BELÍSSIMA E DE CLIMA MAIS SAUDÁVEL DO ESTADO” - A REGIÃO OESTE CATARINENSE, SUA OCUPAÇÃO E AS TRANSFORMAÇÕES AMBIENTAIS

Abstract

During the process of colonization of the western region of Santa Catarina located in southern Brazil, in the first half of the 20th century, the transformation in the landscape was accelerated by anthropic action. Deforestation was intensified by the installation of timber and sawmills due to the economic importance of the sale of timber for the period. In addition, the other economic activities that emerged in the region from the second half of the same century, such as the agriculture and monoculture of exotic trees, contributed to the intensification of the environmental change. The general objective of this research is to investigate the historical process of environmental transformation in the west of Santa Catarina, from the 1960s to the 1970s, based on the analysis of the colonization of the region and the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform in the area. We also sought to identify the different social groups that occupied the region and the economic activities carried out by them to assist in understanding the deforestation process.