the fires.

The products (burned map and descriptive information) generated in this research are important tools for governmental authorities in Brazilian Conservation Units (e. g. in ICMBio), particularly to promote innovation of public politics in the prevention and control management of fires within the ES (Ecological Stations). Besides, they provide insights for future research on environmental preservation and continuous monitoring of protected areas.

#### **8. Acknowledgments**

We thank INPE (National Institute for Space Research) for providing free access to Landsat 5 TM images.

At ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) for providing transport and access to UUES facilities, which has made this research possible.
