BRAZILIAN AMAZONIA - INDUSTRIAL-DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

After a critical analysis of the strategies for conservation of the en vironment in Latin America and of large-scale development projects (ag riculture and livestock raising, mining and electrical power plants) i n the Amazon region of Brazil, this paper deals with the use of high-r esolution satellite imagery for environmental monitoring. Two areas we re considered in the study, Tucurui and Altamira. Spot/XS and Landsat/ TM multispectral images were used, together with color aerial photogra phs of these areas. A computer-assisted visual interpretation procedur e was employed to analyze images, and linear multispectral transformat ion was applied in selected subscenes in order to improve information extraction. The results indicate that high-resolution satellite imager y is generally compatible with the scale of the environmental problems in Amazonia and is a very efficient source of detailed information at a local scale on many aspects of the environment, in particular for m onitoring changes over time in selected areas. Therefore, commercial s atellite imagery, processed by specialized software, can accommodate a variety of analysis needs for decision makers and can also be an effe ctive means of verification of international agreements on conservatio n of the environment in Amazonia.