Methodologies for sampling of biomass and carbon in three types of land use in the state of São Paulo

• Grant number: 09/15619-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2010
• End date: July 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Hilton Thadeu Zarate do Couto
• Grantee: Hilton Thadeu Zarate do Couto
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri ; Demóstenes Ferreira da Silva Filho ; João Luís Ferreira Batista

Abstract

The last decades were marked by growing concern in the world as the environmental issue, especially regarding climate change. It is known that changes in land use have been cited as a major emitters of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere in tropical countries. In the state of Sao Paulo, who suffers dramatic changes in land use since 1850, it is necessary to evaluate and compare the different ecosystems present in the context of carbon sequestration and to develop sampling techniques that can be used as a reference for similar studies.The objective of this study is to determine protocols and sampling methodology for determining the optimal size of plots in three types of land use prevailing in the state of Sao Paulo, cane sugar, pasture and reforestation. These methodologies will be applied using as variables the total biomass and carbon. Studies such as this will serveas baselines for future projects aimed at quantifying and monitoring of greenhouse gases from the changes of land use between the types of coverage provided. (AU)