The potential of Cybercartography in Brazil: ‘A Cybercartographic Atlas for Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, state of Maranhão, Brazil’

Abstract The research will analyse various types of land use and occupation within the territory of the Lencois Maranhenses National Park and the surrounding area. It is a challenging environment, because the region is very low lying and the soil is sandy; further, acceleration in climate change and rising water levels will also have severe impact on the land and the peoples. The population is diverse, and includes many minority groups. At this time, the key subsistence activities of the people include fishing and fruit collecting; some also herd goats and sheep, and grow crops; and others engage in tourism and produce handcrafts for sale. The use of geotechnologies, and the creation of a Cybercartographic Atlas, together with a participatory and interdisciplinary approach to research, can together contribute to a deeper understanding of the nature of land use in this region, and thus contribute profoundly to improving the quality of life of the local people. The main objective of this chapter will be to examine the work and methodology used on the Cybercartographic Atlas for Lencois Maranhenses National Park, as well as to incorporate and encourage participation not only by the academic-scientific sector but also by land administrators and the local population, particularly those who live within Lencois Maranhenses and its sphere of influence. In the future, it is expected that this inclusive methodological approach to research can be applied in other regions in Brazil where there are comparable socio-environmental conflicts impacting minority groups; for example, indigenous populations, communities of ‘quilombolas’ (descendants of slaves), ‘caicaras’ (seashore population) and others.