Abstract
Beginning in 2003, there was an expansion of sugarcane cultivation areas in the State of São Paulo due to the demand generated by the introduction of flexible-fuel (flex-fuel) vehicles into the Brazilian consumer market. Based on this context, criminal forensic reports produced between 2003 and 2009 in the northwestern region of the State of São Paulo were surveyed, with the objective of analyzing anthropogenic impacts on territorial areas specially protected by environmental legislation. The total number of degraded areas varied throughout the years, and no significant correlation was found between the number of degradation events and the size of the degraded areas. A total of 325 affected areas were recorded during the study period, of which 86.9% were located within Permanent Preservation Areas, 12.2% within forest fragments, and 0.9% within Legal Reserves. The total degraded area reached 815.3 hectares, with 72.4% occurring in Permanent Preservation Areas, 21.9% in forest fragments, and 5.8% in Legal Reserves. Six categories of anthropogenic threats were identified: livestock farming, agriculture, fire, damming, urban expansion, and waste disposal. Agriculture represented the most extensive land use, particularly sugarcane cultivation. Areas within a 2-kilometer radius surrounding sites degraded by livestock farming, agriculture, and waste disposal showed significant differences in surrounding vegetation density, as well as in hydrographic and road networks. The predominance of Permanent Preservation Areas in early stages of regeneration suggests that ecological succession processes are being continuously interrupted.