Large-scale Ecological Restoration of High-Diversity Tropical Forests in SE Brazil

background

This article examines 32 ongoing reforestation projects in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, which are conducted on areas of large sugarcane farms and small mixed farms.

Research Goals & Methods

The authors seek to describe the conditions needed to determine if a site can regenerate naturally: biotic and abiotic conditions are favorable for plant growth and establishment, species will be present due to arrivals and those stored in the seedbank, species with different and complementary ecological behaviors are present. The study also identifies restoration actions that meet different environmental situations found in the projects.

Conclusions & Takeaways

A higher proportion of abandoned areas exist around riparian areas in the large sugarcane farms in comparison with the small mixed farms. Given the very low opportunities for natural regeneration, on most of the projects, the main restoration action was the establishment of native species plantations. With this method of establishing high-diversity reforestation plots, the authors express that there will be high costs that could be defrayied by carbon offsets, biodiversity banking, habitat banking, REDD+ payments, and payments for ecosystem services.