Carbon footprint and impacts of aquaculture expansion in the Amazon

• Grant number: 22/10443-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Regular Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Agreement: CONFAP - National Council of State Research Support Foundations
• Principal Investigator: Jean Pierre Henry Balbaud Ometto
• Grantee: Jean Pierre Henry Balbaud Ometto
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Adry Thiago de Lima Trindade ; Alexander Sigmund Flecker ; Aline de Matos Valerio ; André Rodrigo Farias ; Balbino Antônio Evangelista ; Bruce Rider Forsberg ; CAROLINA MENDES COSTA ; Carolina Rodrigues da Costa Doria ; David Gibbs McGrath ; Felipe Siqueira Pacheco ; Gabriel Moiano Cesar ; Jucilene Cavali ; Lucíola Alves Magalhães ; Marcela Aparecida Campos Neves Miranda ; MARTA EICHEMBERGER UMMUS ; Nathan Oliveira Barros ; Rafael Marques Almeida ; Sebastian Heilpern ; Suresh Andrew Sethi ; Thiago José Arruda de Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/06862-6 - Greenhouse gas emissions from excavated fish ponds in the Amazon region, BP.PD

Abstract

Producing animals (e.g., cattle, fish) for human consumption is a major contributor to global climate change, but not all foods carry the same environmental burden. In the Amazon, cattle, pigs, and chickens have long been supplemented by capture fisheries, but aquaculture is rapidly expanding. However, the ecological cost of farming fish and how it compares to other animal-sourced foods is intensely debated. In this project, we will evaluate the pace of aquaculture expansion and its carbon footprint in two Amazon regions with emerging-yet contrasting-aquaculture industries: Ariquemes and Rio Preto da Eva. Our proposed project will support food system sustainability by addressing three questions: (1) What is the spatial and temporal trajectory of aquaculture expansion in the Amazon? (2) What is the carbon footprint of aquaculture production in the Amazon, and how does it vary among different farmed fish species? and (3) How does the carbon footprint of Amazon aquaculture compare to other animal-sourced foods (i.e., cattle, poultry, capture fisheries)? Our proposed research advances the development of resilient rural-urban systems and links to fundamental sustainability themes, including increasing food production and reducing climate risks. The project's discussions and results will support the elaboration of strategies to (1) reduce the environmental costs of aquaculture expansion in the Amazon, (2) improve aquaculture management practices, and also (3) balance food production and environmental impacts to ensure the maintenance of ecosystem services that underpin the culture and economy across Brazil. (AU)