Modeling the spatial potential for restoration through voluntary incentivized commitments in the Atlantic Forest region of São Paulo State

• Grant number: 25/06076-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Guilherme Molin
• Grantee: Vinicius Moura Costa
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/11940-0 - Restoration of native vegetation in the Atlantic Forest through the strategic combination of mandatory measures and voluntary commitments - CCD-EMA, AP.CCD

Abstract

The increase in forest cover through the ecological restoration of terrestrial ecosystems has been the most promising strategy for achieving global goals aimed at mitigating climate change and restoring the various ecosystem services provided by forests. Forest restoration through incentivized voluntary commitments plays a decisive role in expanding and adapting the mosaic of forest remnants to the structure and functionality required to maintain natural systems and provide ecosystem services at levels desirable to society. Thus, the main objective of incentivized voluntary commitments is to complement existing native vegetation and areas to be restored in compliance with the requirements of the Native Vegetation Protection Law, in order to achieve an adequate quantity and spatial arrangement of native vegetation for the long-term maintenance of ecosystems, while considering the demands and potential provision of specific ecosystem services in each region. This project aims to explore spatially explicit models of landscape restoration potential using incentivized voluntary commitment mechanisms. (AU)