MULTITEMPORAL ANALYSIS OF VEGETATION COVER IN THE SERRA DA MERUOCA APA (CE) USING THE NDVI INDEX AND SENTINEL-2 IMAGES

Abstract

The application of vegetation indices derived from remote sensing has stood out as an essential tool for environmental monitoring in Conservation Units. This work analyzed the spatiotemporal variation of vegetation cover in the Serra da Meruoca Environmental Protection Area (APA-CE), between the years 2021 and 2025, using images from the Sentinel-2 satellite and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The quantitative analysis, performed from NDVI maps generated in the QGIS software, allowed to identify significant changes in vegetative density. The results indicate a reduction in areas classified as high vegetation density in 2025 when compared to 2021. Such changes are potentially associated with a combination of factors, including climatic variability and anthropogenic pressures, such as land use and occupation in sectors of the unit. It is concluded that the NDVI derived from Sentinel-2 images constitutes a robust and efficient indicator for the continuous monitoring of the APA, reinforcing the importance of remote sensing as a subsidy for environmental management and decision making.