Change Analysis of population dynamics and climate variability in the Brazilian semi-arid region: a methodological approach

The semiarid region of Northeastern part of Brazil is under changes pressures driven by human activities or climate changes. Spatial analysis and visualization of potential land use/land cover changes (LULCC) zones can be a useful tool for helping on planning actions or decision making policies for sustainable development. This study presents a methodological and spatial approach for pointing out mainly changes drivers. GIS tools and a statistics estimator are used in a spatial modelling and standardization of all inputs from different data sources. The results show the nearest areas from some important middle cities such as “high pressure changes”. In those areas, it is possible to observe the strong correlation between LULCC and high density urban areas and an increasing of GDP (Gross Domestic Product for Livestock and Agriculture) in the last years as well.

Keywords:
population dynamics; bioclimatic variables; indicators tools; geospatial technologies