Paths for an ecological intensification of agriculture through restoration and agriculture certification

Author(s)

Francisco D\'Albertas Gomes de Carvalho

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Biociências (IBIOC/SB)
• Defense date: 2022-03-28

Examining board members

Jean Paul Walter Metzger; Pedro Henrique Santin Brancalion; Paula Carvalho Pereda; Carlos Alberto de Mattos Scaramuzza

• Advisor: Jean Paul Walter Metzger

Abstract

The expansion and intensification of agriculture are among the main threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services provision. Conservation and restoration of natural habitats within rural properties are important mitigation strategies. Complementary, alternative agricultural management practices might also be adopted for more sustainable production, such as agricultural certification schemes. In that context, this dissertation aims to contribute to the understanding of more sustainable agricultural paths using: adequate planning of conservation and restoration actions within private properties, using the context of the environmental legislation requirements in Brazil; and by a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of certification schemes for conservation. In chapter 1, we tried to understand the main drivers associated with the allocation of native vegetation allocation inside rural properties within a traditional coffee production area in southern Brazil. The legislation demands landowners 20-80% of their property set aside for vegetation, which are denominated Legal Reserves. In cases where there is not enough vegetation, they must restore it or compensate an equivalent area outside the property. Besides, sensitive areas such as mountain tops and riparian areas are denominated areas of permanent protection (APP) and must be restored and conserved. Its the landowner\'s responsibility to define the location and the spatial arrangement of the Legal Reserves, affecting their capacity to maintain biodiversity and provide ecosystem services. Using data from over 3,600 properties, we found that decisions concerning Legal Reserve allocation are taken to maximize property income and reduce restoration costs. This pattern is similar to public protected areas, which are disproportionately located in areas of low economic interest. Those areas do not necessarily have the higher potential for biodiversity conservation and provision of ecosystem services, suggesting that specific governance interventions might be necessary to maximize Legal Reserve allocation benefits. In this regard, in chapter 2, to provide information supporting better decision-making by landowners, we performed a detailed analysis on agricultural restoration costs and also derived benefits, such as a yield increase mediated by ecosystem services provision (e.g. pollination, pest control, climate regulation). Focusing on a global restoration hotspot, the Atlantic Forest, we have developed a set of future restoration scenarios for coffee farms to understand in which situations the costs could be balanced by productivity gains and by generating carbon credits. Our results suggest that the costs might be offset when farms already have 10% forest cover and restoration targets are below 25% forest cover. Besides, current CO2 prices are insufficient in offsetting net costs for higher restoration targets. The identification of balanced financial conditions that create landscapes suitable for biodiversity conservation, climate mitigation, and agricultural production, has broader implications and is strategic to scale up restoration. Finally, in chapter 3, we investigated whether agricultural certification had quantifiable effects for conservation, assuming that certification schemes might act as an additional tool in parallel with the legislation. Despite the expanding areas under certification, establishing a direct relationship between the certification and environmental benefits are still an open question. We have used the database from one of the main coffee certifiers in Brazil and performed a robust analysis about certification impacts on reducing deforestation, increasing vegetation regeneration, and compliance with the environmental law regarding Legal Reserves and APPs. We did not find a direct effect on deforestation and regeneration, nor the allocation of Legal Reserves within properties. However, certified properties are recovering more of their APP, which suggests a synergy between non-governmental tools and law enforcement. Disproportional benefits could be achieved in places with weaker governance, such as agricultural frontiers and low-income countries. Besides, there is still space to expand the benefits even in consolidated areas, using the certification as a facilitating tool for the adopting of the legislation, for example, incentivizing the allocation of Legal Reserves within property instead of compensating it. The results contribute to the still limited number of studies focusing on certification effectiveness for conservation. In conclusion, this dissertation contributes to a better understanding of the adoption of the environmental legislation by landowners, the costs and benefits involved, and also on the effectiveness of alternatives to command-and-control tools to promote agricultural sustainability, such as certification schemes. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/22881-2 - Paths to ecological intensification trough restoration and agricultural certification
• Grantee: Francisco d'Albertas Gomes de Carvalho
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate