Strategic landscape planning for decisions on conservation of tropical forests

• Grant number: 25/17295-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• End date: January 31, 2029
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Siqueira Gay
• Grantee: Beatriz Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Carneiro
• Host Institution: Escola Politécnica (EP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/15143-6 - Proposals for cumulative impact assessment in the Xingu: recommendations for project planning and permitting, AP.PP

Abstract

The compatibility between multiple land uses, ecosystem conservation, and the protection of cultural values is increasingly central in planning and strategic decision-making of landscapes, particularly when considering opportunities to avoid and minimize the impacts of proposals of new economic activities. The development of various projects, in turn, drives extensive land-use and land-cover changes across the landscape, making it very challenging to account for these impacts in strategic decisions aimed at protecting both biodiversity and cultural values.This research will focus on the surroundings of the Xingu River Basin, a highly sensitive and important conservation region due to its significant mosaic of indigenous lands and protected areas in the Brazilian Amazon. Over the past decades, numerous projects have been implemented in the region, while many new proposals for large-scale developments continue to emerge.The goal of this research is to develop a participatory model using geographic data to identify and discuss strategic areas of the landscape to be conserved, thereby helping avoid and minimize the cumulative impacts of land-use and land-cover changes driven by infrastructure projects. As an outcome, the study intends to inform planning processes by highlighting areas that should be preserved in the landscape, as well as to provide recommendations for both new and ongoing projects regarding strategic areas where cumulative impacts should be avoided or mitigated in tropical regions.A technical note will be prepared jointly with the partner institution for the project - Instituto Socioambiental, as well as other collaborating institutions including the Ministry of Transport, Funai, Ibama, and the Xingu+ Network. In addition, at least one scientific paper is expected to be published, alongside collaboration with other research initiatives under the broader project. (AU)