Technological innovation in forest restoration and quantification of costs and efficiency compared with traditional methods

• Grant number: 15/15844-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: February 01, 2016
• End date: April 30, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: André Gustavo Nave
• Grantee: André Gustavo Nave
• Associated researchers: Pedro Henrique Santin Brancalion ; Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues

Abstract

The development of technology in forest restoration is a long-term science that has been developed mainly for the biomes Amazon and Atlantic Forest in Brazil over the past 40 years. The reconstruction of a native forest and development of all associated ecological processes depends not only on human interference and mainly takes time to present consistent results. From these results researchers should improve the techniques to reduce time for compliance with the objectives and the costs associated with these techniques, aiming its large-scale application. In recent decades the methodologies for ecological restoration have changed enough in order to be more efficient and less costly for the restorer. However, until now, no systematic comparisons between the methodologies that are being used today and most innovative technologies like direct seeding of native species. There are only some cost estimates based on market values. There is also no clarity about the efficiency of the methodologies adopted in terms of restoration of ecological processes within the period that last the implantation and maintenance of the area, which is relatively short (2 or 3 years). This proposal aims to quantify and value all the planting and maintenance operation, and to evaluate and monitor the restoration of ecological processes of these forests in environments with high resilience and environments without resilience, by conducting an experiment with 12 treatments involving various methods of restoration. The results will show what methodologies have the best cost / benefit and how it can be used or recommended for different environmental situations in the landscape to be restored. These results will boost the productive chain of ecological restoration as a whole, from providing project development services by the proposing company, as increasing the coverage areas planted forest restoration due to proven more affordable and thus positively impacting the Brazilian ecosystems. (AU)