New approaches to support the decision-making process for stakeholders and policymakers involving forests, water, and biodiverstity

• Grant number: 24/14444-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Agreement: European Commission (Horizon 2020)
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Carlos Estraviz Rodriguez
• Grantee: Jomil Costa Abreu Sales
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/00833-9 - Decision support for the supply of ecosystem services under global change: Brazilian effort (DecisionES - BR), AP.TEM

Abstract

Pressures on forest ecosystems are likely to increase due to socioeconomic factors and demographic trends. A growing population will require more products to be extracted from forest ecosystems. Consumption and its interaction with the drivers of global change will affect the sustainability of a broader range of ecosystem services, such as protection against wildfires, water, and biodiversity. Safeguards are needed to address complications arising from natural disturbances and the consequences of climate change trends, such as wildfires and droughts. New decision-support models need to address these challenges. European and American experiences, with the development and application of decision-support systems for the provision of ecosystem services (ES), offer a solid foundation for the continuous improvement of the efficiency and effectiveness of forest management in the context of global change. This provides the rationale for this project, which will strengthen collaborative research through active personnel exchange networks between leading European and American organizations in these areas. The main outcomes will come from three work pillars: (A) future landscapes and ecosystem services under the management of different regimes and global change scenarios; (B) models and methods to integrate ecosystem planning and management with policy processes through computer-based tools; and (C) development of a communication platform to facilitate the use of new decision-support tools.