1. Fire-related carbon emissions from land use transitions in southern Amazonia
- Author
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DeFries, R. S, Morton, D. C, van der Werf, G. R, Giglio, L., Collatz, G. J, Randerson, J. T, Houghton, R. A, Kasibhatla, P. K, and Shimabukuro, Y.
- Subjects
agriculture ,air pollution ,deforestation ,disasters ,land use ,leakage (fluid) ,vegetable oils ,agricultural productions ,amazonia ,atmospheric carbons ,carbon emissions ,cattle ranching ,fire emissions ,forest conversions ,inexpensive means ,mato grosso ,palm oil ,fires ,agricultural land ,agricultural production ,atmospheric modeling ,carbon emission ,carbon flux ,deforestation ,environmental policy ,land use change ,pasture ,prescribed burning ,ranching ,tropical region ,air pollution ,conversion ,curl ,deforestation ,disasters ,emission ,fires ,land use ,leakage ,oil ,Amazonia ,South America ,Bos - Abstract
Various land-use transitions in the tropics contribute to atmospheric carbon emissions, including forest conversion for small-scale farming, cattle ranching, and production of commodities such as soya and palm oil. These transitions involve fire as an effective and inexpensive means for clearing. We applied the DECAF (DEforestation CArbon Fluxes) model to Mato Grosso, Brazil to estimate fire emissions from various land-use transitions during 2001–2005. Fires associated with deforestation contributed 67 Tg C/yr (17 and 50 Tg C/yr from conversion to cropland and pasture, respectively), while conversion of savannas and existing cattle pasture to cropland contributed 17 Tg C/yr and pasture maintenance fires 6 Tg C/yr. Large clearings (>100 ha/yr) contributed 67% of emissions but comprised only 10% of deforestation events. From a policy perspective, results imply that intensification of agricultural production on already-cleared land and policies to discourage large clearings would reduce the major sources of emissions from fires in this region.
- Published
- 2008