Burning incidence and landscape flammability in Vale do Paraíba Paulista and its relations to natural regeneration of abandoned pastures

• Grant number: 25/08494-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Klécia Gili Massi
• Grantee: Michelle Estevez Costa
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICT). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/12060-0 - Burning incidence and landscape flammability in Vale do Paraíba Paulista and its relation to natural regeneration of abandoned pastures, AP.R

Abstract

Fire is considered a natural hazard in tropical forests. In the Atlantic Forest, fire has been used together with deforestation to open new agricultural areas till the present day. The biome ranks third in area and number of fire outbreaks among the other biomes. The biome already highly fragmented landscape is even more vulnerable to fires due to the small size of the remnants and edge effects. These fragments are surrounded in many stretches by pasture areas, a type of forest consisting of fine, easily ignitable fuel. In addition, the practice of fire has threatened the structure, species composition and function of new forest areas that regenerate over agricultural and pasture areas, creating a state resilient to fire, making it more susceptible to the incidence of forest fires and pressure on the remaining native vegetation. Thus, this research project aims to evaluate how fires in the landscape of the Paraíba Paulista Valley are related to the increase in biomass in areas of natural regeneration. The methodology consists of a series of steps that include mapping regeneration areas, field activities and the use of questionnaires. The results obtained in this work can be used to estimate areas undergoing natural regeneration and areas that are being lost within the Atlantic Forest Biome. The results can also support public policies to prevent forest fires and forest restoration, ensure investments in carbon sequestration projects and prevent deforestation, and indicate the most vulnerable municipalities in the territory.