34 results on '"Land use"'
Search Results
2. BLOEM: A spatially explicit model of bioenergy and carbon capture and storage, applied to Brazil.
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Tagomori, Isabela, Daioglou, Vassilis, Rochedo, Pedro, Angelkorte, Gerd, Schaeffer, Roberto, van Vuuren, Detlef, and Szklo, Alexandre
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CARBON sequestration , *CROP allocation , *LAND use , *GOVERNMENT policy , *GOVERNMENT policy on climate change ,PARIS Agreement (2016) - Abstract
Bioenergy could play a major role in decarbonizing energy systems in the context of the Paris Agreement. Large‐scale bioenergy deployment could be related to sustainability issues and requires major infrastructure investments. It, therefore, needs to be studied carefully. The Bioenergy and Land Optimization Spatially Explicit Model (BLOEM) presented here allows for assessing different bioenergy pathways while encompassing various dimensions that influence their optimal deployment. In this study, BLOEM was applied to the Brazilian context by coupling it with the Brazilian Land Use and Energy Systems (BLUES) model. This allowed investigating the most cost‐effective ways of attending future bioenergy supply projections and studying the role of recovered degraded pasture lands in improving land availability in a sustainable and competitive manner. The results show optimizing for limiting deforestation and minimizing logistics costs results in different outcomes. It also indicates that recovering degraded pasture lands is attractive from both logistics and climate perspectives. The systemic approach of BLOEM provides spatial results, highlighting the trade‐offs between crop allocation, land use and the logistics dynamics between production, conversion, and demand, providing valuable insights for regional and national climate policy design. This makes it a useful tool for mapping sustainable bioenergy value chain pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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3. Sociogeomorphological Analysis in a Headwater Basin in Southern Brazil with Emphasis on Land Use and Land Cover Change.
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González-Ávila, Itzayana, Jato-Espino, Daniel, Paixão, Mauricio Andrades, Carvalho, Michele Moraes, and Kobiyama, Masato
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LAND cover ,LAND use ,COMMUNITIES ,NATIONAL park conservation ,NATURAL landscaping - Abstract
Effects of natural processes on community building and the modification of nature by man's hands are an intrinsic part of the co-production of the landscape between man and nature. However, the interactions of this co-production have scarcely been analyzed. Based on data from the MapBiomas project, an analysis of the variation in land use and cover over 35 years in the Quilombola São Roque and Mãe dos Homens communities in southern Brazil was carried out. The sociogeomorphological units in the study area were established, and its geomorphological units and social units were analyzed and described. There is a prevalence of more than 50% of forest formation. Cluster analysis classified the analyzed variables into two groups, with the first corresponding to forest and grassland formations associated with more natural landscape features. The second group is formed by anthropogenic activities. Social units including traditional communities seem to be more related to the stimulation of forest formation. The action of conservation units influences the variation in land use and land cover. There is a Supplementary Material which explains abbreviations concerning the manuscript. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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4. Regional expansion of the beef industry in Brazil: from the coast to the Amazon, 1966-2017.
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Vale, Ricardo, Vale, Petterson, Gibbs, Holly, Pedrón, Daniel, Engelmann, Jens, Pereira, Ritaumaria, and Barreto, Paulo
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BEEF industry ,INDUSTRIAL concentration ,CERRADOS ,CATTLE herding ,COASTS ,INDUSTRIAL clusters ,MARKET power - Abstract
A regional approach to the study of Brazil's beef industry is increasingly relevant as deforestation takes centre stage in policy debates worldwide. To what extent has beef production expanded toward regions hosting sensitive ecosystems such as the Amazon? Important data limitations remain to answer this question, especially regarding slaughterhouses, fundamental to the beef supply chain. This paper addresses the data gap on slaughterhouse location and history and provides novel regional analysis. We map the beef industry's evolution into Brazil's interior over the last six decades and quantify changes in market concentration between 2006 and 2016. To accomplish this, we triangulated across fiscal and animal sanitation data sources to produce the first longitudinal dataset with information on the opening and closing dates, locations, and production volumes of 2602 slaughterhouses. We show the linear movement of slaughterhouses and cattle herds to the Amazon by tracking their geographical centres of gravity. We also show the clustering pattern of slaughterhouses. Until the 1960s, all the geographical clusters were located south of the capital, Brasília. By the early 2000s, clusters north of Brasília were almost as extensive. Finally, we assessed the degree of market power that the largest beefprocessing companies possess. The results indicate that market concentration increased in regions of more recent settlement further away from the coast, and that it remained relatively stable in states near the coast (Minas Gerais, São Paulo). The results shed light on the relationship between displacement toward the Amazon and Cerrado regions and economic concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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5. Relations between land use and fish species richness in Neotropical coastal lagoons.
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Guimarães, Taís de Fátima Ramos, Petry, Ana Cristina, Becker, Fernando Gertum, and Hartz, Sandra Maria
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SPECIES diversity , *LAGOONS , *LAND use , *FISH communities , *LITTORAL zone , *LAND cover , *FRESHWATER habitats - Abstract
In this study, we explored the association between land use and fish species richness on 52 coastal lagoons in Southeast and South Brazil. We measured the proportion of agriculture and urbanization around lagoons over 26 years and used the coefficient of variation (CV) as a surrogate of the temporal land cover variability. We compiled species occurrences from primary data, from the literature and from museum records, and assigned each recorded species to different habitat use groups: benthic/bottom or water column, and littoral or limnetic zones. In the Southeast, where most lagoons are subject to marine influence, richness was negatively associated to agriculture and positively associated to urbanization. In the South, where freshwater lagoons predominate, richness was negatively associated to urbanization and positively associated to agriculture. The results suggest that fish communities from freshwater coastal lagoons are more sensitive to land use than brackish lagoons. Differently from brackish lagoons, that are colonized by both freshwater and marine species, freshwater lagoons rely on neighboring lagoons as species donors. However, this apparent resilience of the brackish lagoons must be regarded with caution, since the increase in marine connections due to artificial sandbar openings may impair freshwater species with time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2022
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6. What if Brazilians reduce their beef consumption?
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Parzianello, Luciana and Carvalho, Terciane Sabadini
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BEEF industry , *COMPUTABLE general equilibrium models , *GREENHOUSE gases , *BEEF , *BEEF cattle , *LAND use , *ECONOMIC impact - Abstract
Beef, among all foods, has the greatest environmental impact and is associated with several chronic diseases. Brazil is one of the largest consumers of meat in the world, on par with developed countries and, most of its greenhouse gas emissions stem from deforestation and agricultural activities. Therefore, this article aims to project the economic and environmental impacts of reducing beef consumption due to changes in household preferences and an increase in beef taxes, with and without a revenue neutral mechanism (subsidies applied to food, excluding meat). To analyze this, a dynamic interregional Computable General Equilibrium model was employed, incorporating a land use change module and accounting for substitution between different food items in both consumption and production structure across regions within the Brazilian Amazon, Matopiba, and the rest of Brazil. The results show that a 40% reduction in beef consumption distributed between 2022 and 2050 could prevent deforestation on an area of approximately 65,000 km2, potentially mitigating up to 2.8 GtCO₂e (a third of the world's potential mitigation from dietary changes according to the UN). In the scenario with subsidies, the reduction in deforestation is smaller due to incentives provided to certain commodities that use pasture. Preference changes could have a virtually zero impact on GDP by 2050. Conversely, increased beef taxes could result in an overall rise in costs, leading to a negative impact on exports and GDP (subsidies only attenuate). In all scenarios, regional impacts would be heterogeneous, particularly affecting regions highly dependent on the cattle and beef sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2024
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7. Multi‐decadal land use impacts across the vast range of an iconic threatened species.
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Devenish, Christian, Lees, Alexander C., Collar, Nigel J., Marsden, Stuart J., and Benítez López, Ana
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ENDANGERED species , *LAND use , *LAND cover , *SPECIES distribution , *PROTECTED areas , *HABITATS - Abstract
Aim: To explore spatiotemporal changes in Hyacinth Macaw Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus distribution and the impacts of land use change over 25 years, across its vast range in central/eastern South America. Location: Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, South America, covering almost 3 million km2. Methods: We use a novel, multi‐temporal species distribution model, to combine both year‐specific occurrence records and land use/cover data in a single model that is subsequently projected over a land cover time series. We investigate changes in geographic range over 25 years and potential drivers of range extent at multiple spatial scales (10 and 30 km) and time‐lags (current and 10 years previously). We also assess protected area coverage and impacts from degazettement within the remaining range and highlight priority areas to search for undiscovered populations. Results: The modelled range of the species increased by 75,000 km2 to over 500,000 km2 between 1995 and 2019, during which period agriculture and pasture increased by 600,000 km2 within the species' extent of occurrence. Habitat suitability was influenced most strongly by distribution of palms, forest cover and changes in pasture over 10 years and usually by predictors measured at larger spatial scales. Just 8% of the macaw's modelled range falls within protected areas, and more than 20,500 km2 of protected areas overlapping with the range have been degazetted in the last 40 years. We highlight key areas to search for undiscovered populations in under‐sampled and remote areas, especially led by community citizen science initiatives involving indigenous groups and protected area staff. Main conclusions: Novel modelling methods, combining multi‐temporal occurrence records and land cover data, appropriate for small sample sizes per year, have revealed habitat dynamics and changes to the range of this threatened species over 25 years. The method may have wide applicability for a range of species, including elusive and poorly studied species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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8. Fit-for-Purpose, Private-Sector Led Land Regularization and Financing of Informal Settlements in Brazil.
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Childress, Malcolm, Carter, Selina, and Barki, Edgard
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PRIVATE sector ,LAND use ,SQUATTER settlements ,SOCIAL enterprises - Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the financial and operational approach to land regularization and financing used in Brazil by an innovative private social enterprise in order to demonstrate that the approach widens the concept fit-for-purpose land regularization to include fit-for-purpose land financing, with relevance for wider efforts in informal settlement regularization and upgrading. In this approach, the enterprise acts as a coordinator and broker to organize the residents of informal settlements to regularize their settlements by negotiating buyouts of the underlying private owners at discounted values, handling titling and registration of the occupants, and coordinating with municipal governments to provide infrastructure. The analysis of parcel-level repayment and price data provides evidence of the sustainability of the business model and increase of property values of the regularized parcels. The results presented from the enterprise's own repayment data demonstrate that under (non-pandemic) historical conditions residents are largely able to pay an affordable monthly payment over 7--10 years to the enterprise for the service to purchase the plots and maintain the enterprise. In operation since 2001, the enterprise has regularized over 20,000 parcels in more than 30 settlements, primarily in the cities of Sao Paolo and Curitiba in Brazil. The approach suggests that it could be widely replicable and add to the set of options for regularizing informal settlements, especially when purchase of private land is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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9. Toward integrating private conservation lands into national protected area systems: Lessons from a megadiversity country.
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Silva, José Maria Cardoso, Pinto, Luiz Paulo, and Scarano, Fábio Rubio
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NATURE reserves , *PROTECTED areas , *LAND use , *BIOMES - Abstract
Private conservation lands are essential for protecting biodiversity, but few national‐level studies have assessed their coverage and the legal frameworks that support them. Here, we review the legal mechanisms enabling conservation on private lands in Brazil and evaluate these lands' potential to reinforce the national protected area system. We found that conserving native vegetation on private lands is the most important mechanism to protect biodiversity in five out of the six Brazilian biomes. Because Brazil has a law that mandates landowners to set aside conservation areas, remnants of native vegetation were protected rather than converted to other land uses in areas of old economic frontiers. These remnants can be the cornerstones of effective regional conservation systems. Still, upgrading these remnants to privately protected areas and integrating these privately protected areas into the national protected area system remains a challenge. We suggest that the Brazilian experience provides important lessons on how other countries can design innovative policies to recognize and expand private land conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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10. Implications of Future Natural Gas Demand on Sugarcane Production, Land Use Change and Related Emissions in Brazil.
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Kerdan, Ivan Garcia, Giarola, Sara, and Hawkes, Adam
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NATURAL gas ,LAND use ,SUGARCANE growing ,FORESTS & forestry ,COMPETITION (Biology) ,SUGARCANE ,AGRICULTURAL intensification - Abstract
Due to its low share of energy-related emissions, energy systems models have overlooked the implications of technological transition in the agricultural sector and its interaction in the wider energy system. This paper explores the role of agriculture intensification by using a novel agricultural-based energy systems model. The aim is to explore the future role of Brazil's agriculture and its dynamics with other energy sectors under two carbon constraint scenarios. The main focus has been to study resource competition between sugarcane and natural gas at a country level. Results show that in order to meet the future food and bioenergy demand, the agricultural sector would start intensifying by 2030, improving productivity at the expense of higher energy demand, however, land-related emissions would be minimised due to freed-up pasture land and reduction in deforestation rates. Additionally, the development of balanced bioenergy and natural gas markets may help limit the sugarcane expansion rates, preserving up to 12.6 million hectares of forest land, with significant emissions benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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11. Amazon deforestation drives malaria transmission, and malaria burden reduces forest clearing.
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MacDonald, Andrew J. and Mordecai, Erin A.
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DEFORESTATION , *MALARIA , *HUMAN behavior , *LAND use - Abstract
Deforestation and land use change are among the most pressing anthropogenic environmental impacts. In Brazil, a resurgence of malaria in recent decades paralleled rapid deforestation and settlement in the Amazon basin, yet evidence of a deforestation-driven increase in malaria remains equivocal. We hypothesize an underlying cause of this ambiguity is that deforestation and malaria influence each other in bidirectional causal relationships--deforestation increases malaria through ecological mechanisms and malaria reduces deforestation through socioeconomic mechanisms--and that the strength of these relationships depends on the stage of land use transformation. We test these hypotheses with a large geospatial dataset encompassing 795 municipalities across 13 y (2003 to 2015) and show deforestation has a strong positive effect on malaria incidence. Our results suggest a 10% increase in deforestation leads to a 3.3% increase in malaria incidence (~9,980 additional cases associated with 1,567 additional km² lost in 2008, the study midpoint, Amazon-wide). The effect is larger in the interior and absent in outer Amazonian states where little forest remains. However, this strong effect is only detectable after controlling for a feedback of malaria burden on forest loss, whereby increased malaria burden significantly reduces forest clearing, possibly mediated by human behavior or economic development. We estimate a 1% increase in malaria incidence results in a 1.4% decrease in forest area cleared (~219 fewer km² cleared associated with 3,024 additional cases in 2008). This bidirectional socioecological feedback between deforestation and malaria, which attenuates as land use intensifies, illustrates the intimate ties between environmental change and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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12. A novel energy systems model to explore the role of land use and reforestation in achieving carbon mitigation targets: A Brazil case study.
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García Kerdan, Iván, Giarola, Sara, and Hawkes, Adam
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REFORESTATION , *LAND use , *CARBON sequestration , *AGRICULTURAL productivity , *AGRICULTURAL technology - Abstract
Due to its low global share of direct energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions (1–2%), the implications of technological transitions in the agricultural and forestry sector on the energy system have been overlooked. This paper introduces the Agriculture and Land Use Sector module part of the ModUlar energy System Environment (MUSE), a novel energy system simulation model. The study presents a generalisable method that enables energy modellers to characterise agricultural technologies within an energy system modelling framework. Different mechanisation processes were characterised to simulate intensification/extensification transitions in the sector and its wider implications in the energy and land use system aiming at providing reliable non-energy outputs similarly to those found in dedicated land use models. Additionally, a forest growth model has been integrated to explore the role of reforestation alongside decarbonisation measures in the energy system in achieving carbon mitigation pathways. To illustrate the model's capabilities, Brazil is used as case study. Outputs suggest that by 2030 under a 2 °C mitigation scenario, most of Brazil agricultural production would move from 'transitional' to 'modern' practices, improving productivity and reducing deforestation rates, at the expense of higher energy and fertiliser demand. By mid-century Brazil has the potential to liberate around 24.4 Mha of agricultural land, where large-scale reforestation could have the capacity to sequester around 5.6 GtCO 2 , alleviating mitigation efforts in the energy system, especially reducing carbon capture and storage technology investments in the industry and power sector. • A novel energy-oriented agriculture and land use systems model has been developed. • Mechanisation levels are characterised using cluster analysis and linear optimisation. • Role of reforestation alongside measures in the energy sector in Brazil are studied. • By 2050, modern mechanisation could represent 54–63% of agricultural production. • Brazil has the potential to sequester around 5.6 GtCO 2 through reforestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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13. The effect of anthropogenic drivers on spatial patterns of mangrove land use on the Amazon coast.
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Hayashi, Sanae N., Souza-Filho, Pedro Walfir M., Jr.Nascimento, Wilson R., and Fernandes, Marcus E. B.
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LAND use , *MANGROVE forests , *HUMAN settlements , *COASTS , *ANTHROPOGENIC soils , *INNER cities , *LAND cover - Abstract
Mangroves play an essential ecological role in the maintenance of the coastal zone and are extremely important for the socioeconomics of coastal communities. However, mangrove ecosystems are impacted by a range of anthropogenic pressures, and the loss of this habitat can be attributed primarily to the human occupation of the coastal zone. In the present study, we analyzed the spatial patterns of land use in the mangrove of the Brazilian Amazon coast, and evaluated the anthropogenic drivers of this impact, using a remote sensing approach. We mapped the road network using RapidEye images, and human settlements using global data. The results of these analyses indicate that the Brazilian Amazon coast has a low population density and low rates of anthropogenic impact in most of the coastal microregions investigated, factors that contribute to the maintenance and conservation of the region’s mangrove. The study also revealed that the paved road network is one of the principal drivers of land use in the mangrove, whereas other factors, such as population density, urban centers, and the number of settlements are much less important. While the region has 2024 km of paved highways, unpaved roads (17,496 km) facilitate access to the mangrove, with approximately 90% of anthropogenic impact being recorded within a 3 km radius of these roads. While the network of paved highways is relatively reduced in extension, preventive measures are urgently required to impede any major shift in the current scenario, caused by the expansion of major development programs. The results of the study indicate that biophysical, economic, and political factors may also contribute to the reduction, stability, and development of one of the world’s largest areas of mangrove forest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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14. Multi-level governance and power in climate change policy networks.
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Di Gregorio, Monica, Fatorelli, Leandra, Paavola, Jouni, Locatelli, Bruno, Pramova, Emilia, Nurrochmat, Dodik Ridho, May, Peter H., Brockhaus, Maria, Sari, Intan Maya, and Kusumadewi, Sonya Dyah
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CLIMATE change mitigation ,LAND use ,COMMUNICATION - Abstract
Graphical abstract Highlights • Specialisation at national level hampers mitigation-adaptation integration. • Local actors prioritize climate adaptation but lack of influence hinders action. • Decentralisation affects cross-level power differentials in land and climate domains. • Dominant national level communities exclude localities from policy decisions. Abstract This article proposes an innovative theoretical framework that combines institutional and policy network approaches to study multi-level governance. The framework is used to derive a number of propositions on how cross-level power imbalances shape communication and collaboration across multiple levels of governance. The framework is then applied to examine the nature of cross-level interactions in climate change mitigation and adaptation policy processes in the land use sectors of Brazil and Indonesia. The paper identifies major barriers to cross-level communication and collaboration between national and sub-national levels. These are due to power imbalances across governance levels that reflect broader institutional differences between federal and decentralized systems of government. In addition, powerful communities operating predominantly at the national level hamper cross-level interactions. The analysis also reveals that engagement of national level actors is more extensive in the mitigation and that of local actors in the adaptation policy domain, and specialisation in one of the climate change responses at the national level hampers effective climate policy integration in the land use sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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15. The impact of wildfires on air pollution and health across land use categories in Brazil over a 16-year period.
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Cobelo, Igor, Castelhano, Francisco Jablinski, Borge, Rafael, Roig, Henrique L., Adams, Matthew, Amini, Heresh, Koutrakis, Petros, and Réquia, Weeberb J.
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WILDFIRE prevention , *AIR pollution , *LAND use , *WILDFIRES , *LAND management , *FOREST protection - Abstract
Forest fires cause many environmental impacts, including air pollution. Brazil is a very fire-prone region where few studies have investigated the impact of wildfires on air quality and health. We proposed to test two hypotheses in this study: i) the wildfires in Brazil have increased the levels of air pollution and posed a health hazard in 2003–2018, and ii) the magnitude of this phenomenon depends on the type of land use and land cover (e.g., forest area, agricultural area, etc.). Satellite and ensemble models derived data were used as input in our analyses. Wildfire events were retrieved from Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS), provided by NASA; air pollution data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS); meteorological variables from the ERA-Interim model; and land use/cover data were derived from pixel-based classification of Landsat satellite images by MapBiomas. We used a framework that infers the "wildfire penalty" by accounting for differences in linear pollutant annual trends (β) between two models to test these hypotheses. The first model was adjusted for Wildfire-related Land Use activities (WLU), considered as an adjusted model. In the second model, defined as an unadjusted model, we removed the wildfire variable (WLU). Both models were controlled by meteorological variables. We used a generalized additive approach to fit these two models. To estimate mortality associated with wildfire penalties, we applied health impact function. Our findings suggest that wildfire events between 2003 and 2018 have increased the levels of air pollution and posed a significant health hazard in Brazil, supporting our first hypothesis. For example, in the Pampa biome, we estimated an annual wildfire penalty of 0.005 μg/m3 (95%CI: 0.001; 0.009) on PM 2.5. Our results also confirm the second hypothesis. We observed that the greatest impact of wildfires on PM 2.5 concentrations occurred in soybean areas in the Amazon biome. During the 16 years of the study period, wildfires originating from soybean areas in the Amazon biome were associated with a total penalty of 0.64 μg/m3 (95%CI: 0.32; 0.96) on PM 2.5 , causing an estimated 3872 (95%CI: 2560; 5168) excess deaths. Sugarcane crops were also a driver of deforestation-related wildfires in Brazil, mainly in Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes. Our findings suggest that between 2003 and 2018, fires originating from sugarcane crops were associated with a total penalty of 0.134 μg/m3 (95%CI: 0.037; 0.232) on PM 2.5 in Atlantic Forest biome, resulting in an estimated 7600 (95%CI: 4400; 10,800) excess deaths during the study period, and 0.096 μg/m3 (95%CI: 0.048; 0.144) on PM 2.5 in Cerrado biome, resulting in an estimated 1632 (95%CI: 1152; 2112) excess deaths during the study period. Considering that the wildfire penalties observed during our study period may continue to be a challenge in the future, this study should be of interest to policymakers to prepare future strategies related to forest protection, land use management, agricultural activities, environmental health, climate change, and sources of air pollution. • Effects of wildfires on air pollution and health in Brazil varies across land use. • Greatest effect of wildfires on PM 2.5 occurred in soybean areas in the Amazon. • Soybean in the Amazon was linked with a penalty of 0.72 μg/m3 on PM 2.5. • Wildfires from soybean areas caused 3872 excess deaths. • Sugarcane crops area driver of deforestation-related wildfires in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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16. Land occupation and transformation impacts of soybean production in Southern Amazonia, Brazil.
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Lathuillière, Michael J., Miranda, Eduardo J., Bulle, Cécile, Couto, Eduardo G., and Johnson, Mark S.
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SOYBEAN farming , *LAND use , *AGRICULTURAL productivity , *ECOSYSTEMS , *BIODIVERSITY , *WATER purification - Abstract
Since 2000, soybean production has gained increasing importance in Brazil, particularly in Southern Amazonia and the state of Mato Grosso, the largest producer in the country. This expansion has taken place through cropland extensification into natural ecosystems in the Amazon (tropical forest) and Cerrado (savanna) biomes with land transformation and occupation activity well documented by remote sensing. Guidelines from the UNEP/SETAC Life Cycle Initiative now allow for impact assessment of land transformation and occupation within a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to estimate potential impacts to biodiversity and ecosystem services. In this study, we apply these guidelines to soybean produced in 2010 in order to complement more traditional soybean LCAs with mid- and end-point impact assessment on biodiversity, erosion potential, water purification, groundwater recharge, biotic production and climate regulation potential in each of the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. In addition to providing regionalized characterization factors of land transformation and occupation in both Mato Grosso biomes, we estimate that one tonne of soybean produced in 2010 in the Amazon had greater impacts than when produced in the Cerrado. For the Amazon, total land transformation and occupation damage was estimated at $ 532 ton −1 and $ 260 ton −1 respectively, with estimates of $ 231 ton −1 and $ 153 ton −1 for the Cerrado. The largest contributors to these damage estimates came from the change in mechanical filtration properties of the soil followed by the land's climate regulation and biotic production potentials. The impact allocation to pasture as a transitional landscape in the establishment of cropland onto natural ecosystems diminished the soybean contribution through allocation of pasture to the beef production system, further adding to the land sparing argument for future cropland expansion in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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17. Land-use change drives abundance and community structure alterations of thaumarchaeal ammonia oxidizers in tropical rainforest soils in Rondônia, Brazil.
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Jr.Hamaoui, George S., Rodrigues, Jorge L.M., Bohannan, Brendan J.M., Tiedje, James M., and Nüsslein, Klaus
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AMMONIA-oxidizing bacteria , *RAIN forests , *DEFORESTATION , *PLANT physiology , *LAND use - Abstract
The Amazon Rainforest plays major roles in global carbon and nitrogen cycling. Despite this region’s immense importance, deforestation and pasture creation are still occurring at alarming rates. In this study, we investigated the effects of land-use change on aerobic ammonia-oxidizers in primary rainforest, young and old pasture, and secondary forest in Rondônia, Brazil. Forest-to-pasture conversion decreased soil nitrate, phosphorus, and exchangeable acidity contents that recovered to pre-disturbance levels as pastures aged or were abandoned and formed secondary forest. The ammonia-oxidizing community, numerically dominated by thaumarchaea, shifted due to land-use change, both in terms of gene abundance and community structure. However, thaumarchaeal ammonia monooxygenase gene abundances did not correlate with any measured soil physicochemial parameters. Phylogenetic analyses showed that community structural changes in ammonia-oxidizing thaumarchaea are driven by a shift away from primary rainforest, old pasture, and secondary forest clusters to separate clusters for young pasture. Additionally, the nearly complete disappearance in young pasture, old pasture, and secondary forest sites of a thaumarchaeal genus, the Nitrosotalea , indicates that land-use change can have long lasting effects on large portions of the thaumarchaeal community. The results of this study can be used as a conceptual foundation for determining how ammonia-oxidizers become altered by land-use change in South American tropical forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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18. Regionalization of land use impact models for life cycle assessment: Recommendations for their use on the global scale and their applicability to Brazil.
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Pavan, Ana Laura Raymundo and Ometto, Aldo Roberto
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LAND use ,PRODUCT life cycle ,ENVIRONMENTAL impact analysis ,VEGETATION & climate ,ECOLOGICAL regions - Abstract
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the main technique for evaluate the environmental impacts of product life cycles. A major challenge in the field of LCA is spatial and temporal differentiation in Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) methods, especially impacts resulting from land occupation and land transformation. Land use characterization modeling has advanced considerably over the last two decades and many approaches have recently included crucial aspects such as geographic differentiation. Nevertheless, characterization models have so far not been systematically reviewed and evaluated to determine their applicability to South America. Given that Brazil is the largest country in South America, this paper analyzes the main international characterization models currently available in the literature, with a view to recommending regionalized models applicable on a global scale for land use life cycle impact assessments, and discusses their feasibility for regionalized assessment in Brazil. The analytical methodology involves classification based on the following criteria: midpoint/endpoint approach, scope of application, area of data collection, biogeographical differentiation, definition of recovery time and reference situation; followed by an evaluation of thirteen scientific robustness and environmental relevance subcriteria. The results of the scope of application are distributed among 25% of the models developed for the European context, and 50% have a global scope. There is no consensus in the literature about the definition of parameters such biogeographical differentiation and reference situation, and our review indicates that 35% of the models use ecoregion division while 40% use the concept of potential natural vegetation. Four characterization models show high scores in terms of scientific robustness and environmental relevance. These models are recommended for application in land use life cycle impact assessments, and also to serve as references for the development or adaptation of regional methodological procedures for Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
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19. What can and can't we say about indirect land-use change in Brazil using an integrated economic - land-use change model?
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Verstegen, Judith A., Hilst, Floor, Woltjer, Geert, Karssenberg, Derek, Jong, Steven M., and Faaij, André P. C.
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LAND use , *BIOMASS energy , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *GREENHOUSE gases , *COMPUTABLE general equilibrium models , *CONFIDENCE intervals - Abstract
It is commonly recognized that large uncertainties exist in modelled biofuel-induced indirect land-use change, but until now, spatially explicit quantification of such uncertainties by means of error propagation modelling has never been performed. In this study, we demonstrate a general methodology to stochastically calculate direct and indirect land-use change ( dLUC and iLUC) caused by an increasing demand for biofuels, with an integrated economic - land-use change model. We use the global Computable General Equilibrium model MAGNET, connected to the spatially explicit land-use change model PLUC. We quantify important uncertainties in the modelling chain. Next, dLUC and iLUC projections for Brazil up to 2030 at different spatial scales and the uncertainty herein are assessed. Our results show that cell-based (5 × 5 km2) probabilities of dLUC range from 0 to 0.77, and of iLUC from 0 to 0.43, indicating that it is difficult to project exactly where dLUC and iLUC will occur, with more difficulties for iLUC than for dLUC. At country level, dLUC area can be projected with high certainty, having a coefficient of variation (cv) of only 0.02, while iLUC area is still uncertain, having a cv of 0.72. The latter means that, considering the 95% confidence interval, the iLUC area in Brazil might be 2.4 times as high or as low as the projected mean. Because this confidence interval is so wide that it is likely to straddle any legislation threshold, our opinion is that threshold evaluation for iLUC indicators should not be implemented in legislation. For future studies, we emphasize the need for provision of quantitative uncertainty estimates together with the calculated LUC indicators, to allow users to evaluate the reliability of these indicators and the effects of their uncertainty on the impacts of land-use change, such as greenhouse gas emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
20. Brazil’s Market for Trading Forest Certificates.
- Author
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Soares-Filho, Britaldo, Rajão, Raoni, Merry, Frank, Rodrigues, Hermann, Davis, Juliana, Lima, Letícia, Macedo, Marcia, Coe, Michael, Carneiro, Arnaldo, and Santiago, Leonardo
- Subjects
- *
ECOSYSTEM services , *FORESTS & forestry , *FOREST economics , *FOREST restoration , *BIODIVERSITY , *WATER conservation - Abstract
Brazil faces an enormous challenge to implement its revised Forest Code. Despite big losses for the environment, the law introduces new mechanisms to facilitate compliance and foster payment for ecosystem services (PES). The most promising of these is a market for trading forest certificates (CRAs) that allows landowners to offset their restoration obligations by paying for maintaining native vegetation elsewhere. We analyzed the economic potential for the emerging CRA market in Brazil and its implications for PES programs. Results indicate a potential market for trading 4.2 Mha of CRAs with a gross value of US$ 9.2±2.4 billion, with main regional markets forming in the states of Mato Grosso and São Paulo. This would be the largest market for trading forests in the world. Overall, the potential supply of CRAs in Brazilian states exceeds demand, creating an opportunity for additional PES programs to use the CRA market. This expanded market could provide not only monetary incentives to conserve native vegetation, but also environmental co-benefits by fostering PES programs focused on biodiversity, water conservation, and climate regulation. Effective implementation of the Forest Code will be vital to the success of this market and this hurdle brings uncertainty into the market. Long-term commitment, both within Brazil and abroad, will be essential to overcome the many challenges ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
21. Soil Quality Indexing Strategies for Evaluating Sugarcane Expansion in Brazil.
- Author
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Cherubin, Maurício R., Karlen, Douglas L., Cerri, Carlos E. P., Franco, André L. C., Tormena, Cássio A., Davies, Christian A., and Cerri, Carlos C.
- Subjects
- *
SUGARCANE , *SOIL quality , *BIOMASS energy , *LAND management , *SUSTAINABLE agriculture - Abstract
Increasing demand for biofuel has intensified land-use change (LUC) for sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) expansion in Brazil. Assessments of soil quality (SQ) response to this LUC are essential for quantifying and monitoring sustainability of sugarcane production over time. Since there is not a universal methodology for assessing SQ, we conducted a field-study at three sites within the largest sugarcane-producing region of Brazil to develop a SQ index (SQI). The most common LUC scenario (i.e., native vegetation to pasture to sugarcane) was evaluated using six SQI strategies with varying complexities. Thirty eight soil indicators were included in the total dataset. Two minimum datasets were selected: one using principal component analysis (7 indicators) and the other based on expert opinion (5 indicators). Non-linear scoring curves were used to interpret the indicator values. Weighted and non-weighted additive methods were used to combine individual indicator scores into an overall SQI. Long-term conversion from native vegetation to extensive pasture significantly decreased overall SQ. In contrast, conversion from pasture to sugarcane had no significant impact on overall SQ at the regional scale, but site-specific responses were found. In general, sugarcane production improved chemical attributes (i.e., higher macronutrient levels and lower soil acidity); however it has negative effects on physical and biological attributes (i.e., higher soil compaction and structural degradation as well as lower soil organic carbon (SOC), abundance and diversity of macrofauna and microbial activity). Overall, we found that simple, user-friendly strategies were as effective as more complex ones for identifying SQ changes. Therefore, as a protocol for SQ assessments in Brazilian sugarcane areas, we recommend using a small number of indicators (e.g., pH, P, K, Visual Evaluation of Soil Structure -VESS scores and SOC concentration) and proportional weighting to reflect chemical, physical and biological processes within the soil. Our SQ evaluations also suggest that current approaches for expanding Brazilian sugarcane production by converting degraded pasture land to cropland can be a sustainable strategy for meeting increasing biofuel demand. However, management practices that alleviate negative impacts on soil physical and biological indicators must be prioritized within sugarcane producing areas to prevent unintentional SQ degradation over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
22. DEFORESTATION CONTROL AND AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY IN BRAZIL.
- Author
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DE SOUZA FERREIRA FILHO, JOAQUIM BENTO, RIBERA, LUIS, and HORRIDGE, MARK
- Subjects
CONTROL of deforestation ,LAND use ,RAIN forests ,FOREST conservation ,AGRICULTURE ,AGRICULTURAL productivity - Abstract
Brazil has dramatically increased its agricultural area under cultivation, in the process becoming a major food exporter at the cost of natural forests. A new challenge is to meet the food demands of an expanding world population in the face of pessimistic climate change scenarios and the increasing scarcity of land. Can Brazil help meet rising world food demand while conserving its tropical rainforests? To address this question we simulate outcomes using a large dynamic multiregional computable general equilibrium model of Brazil to model land use over 20 years in 90 zones and 14 agricultural sectors. The model features a land-use change module based on a transition matrix obtained from satellite imagery. We analyze two scenarios of deforestation reduction, both linked to actual policy proposals. Model results indicate several mechanisms that allow food output to increase without expanding land supply. In particular, we stress the role of Brazil's vast, low-yield pasture area as a source of future cropland. Thus, we find that controlling deforestation leads to rather small decreases in food output--which could be neutralized by tiny exogenous productivity improvements. We conclude that the decrease in deforestation will not significantly compromise Brazilian agricultural supply capacity in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
23. Spatially complex land change: The Indirect effect of Brazil's agricultural sector on land use in Amazonia.
- Author
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Richards, Peter D., Walker, Robert T., and Arima, Eugenio Y.
- Subjects
AGRICULTURAL economics ,SOYBEAN farming ,ECONOMIC development ,LAND use ,ECONOMIC sectors ,DEFORESTATION - Abstract
Soybean farming has brought economic development to parts of South America, as well as environmental hopes and concerns. A substantial hope resides in the decoupling of Brazil's agricultural sector from deforestation in the Amazon region, in which case expansive agriculture need not imply forest degradation. However, concerns have also been voiced about the potential indirect effects of agriculture. This article addresses these indirect effects for the case of the Brazilian Amazon since 2002. Our work finds that as much as thirty-two percent of deforestation, or the loss of more than 30,000 km 2 of Amazon forest, is attributable, indirectly, to Brazil's soybean sector. However, we also observe that the magnitude of the indirect impact of the agriculture sector on forest loss in the Amazon has declined markedly since 2006. We also find a shift in the underlying causes of indirect land use change in the Amazon, and suggest that land appreciation in agricultural regions has supplanted farm expansions as a source of indirect land use change. Our results are broadly congruent with recent work recognizing the success of policy changes in mitigating the impact of soybean expansion on forest loss in the Amazon. However, they also caution that the soybean sector may continue to incentivize land clearings through its impact on regional land markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Gaseous mercury emissions from soil following forest loss and land use changes: Field experiments in the United States and Brazil.
- Author
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Carpi, Anthony, Fostier, Anne H., Orta, Olivia R., dos Santos, Jose Carlos, and Gittings, Michael
- Subjects
- *
ATMOSPHERIC mercury , *LAND use , *FOREST ecology , *FOREST canopies , *FIELD research - Abstract
Forest ecosystems are a sink of atmospheric mercury, trapping the metal in the canopy, and storing it in the forest floor after litter fall. Fire liberates a portion of this mercury; however, little is known about the long-term release of mercury post deforestation. We conducted two large-scale experiments to study this phenomenon. In upstate New York, gaseous mercury emissions from soil were monitored continually using a Teflon dynamic surface flux chamber for two-weeks before and after cutting of the canopy on the edge of a deciduous forest. In Brazil, gaseous mercury emissions from soil were monitored in an intact Ombrophilous Open forest and an adjacent field site both before and after the field site was cleared by burning. In the intact forest, gaseous mercury emissions from soil averaged −0.73 ± 1.84 ng m −2 h −1 (24-h monitoring) at the New York site, and 0.33 ± 0.09 ng m −2 h −1 (daytime-only) at the Brazil site. After deforestation, gaseous mercury emissions from soil averaged 9.13 ± 2.08 ng m −2 h −1 in New York and 21.2 ± 0.35 ng m −2 h −1 at the Brazil site prior to burning. Gaseous mercury emissions averaged 74.9 ± 0.73 ng m −2 h −1 after burning of the cut forest in Brazil. Extrapolating our data, measured over several weeks to months, to a full year period, deforested soil is estimated to release an additional 2.30 g ha −1 yr −1 of gaseous mercury to the atmosphere in the Brazilian experiment and 0.41 g ha −1 yr −1 in the New York experiment. In Brazil, this represents an additional 50% of the mercury load released during the fire itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
25. Mathematical Programming Models to Increase Land and Water Use Efficiency in Semi-arid NE-Brazil.
- Author
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Hagel, Heinrich, Hoffmann, Christa, and Doluschitz, Reiner
- Subjects
- *
MATHEMATICAL programming , *AGRICULTURAL productivity , *WATER efficiency , *WATER shortages , *RURAL development , *LAND use , *DECISION support systems - Abstract
Construction of the Itaparica dam and reservoir induced changes in the agricultural production systems of the Itaparica micro-region, at the lower-middle São Francisco river basin. Extensive traditional systems were replaced by e.g. irrigated fruit production. However, over twenty years after the dam construction, many farmers are still facing income insecurity. A survey, consisting of expert interviews and structured on-farm interviews, has been conducted to analyze current production systems. A Linear Programming farm optimization model was applied to determine optimal land allocation considering changing production conditions. Income depended strongly on low wages for day laborers, free irrigation water, and stable prices of the main crop, coconut. Diversification of production and improved market access can help to improve farmers' income situation. Moderate water pricing can raise the awareness of water scarcity and lead to implementation of water saving production methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
26. Land use regression modelling of NO2 in São Paulo, Brazil.
- Author
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Luminati, Ornella, Ledebur de Antas de Campos, Bartolomeu, Flückiger, Benjamin, Brentani, Alexandra, Röösli, Martin, Fink, Günther, and de Hoogh, Kees
- Subjects
REGRESSION analysis ,LAND use ,MIDDLE-income countries ,NITROGEN dioxide ,AIR pollution ,CITIES & towns ,WORLD health - Abstract
Air pollution is a major global public health problem. The situation is most severe in low- and middle-income countries, where pollution control measures and monitoring systems are largely lacking. Data to quantify the exposure to air pollution in low-income settings are scarce. In this study, land use regression models (LUR) were developed to predict the outdoor nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) concentration in the study area of the Western Region Birth Cohort in São Paulo. NO 2 measurements were performed for one week in winter and summer at eighty locations. Additionally, weekly measurements at one regional background location were performed over a full one-year period to create an annual prediction. Three LUR models were developed (annual, summer, winter) by using a supervised stepwise linear regression method. The winter, summer and annual models explained 52 %, 75 % and 66 % of the variance (R
2 ) respectively. Cross-holdout validation tests suggest robust models. NO 2 levels ranged from 43.2 μg/m3 to 93.4 μg/m3 in the winter and between 28.1 μg/m3 and 72.8 μg/m3 in summer. Based on our annual prediction, about 67 % of the population living in the study area is exposed to NO 2 values over the WHO suggested annual guideline of 40 μg/m3 annual average. In this study we were able to develop robust models to predict NO 2 residential exposure. We could show that average measures, and therefore the predictions of NO 2, in such a complex urban area are substantially high and that a major variability within the area and especially within the season is present. These findings also suggest that in general a high proportion of the population is exposed to high NO 2 levels. [Display omitted] • Measured NO 2 in São Paulo largely exceed the concentrations recommended by WHO. • Especially in winter the NO 2 measurements were high (43.2 μg/m3 to 93.4 μg/m3 ). • NO 2 LUR models explains 52 %, 75 % and 66 % (winter-summer-annual) of variance (R2 ). • 67 % of the residential population is exposed to annual NO 2 levels over WHO guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
27. Discriminating Forest Successional Stages, Forest Degradation, and Land Use in Central Amazon Using ALOS/PALSAR-2 Full-Polarimetric Data.
- Author
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Wiederkehr, Natalia C., Gama, Fabio F., Castro, Paulo B. N., Bispo, Polyanna da Conceição, Balzter, Heiko, Sano, Edson E., Liesenberg, Veraldo, Santos, João R., and Mura, José C.
- Subjects
- *
FOREST degradation , *LAND use , *SURFACE scattering , *PRINCIPAL components analysis , *SUPPORT vector machines - Abstract
We discriminated different successional forest stages, forest degradation, and land use classes in the Tapajós National Forest (TNF), located in the Central Brazilian Amazon. We used full polarimetric images from ALOS/PALSAR-2 that have not yet been tested for land use and land cover (LULC) classification, neither for forest degradation classification in the TNF. Our specific objectives were: (1) to test the potential of ALOS/PALSAR-2 full polarimetric images to discriminate LULC classes and forest degradation; (2) to determine the optimum subset of attributes to be used in LULC classification and forest degradation studies; and (3) to evaluate the performance of Random Forest (RF) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) supervised classifications to discriminate LULC classes and forest degradation. PALSAR-2 images from 2015 and 2016 were processed to generate Radar Vegetation Index, Canopy Structure Index, Volume Scattering Index, Biomass Index, and Cloude–Pottier, van Zyl, Freeman–Durden, and Yamaguchi polarimetric decompositions. To determine the optimum subset, we used principal component analysis in order to select the best attributes to discriminate the LULC classes and forest degradation, which were classified by RF. Based on the variable importance score, we selected the four first attributes for 2015, alpha, anisotropy, volumetric scattering, and double-bounce, and for 2016, entropy, anisotropy, surface scattering, and biomass index, subsequently classified by SVM. Individual backscattering indexes and polarimetric decompositions were also considered in both RF and SVM classifiers. Yamaguchi decomposition performed by RF presented the best results, with an overall accuracy (OA) of 76.9% and 83.3%, and Kappa index of 0.70 and 0.80 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. The optimum subset classified by RF showed an OA of 75.4% and 79.9%, and Kappa index of 0.68 and 0.76 for 2015 and 2016, respectively. RF exhibited superior performance in relation to SVM in both years. Polarimetric attributes exhibited an adequate capability to discriminate forest degradation and classes of different ecological succession from the ones with less vegetation cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
28. What Drives the Erasure of Protected Areas? Evidence from across the Brazilian Amazon.
- Author
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Keles, Derya, Delacote, Philippe, Pfaff, Alexander, Qin, Siyu, and Mascia, Michael B.
- Subjects
- *
PROTECTED areas , *ECONOMIC opportunities , *TRAVEL costs , *OPPORTUNITY costs , *ECOSYSTEM services , *FOREST conservation , *BARGAINING power - Abstract
Protected areas (PAs) are a widely used strategy for conserving forests and ecosystem services. When PAs succeed in deterring economic activities that degrade forests, the impacts include more forest yet less economic gain. These economic opportunity costs of conservation lead actors with economic interests to resist new PAs, driving their sites away from profitable market centers and towards areas featuring lower opportunity costs. Further, after PAs are created, economic actors may want PA downgrading, downsizing, and degazettement (collectively PADDD). We examine reductions in PAs' spatial extent – downsizings (partial erasures) and degazettements (complete erasures) − that presumably reduce protection. Using data for the entire Brazilian Amazon from PADDDtracker.org , our empirical analyses explore whether size reductions from 2006 to 2015 resulted from bargaining between development and conservation. We find that the risks of PA size reductions are raised by: lower travel costs (as implied by distances to roads and cities), which affect economic gains and enforcement; greater PA size, which affects enforcement; and more prior internal deforestation, which lowers the impacts of size reductions. These dynamics of protection offer insights on the potentially conflicting factors that lead to PA size reductions, with implications for policymaking to enhance PA effectiveness and permanence. • We assess how factors in agencies' payoffs have affected PA size reductions across the Brazilian Amazon from 2006 to 2015. • We examine events in PADDDtracker.org Data Release Version 1.1 using relevant measures of both land and PA characteristics. • Our results suggest size reductions have development and conservation influences, rather than being only development driven. • Size reductions are more common nearer to cities, where PAs have more environmental gains, reflecting development objectives. • Size reductions are more likely given deforestation in PAs (often farther from cities), reflecting conservation objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
29. Strength in diversity? Past dynamics and future drivers affecting demand for sugar, ethanol, biogas and bioelectricity from Brazil's sugarcane sector.
- Author
-
Hughes, Nick, Mutran, Victoria Morgado, Tomei, Julia, de Oliveira Ribeiro, Celma, and Oller do Nascimento, Claudio Augusto
- Subjects
- *
SUGARCANE , *SUGAR , *ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY , *ETHANOL , *LAND use , *METHANE as fuel - Abstract
Brazil's sugarcane sector is a significant source of employment, and operates at the intersection of energy, agriculture and land use. Its future development will be affected by the values, decisions and actions of key actors. Accordingly, we report on the results of qualitative semi-structured interviews with 19 participants with expertise in relation to Brazil's sugarcane sector. We used visual aids, and reflections on past events, to structure and contextualise discussions about the future prospects for the sector as a whole, and for four of its potential products – sugar, ethanol, electricity and biogas. Interviews revealed general expectations of continued growth in the sector, particularly for its energy-related products. However, the possibility of future challenges and tensions is still evident. We suggest three inter-related areas for ongoing reflection. First, there may be value in balancing the desire for minimal intervention, technology neutral styles of policy, with the need for policy that is clear, long-term and impactful. In some cases, more targeted policies for particular actors or emergent technologies, may also be justified. Second, increased clarity on the broader objectives for the sector, including the relative prioritisation of economic, social and environmental objectives, may help industry to make the long term investments consistent with the kind of deep innovation for which there is potential. Third, it is worth reflecting on how the above issues in combination can be leveraged into a global leadership strategy, with consideration of the relative robustness of different leadership strategies within broader emerging global dynamics. • Perceptions of key actors are pertinent to future prospects for energy sectors. • Experts interviewed on perceptions of past and future of Brazil's sugarcane sector. • Long term clarity of policy and targeted measures may support diverse investors. • Clarity on environmental objectives will support long term innovation. • Opportunities for global leadership, in the context of broader global dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
30. The integrated socio-perceptual approach: Using ecological mental maps and future imaginaries to understand land use decisions.
- Author
-
Sullivan-Wiley, Kira and Teller, Amy
- Subjects
GEOGRAPHICAL perception ,LAND use ,ECOLOGICAL mapping ,FRESHWATER biodiversity ,FORESTS & forestry ,FOOD security - Abstract
• Novel ISP approach unites qualitative and quantitative methods to study land use. • Efficiently elicits variation and patterns in landholders' ecological mental maps and future imaginaries. • Uncovers differentiated local narratives linking the environment and agriculture. • Local narratives explain significant variation in forest and pasture land use. • Expands temporal and spatial scales at which landholders' decisions are understood. Rural places are important centers of environmental and social transformation. Landholders are not only affected by socio-environmental changes, but they are influencing futures related to climate change, food security, freshwater, biodiversity, and social and economic development. Much environmental land use work understands individual landholders as rational actors, portrayed through the economic lens of "producer." These approaches generally focus on present capacities and limitations as the principal factors contributing to land use, and the individual farm as the reference unit for decisions. Our research takes steps to expand conceptualizations of rural landholders as active and knowledgeable in envisioning, managing, and shaping environmental futures. We design and test a new approach using ecological mental maps and future imaginaries to understand land use practices through a case study in the cocoa-producing and Atlantic Forest region of Southern Bahia, Brazil. The integrated socio-perceptual (ISP) approach combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to honor the depth of landholders' experiences and perspectives and to allow broader regional relationships and insights to emerge. We demonstrate that the ISP approach—through 49 surveys—has the capacity to capture variation and identify patterns in ecological mental maps and future imaginaries in a population, approximate the relevant spatial scales underlying these factors, and identify relationships between these and land uses. In this context, the types of narratives landholders hold about the region's future are associated with current forest land use on their properties. We discuss potential applications of the ISP approach for land use study and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. Assessment of Depressional Wetland Degradation, Spatial Distribution, and Geological Aspects in Southern Brazil.
- Author
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Zuquette, Lázaro, Failache, Moisés, and Barbassa, Ademir
- Subjects
- *
WETLANDS , *WETLAND soils , *AGRICULTURAL water supply , *WATERSHEDS , *WATER levels , *DIGITAL elevation models , *WATER table - Abstract
This paper presents a procedure to study depressional wetlands in southern Brazil and focuses on the mechanisms controlling water dynamics and environmental degradation due to anthropogenic interference. The study is based on an inventory of wetlands, a digital elevation model, the geological and geotechnical characteristics of geological materials, a multitemporal analysis of satellite images, the distribution of land use types, and onsite monitoring of water level and rainfall data. One hundred and twelve depressional wetlands were identified with a total area of 902 ha and a catchment area of 5456.8 ha. These wetlands were grouped into two classes with different hydrological control mechanisms. From the water level monitoring, the wetlands were found to present different hydrological conditions. Before rainy periods, the wetlands were almost dry or had little water; after rainy periods, over half of the wetlands were still dry or had groundwater levels below the surface, and the water levels of the other wetlands increased. The multitemporal analysis showed a reduction in the wetland water surface area from 270 ha in 1991 to 60 ha in 2019, which confirms the monitoring result that the amount of stored water is decreasing because of anthropogenic activities. Anthropogenic activities affect wetland water dynamics because of changes in the landscape and soil characteristics of the catchment area, and drainage of wetland areas by ditches for agricultural water supply; more than 50% of wetlands showed a high degree of change (environmental degradation), with conditions that make restoration or remediation very difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Indigenous Labor and Land Resources: Guarani–Kaiowa's Politico–Economic and Ethnic Challenges.
- Author
-
Ioris, Antonio A. R.
- Subjects
LAND resource ,LABOR ,LAND use ,INDIGENOUS peoples ,LAND management ,ETHNICITY ,POLITICAL violence - Abstract
The article deals with the meaning and the management of land-based resources by indigenous peoples, which are analyzed through an assessment of the lived spaces of the Guarani–Kaiowa indigenous people in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The discussion follows an analytical framework that is focused on land, labor and ethnicity. These interconnected politico-economic categories provide the basis for understanding the violence and exploitation perpetrated against indigenous groups, as well as their capacity to reclaim ancestral territories lost to extractivism and agribusiness development. Empirical results indicate that ethnicity is integral to labor and land management processes. In the case of the Guarani–Kaiowa, not only have they become refugees in their own lands due to racist discrimination, but also their labor has been incorporated in the regional economy through interrelated peasantification and proleterianization tendencies. The result is a complex situation that combines major socio-spatial asymmetries with the strategic, exploitative use of land and labor and the growing political contestation by the indigenous groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Extreme Drought Events over Brazil from 2011 to 2019.
- Author
-
Cunha, Ana Paula M. A., Zeri, Marcelo, Deusdará Leal, Karinne, Costa, Lidiane, Cuartas, Luz Adriana, Marengo, José Antônio, Tomasella, Javier, Vieira, Rita Marcia, Barbosa, Alexandre Augusto, Cunningham, Christopher, Cal Garcia, João Victor, Broedel, Elisangela, Alvalá, Regina, and Ribeiro-Neto, Germano
- Subjects
- *
DROUGHT management , *DROUGHTS , *NATURAL disasters , *DROUGHT forecasting , *ENERGY security , *LAND use - Abstract
Drought-related disasters are among the natural disasters that are able to cause large economic and social losses. In recent years, droughts have affected different regions of Brazil, impacting water, food, and energy security. In this study, we used the Integrated Drought Index (IDI), which combines a meteorological-based drought index and remote sensing-based index, to assess the drought events from 2011 to 2019 over Brazil. During this period, drought events were observed throughout the country, being most severe and widespread between the years 2011 and 2017. In most of the country, the 2014/15 hydrological year stands out due to the higher occurrence of severe and moderate droughts. However, drought intensity and observed impacts were different for each region, which is shown by the different case studies, assessing different types of impacts caused by drought in Brazil. Thus, it is fundamental to evaluate the impacts of droughts in a continental country such as Brazil, where a variety of vegetation, soil, land use, and especially different climate regimes predominate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. Soy expansion in Brazil's Cerrado.
- Author
-
Rausch, Lisa L., Gibbs, Holly K., Schelly, Ian, Brandão, Amintas, Morton, Douglas C., Filho, Arnaldo Carneiro, Strassburg, Bernardo, Walker, Nathalie, Noojipady, Praveen, Barreto, Paulo, and Meyer, Daniel
- Subjects
- *
LAND use , *ECOSYSTEM services , *FARMS , *BIOMES , *GEOGRAPHIC boundaries - Abstract
The Cerrado biome is Brazil's breadbasket and a major provider of ecosystem services, though these dual roles are increasingly at odds, in part because there are few mechanisms to protect remaining vegetation from large‐scale agricultural expansion. We assessed Cerrado conversion to soy using over 580,000 property boundaries, covering 77% of the biome that is eligible for commercial land use, and using microwatersheds, to cover 100% of eligible areas. Soy expansion accounted for 22% of conversion during 2003–14. Only 15% of clearing exceeded restrictions on private properties under the Forest Code (FC). However, 51% of soy farms have violated the FC, five times the rate of other farms. As a leading cause of both Cerrado conversion and FC violations, the soy sector has environmental and economic incentives to shift production to already cleared land. We used suitability maps to identify potential pathways for soy expansion across both old and new cropland frontiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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