Santa Catarina Southern coast occupation: a historical analysis of drivers and processes.

Abstract

Abstract: Considering the occupation and land use as processes that follow patterns related to the historical context and the natural and human characteristics of a region, the objective of this work was to identify drivers of change, as well as, understand the dynamics of occupation in two municipalities from southern coastal areas of Santa Catarina state, Brazil, using multiple geography techniques. Different patterns were identified, classified and mapped. In rural areas, access, subdivision property of small farms and increase areas for agriculture and cattle are the main drivers of change. At the shore portion of the municipalities, infrastructure deployment in the coastal settlements, which occupy almost all of the 32 km of coastline with 60,000 plots of land registered, was detected as the most important factor that influence on use and cover change. At the urban centers, the differences in occupation history generated differences in current population formation and in the drivers that are responsible for the urban growth.