Agroforestry systems as a conservation and production model to support forest restoration initiatives

Author(s)

Vitoria Duarte Derisso

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2023-02-15

Examining board members

Edson José Vidal da Silva; Fernando Silveira Franco; Renata Evangelista de Oliveira

• Advisor: Edson José Vidal da Silva

Abstract

In view of drastic consequences of replacing natural forests with other land uses, it is necessary to develop conservation strategies and restorative actions in human-modified tropical landscapes that use productive systems able to provide ecological and socioeconomic benefits, such as agroforestry systems (AFSs). In Brazil, AFSs are used to recompose the vegetation of the Legal Reserve (RL) and Permanent Preservation Areas (APP), and, in the state of São Paulo (SP), they must comply with Resolution nº SMA 189/2018 and the monitoring protocol established by CFB nº 07. It is known that the practices of management in AFSs is crucial to reconcile these ecological and socioeconomic benefits, but the current knowledge is still limited and controversial. Furthermore, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of SMA 189/2018 and the monitoring protocol. Thus, the overall aims of this dissertation were (i) to evaluate the effect of management intensity on coffee production and ecological indicators and (ii) analyze whether SAFs of different age classes from the Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) region reach the values reference of SAF monitoring indicators in APP and RL, according to SMA Resolution 189/2018. Areas of intermediate and old (5-7 years) and old (15-20 years) in the Pontal do Paranapanema (SP) and old-growth forests areas were evaluated. First, in 900 m2 plots, we collected canopy cover values (%), ecological indicators (biomass above ground, richness of tree species, density of tree and natural regenerating individuals) and, through interviews, obtained information on practices of AFS management and coffee production (kg.ha-1). We analyze the relationship between the management intensity with coffee production and the ecological indicators and the relationship between coffee production with ecological indicators, through multivariate correlations. Applying monitoring protocol, we evaluated the same areas of AFS through the selected indicators as resolution (native species wealth, density of tree and native regenerating individuals, pantry and soil coverage) and compared averages of the results found with the reference values. Our results showed that management intensity directly affected coffee production, but did not impact ecological indicators. Nor do we identify trade-off between coffee production and ecological indicators. We show that AFS play an important role in maintaining biodiversity and ecological benefits at Pontal do Paranapanema and their design could serve as an example for new projects aimed at using biodiversis and agroecological AFS to cover RL and APP. In general, we observe that the way to management agroforestry systems through practices such as pruning and cleaning of the floor should be considered both to ensure and/or improve coffee production and to meet the reference values of SMA resolution Annex V 189/2018. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 21/00815-0 - Agroforestry system as a model of conservation and production to assist forest restoration initiatives
• Grantee: Vitoria Duarte Derisso
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master