Environmental analysis of land use changes in the district of Azul (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Abstract

Ever since transgenic soybean crops began to spread in the mid-90s, agricultural lands have expanded remarkably in Argentina, thus producing changes in the dominance of major crops and bringing about various environmental consequences. This work aims to analyze changes in the use of lands in Azul, a central district of Buenos Aires province, Argentina, from 1995 to 2011, and to characterize the agricultural expansion process (known as "agriculturization") in that district, by means of landscape definition. Classified satellite images for the1995-2011 period, official statistics of sown areas arranged by crop type and previous studies were used; field surveys were also conducted. The study suggests that the agricultural area of the district increased by 173% in the 1995-2011 period, at the expense of livestock areas. Moreover, wheat was replaced by soybean as the dominant crop in the same period. Agricultural expansion occurred from the peri-mountainous plains landscapes to the hills and depressed plains landscapes. The study of changes in land use and land cover in distinct landscapes will enable researchers to interpret the different scenarios of the agricultural expansion process and will lay bases for environmental management of lands.