In Minas Gerais, the reduction was 58% between 1985 and 2025. In the Água Limpa occupation, in Nova Lima, the urbanized area grew 314% in the period.
By g1 Minas
A study by MapBiomas shows that the favelas of Belo Horizonte lost 81% of their vegetation between 1985 and 2025. The urbanized area grew by 45%.
In the state of Minas Gerais, the urbanized area in favelas increased by 149% in the period. Vegetation coverage in these locations decreased by 58%.
The loss of vegetation increases summer temperatures by up to 7°C in sparsely forested areas. The data directly affects the lives of residents.
In the Água Limpa occupation, in Nova Lima, the urbanized area grew 314% in 4 decades. Local vegetation shrank by 82% in the same period.
Vegetation helps reduce the impact of heavy rain and flooding. Soil without concrete also allows water to infiltrate and supply the water table.
Aerial image of the Água Limpa occupation, in Nova Lima, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte — Photo: Reproduction/TV Globo
The favelas of Belo Horizonte lost 81% of their vegetation between 1985 and 2025, according to a survey by MapBiomas. In four decades, green areas in these territories increased from 752 to 145 hectares, while the urbanized area grew by 45%, reaching 1,837 hectares.
The advance of urbanization over vegetation also appears in data from Minas Gerais. In the state, the urbanized area in favelas increased by 149%, and vegetation cover decreased by 58% in the same period.
According to MapBiomas, the loss of vegetation directly affects the living conditions of residents. In urbanized regions with little forestry, the average summer temperature can be up to 7°C above that recorded in surrounding forest areas.
Advancement of construction
In the Água Limpa occupation, in Nova Lima, in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte, the urbanized area grew 314% in four decades: it went from 65 hectares in 1985 to 269 hectares in 2025.
In the same period, vegetation shrank by 82%, from 237 to 43 hectares. The survey maps show that, in 1985, areas destined for agriculture predominated in the territory. Over the years, construction progressed.
The Água Limpa neighborhood extends across Nova Lima and Itabirito, with simpler, high-standard housing on the banks of the BR-040 and in hilly areas.
The president of the Associação do Balneário Água Limpa, Humberto de Moura, followed the growth of the region and remembers the infrastructure difficulties at the beginning of the occupation.
"There was no water, no electricity, it was extremely precarious. The bus stopped at BR", he says.
According to him, the constructions also reached the surroundings of a lagoon, in an area that, according to the report, was defined by the City of Itabirito as permanent preservation.
"If you go there today, it's full of properties. People occupy it, occupy it, occupy it, and once they've occupied it, it's complicated."
Heat and risk of flooding
In addition to helping to alleviate the heat, vegetation helps to reduce the impacts of heavy rains, explains Julio Pedrassoli, coordinator of Urbanized Area Mapping at MapBiomas.
The leaves reduce the speed of rainwater and its impact on the soil. As a result, water reaches the rivers more slowly, which reduces the possibility of accumulation and flooding.
“Where you have vegetation, you have less concrete area”, says the researcher.
He explains that the soil without concrete cover also allows part of the water to infiltrate and supply the water table, instead of just flowing through the surface.
