Spatial analysis of the Legal Amazon of Maranhão in the region under the influence of MATOPIBA: deforestation and socioeconomic indicators

Abstract

The objective was to conduct the spatial exploratory analysis of deforestation and socioeconomic data from municipalities of the Legal Amazon of Maranhão, which are located within the MATOPIBA region. The methodology used was Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (AEDE), considering the time frame of 2013 and 2023. To process the data and construct visual representations, the following software was used: Tableau 2014.1, for creating graphs and organizing data; QGIS 3.34, for spatial analysis and map creation; and GeoDa 1.22, for spatial statistical analysis. The variables selected for the research, at the municipal level, were: Deforestation, GDP per capita, Basic Education Development Index (IDEB) and Formal Employment. To verify the spatial autocorrelation belween these variables, Moran's I statistic was applied, which indicated significant autocorrelation for deforestation, GDP per capita, and IDEB. The variable formal employment did not present spatial autocorrelation. Based on the variables with identified autocorrelation, the Univariate Local Moran’s Index (LISA) was calculated, which allowed verifying the statistically significant clusters in 2013 and 2023. The results showed that deforestation in one municipality affects its neighbors, just as a low GDP per capita or an increase in the IDEB score can influence nearby municipalities.