RedeFloresta: Geospatial decision support platform for the restoration of landscapes and ecosystems in the state of São Paulo

• Grant number: 23/09862-7
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research in Public Policies
• Duration: August 01, 2024 - July 31, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Catherine Torres de Almeida
• Grantee: Catherine Torres de Almeida
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus do Vale do Ribeira. Registro , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Alexandre de Gerard Braga ; Arlete Tieko Ohata ; Francisca Alcivania de Melo Silva ; Helena de Queiroz Carrascosa Von Glehn ; JULIANA SANTIAGO ORTEGA ; Marco Aurélio Nalon ; Paulo Guilherme Molin ; Pedro Henrique Santin Brancalion

Abstract

The Refloresta-SP Program is a public policy that has been running since 2022, with the objective of expanding the vegetation cover in the state of São Paulo by 700,000 hectares through voluntary commitments. This initiative, added to the 800,000 hectares foreseen in the AgroLegal Program, which deals with mandatory restoration, seeks to reach a total increase of 1.5 million hectares of vegetation by 2050, which will be monitored by Refloresta-SP. To achieve this ambitious goal, it is crucial that public management implement a strategy to prioritize the areas to be restored, to reduce costs and optimize socio-ecological benefits for the various stakeholders. In addition, monitoring strategies for restoration projects are equally essential to ensure the maintenance of ecosystem services in the long term. However, decision-making at different scales and contexts requires the use of tools that allow quick access to scientific knowledge, following an adaptive and flexible approach to dealing with the dynamics of public management. This project presents a scientific proposal, characterized as quick science on strategic targets, for the development of an online and interactive platform that aims to support decision-making related to the restoration of landscapes and ecosystems in the state of São Paulo, focusing on the Refloresta-SP Program. The platform will provide spatially explicit information based on a participatory, transdisciplinary, and adaptive approach, by integrating scientific knowledge in ecosystem restoration, remote sensing, and geospatial modeling with public management experiences and practices. The project was divided into three main goals that are interconnected and meet direct demands of the Refloresta-SP Program. Goal 1 consists of the elaboration of a geospatial database, involving the systematization and harmonization of geographic data from multiple sources, scales, and periods relevant to the strategic planning and monitoring of the restoration. The database will be elaborated from the RedeZEE, a public and freely accessible data infrastructure, to which primary data produced in partnership with other projects and institutions will also be added. Goal 2 aims at developing a tool for interactive mapping of priority areas for restoration, including projects with a productive and multifunctional focus. This tool will implement multi-criteria spatial models in a friendly and customizable online interface, in which the user can select the area of interest, restrictions, criteria, and weights for prioritization, adapting the analysis according to their specific needs. Goal 3 aims at monitoring the restoration through a prototype tool based on remote sensing data at multiple scales, such as satellite and drone data. Primary data from forest inventory and aerial surveys from drones with RGB, multispectral, and LiDAR sensors will be obtained to calibrate and validate aboveground biomass models adapted to different spatial resolutions. All project results will be disseminated in a wide and accessible manner, in addition to their publication in scientific circles. The group of managers and researchers will work collaboratively, seeking effective solutions in public policies for strategic planning and monitoring the restoration of landscapes and ecosystems in the state of São Paulo. (AU)