Evaluation and monitoring of alternative initiatives to the deforestation in Southwestern Brazilian Amazon

• Grant number: 22/10403-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2023
• End date: January 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Economics - Agrarian and Natural Resource Economics
• Agreement: CONFAP - National Council of State Research Support Foundations
• Principal Investigator: Ademar Ribeiro Romeiro
• Grantee: Ademar Ribeiro Romeiro
• Host Institution: Instituto de Economia (IE). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carolina da Silveira Bueno ; Joao Alfredo de Carvalho Mangabeira ; lauro charlet pereira ; Lucas Ferreira Lima ; Mitali Daian Alves Maciel ; OLEIDES FRANCISCA DE OLIVEIRA ; Oscar Sarcinelli ; Raimundo Cláudio Gomes Maciel ; Sergio Gomes Tôsto

Abstract

Deforestation and degradation of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems in the Amazon has advanced at high rates due to the implementation of inadequate land use models. Thus, several initiatives have been developed with the aim of preserving and conserving the Amazon Forest, valuing and promoting the livelihood of Amazonian populations in order to keep the forest standing and, more recently, forest recovery initiatives have also been implemented. Although many of these initiatives have been successful, they lack systematic programs to evaluate and monitor their results over time. Our main motivation is to provide, in a participatory way, the evaluation and monitoring of the effectiveness of alternative initiatives to deforestation in the Southwest of the Brazilian Amazon through the use of environmental and socioeconomic indicators. The Porongaba and Philippines rubber plantations in the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve (RESEX), in Epitaciolândia, AC, will be our areas of study and work with the local community. Our project is structured in three working groups - GT: GT - environmental, will evaluate the effectiveness of agroforestry systems in the conservation of aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity and their ecosystem functions; GT - Socioeconomy, will evaluate the socioeconomic performance of extractive families in the search for socioenvironmental valuation and payments for environmental services, main production chains and mechanisms for carbon capture and sociobioeconomic indicators adjusted to the Amazonian reality; GT - forest recovery, will promote, together with five families in the region, the implementation of vegetation recovery in Permanent Preservation Areas. Our project has a multidisciplinary character (i.e. from ecology to economy) and will have the support of the local community, governmental and non-governmental organizations, in addition to the teaching and research institutions involved in the proposal. Finally, our actions have the potential to become models in the evaluation and monitoring of alternative initiatives to deforestation for the region. (AU)