The monetary potential of forest restoration

• Grant number: 23/00412-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: June 01, 2023
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Technology and Use of Forest Products
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
• Grantee: Pedro Medrado Krainovic
• Supervisor: Sergio de Miguel Magaña
• Host Institution: Instituto de Estudos Avançados (IEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Centro de Ciencia y Tecnología Forestal de Cataluña (CTFC), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/07712-5 - Operationalizing policies for forest landscape restoration and forest-based economy, BP.PD

Abstract

Restoring forests mitigates human impacts on climate change and biodiversity loss while providing other ecosystem services. However, this activity is still seen as an uncompetitive land use due to the high costs associated and low direct financial return. This leads to urgency in developing models that boost forest restoration opportunities to make it an attractive activity. There is, however, an invisibility to the potential economic benefits of forest restoration. The Biota Synthesis project (FAPESP #2020/06694-80) aims to develop knowledge regarding the forest-based economy in forest restoration, a pressing issue for the federal government and other organizations worldwide. Research must focus on the value chain of timber, non-timber forest products, and carbon, wisely managed to keep forests standing up. Such products have a great potential to maximize the multiple benefits of ecological restoration. Still, the forestry of tropical native species, integrating a variety of species with the production of sustainable products, requires a significant improvement in technical-scientific knowledge. Given this, our main goal is building economic perspectives of forest restoration as a source of forest products in the São Paulo Atlantic Forest. We will present the spatial configuration of the potential forest restoration models (arrangement of several species) and their economic benefits beyond their ecological importance. To perform this, we will economically evaluate the potential production of tree species present in forest restoration in providing timber and non-timber forest products and the costs associated with forest restoration methods and carbon storage. Data will be synthesized from several FAPESP projects, the database from the "Refloresta" program of the São Paulo government, literature, and studies case to elucidate where and how (arrangements and products) to invest. Our results will bridge science and practice, thus supporting decision-making to maximize multiple benefits of the São Paulo State environmental policies like the Climate Action Plan and the ReflorestaSP programs. (AU)