Influence of Agricultural and Livestock Activities on Deforestation in Northern Paraguay

Abstract

In the Eastern region of Paraguay, deforestation has persisted in recent years despite Law No. 2524/04, known as the zero deforestation law, which prohibits the transformation and conversion of forested areas in the eastern region. In the Northern Zone of the country, deforestation caused by agricultural activities is influenced by various situational factors that affect the decision to conserve or not conserve forests. These factors are not exclusive to agricultural activities but also impact other sectors, affecting the dynamics of natural resource conservation in the region. For this reason, this study focuses on the departments of Concepción, San Pedro, and Amambay to analyze the influence of agricultural activities on deforestation. The methodology used in this research was descriptive with a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach, utilizing secondary data from the Directorate of Agricultural Census and Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), the National Agricultural Census (CAN), and the Paraguayan Chamber of Cereals and Oilseeds (CAPECO). Land use classification in deforested areas was carried out using remote sensing techniques, with images from Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI satellites, and complemented with geo-statistical analysis using the Kappa index. The study period covered from 2005 to 2018, and the analyzed variables included soybeans as the main crop of agricultural enterprises, livestock activity, and family farming (AFC) in deforested areas. The results revealed that livestock was the predominant activity in deforested areas of the Northern Zone, with an average of 47%, followed by agricultural enterprises with an average of 26% and AFC with an average of 25% between 2005 and 2018. It is important to note that the expansion of AFC areas largely depends on forest cover. This study underscores the urgent need for effective conservation policies to address this growing challengdepends on forest cover. This study underscores the urgent need for effective conservation policies to address this growing challenge.