O impacto da destruição da vegetação nativa sobre o desenvolvimento humano na Bahia

Abstract

Human beings modify the earth's surface in different ways to meet their needs. The main type of soil cover today is agriculture, which has continuously contributed to the reduction of areas of native vegetation. As a consequence, a common reality has been established in which the implementation of agricultural enterprises leads to an improvement in the quality of life of the population. Thus, we could expect areas with greater human development to have less amount of remaining habitat. In view of the above, the question arises whether the deforestation action generates real gains to society, since the environmental loss is certain. We tested this relationship in the 417 municipalities of Bahia. For this, we classified the municipalities of Bahia in 5 classes according to the amount of vegetation remaining in each one, then we compare them with data of HDI (human development index), GDP, number of livestock and value of production. The results showed that there is no relation between the level of human development of the municipalities of Bahia and the amount of vegetation remaining in each one of them. In addition, we have seen an expansion of deforestation in the Caatinga and the Cerrado, mainly driven by the production of commodities such as corn, soybeans and cotton. These results show that it is necessary to review the common understanding that reduction of natural habitat for economic purposes generates development. This shift in vision is even more important when we realize that habitat destruction does not generate the expected welfare but also affects the ability of the environment to provide ecosystem services that are essential for quality of life.