Project Amazonia: Solutions - Infrastructure Development
Assumptions:
1. Infrastructure improvements are destructive to the rainforest since they result in deforestation and a decrease in biodiversity.
2. Some types of infrastructure are more harmful than others.
3. Some people in small industry may not possess the financial means to use or create other types of infrastructure.
Methods:
1. Field Study using monitoring techniques outlined in the proposal to assess deforestation and loss of biodiversity in areas containing different types of infrastructure, especially those newly built as a result of Avanca Brasil.
a. We will establish baselines for biomass and biodiversity of a healthy forest using the methods outlined by Nascimento1, Brown and Lugo2 and da Silva3 and Fujisaka4, respectively. We will also use litter fall measurements of nutrients and epiphytes.
b. Using the same type of measurements we will measure the biomass and biodiversity of forest that has been affected by unpaved roads, paved highways, railroads, airports, and river ports/water ways.
2. Research on the uses and users of infrastructure involving the following:
a. Setting up outposts distributed on the basis of independent biotic factors (such as rainfall) and proximity to developed areas on major highways and unpaved roads, railroads, and other types of infrastructure.
b. Compiling data on who uses the roads, how often, how far, and other pertinent statistics.
Results:
1. Compare the adverse effects of different types of infrastructure to make recommendations for future improvements. For example, assuming that railroads are less destructive than roads, if roads are being used most frequently by commercial industry, then developing railroads would be better than using roads because roads invite further development. If railroads provide functions that can be provided by airports, then airports should be built because they have much less impact on the rain forest. Building an airport involves a small patch of area out of the rainforest in comparison to vast tracks of land required for a railroad network.
2. Assess the needs of businesses to check which solutions are sensible. For example, if small industry is mostly using small roads, there is no sense in building railroads.
3. Evaluate whether further improvements are necessary by taking into account who uses the different types of infrastructure. Based on what types of infrastructure different groups (big/small industry) use, we can determine whether building specific kinds of infrastructure according to our earlier recommendations can be feasible.
4. Put the burden of improving infrastructure and repairing/regrowing forest, which was damaged as a result of infrastructure, on industry that uses the infrastructure in order to discourage unnecessary expansion/development of infrastructure.
5. Using the representative data from the outposts, we can model the use of different types of infrastructure built under Avanca Brasil onto the different types of infrastructure on this map8 and current infrastructure on other appropriate maps.
The following constitutes the plan for evaluation of fragmentation and reforestation:
Selection of study and reforestation sites:
Determine density, and health of rainforest using SIVAM products over large areas. Based on the physical signs of deforestation and fragmentation that are remotely quantifiable from imaging and background data, we will select 20 key 1000 ha plots in which to set up outposts for further groundwork. These plots will be separated into four groups of five, where each group will include one of the following themes:
a. Main types of forests
b. Proximity to cities
c. Effect of agriculture on rain forest health
d. Varying levels of canopy and undergrowth density levels
Groundwork:
1.) Above ground biomass estimations to determine the level of deforestation, decrease in density and diversity, diameter growth, crown traits, and spatial diversity (perhaps including carbon measurements) using aforementioned methods.
2.) Litter fall measurements (as outlined in the monitoring: flora section of this website.)
a. Physical set up of the traps
b. Evaluation of the health of the plot based on nutrient measurements and chemical analysis
c. Database of number of species of epiphytes in baseline versus damaged/fragmented forest of the same type
3.) Physical distribution and characteristics of fragments as measured by GIS software and the methods prescribed by Ranta.5
a. Shape and size
b. Proximity to other fragments and closed forest
c. Type of surrounding matrix
d. Grouping and orientation
e. Major physical landmarks and features (i.e. cliffs)
4.) Pollen fall-out and pollen measurement traps.
5.) In heavily deforested areas, test the soil composition to determine viability.
Evaluation and Categorization of Data:
Suggested groups for characterization of fragmented forest based on satellite and groundwork data:
1. Levels of Biodiversity on a scale with increments at
0-10% of baseline biodiversity
10-25%
25-50%
50-75%
75-100%
2. Levels of Biomass on a scale with increments at
0-10 Mg/ha
10-150
150-300
300-400 (baseline)
400-500
500-700
3. Shape of fragment, as defined by ratio of core (non-edge) area/total area with edge width of 50m, 75m, 100m, 150m, 250m, and 350m. Then within each size of edge width, the fragments will be divided into 5 groups according to their ratio.
4. Size of fragment will be divided into five groups with heavily deforested area comprising the smallest and closed forest the largest.
5. Matrix type as defined by uninhabitable, intermediate and habitable (for dispersal of seeds and interaction between subpopulations of fauna.)
6. Proximity of fragments to each other, with five increments of distance.
7. Characterization of fragments with respect to other fragments, with categories for:
Isolated fragments
Fragments in small groups
Fragments in large groups
Stepping stone fragments (not mutually exclusive with other three).
8. Characterization of groups of fragments in relation to each other, with categories for:
Isolated groups
Clumped groups
Connecting groups
9. Pollen counts to determine the type of tropical vegetation. Hedge, regrowth scrub, and rainforest trees.
(All fragments will be characterized by these nine criteria)
Analysis and Implementation of Reforestation
1. Ignore the fragments that have a combination of the lowest biomass and lowest biodiversity, are the most isolated (not in groups), and are the smallest.
2. For fragments that are relatively close together and do not qualify with most of the above extremes but have uninhabitable matrices: the surrounding matrix will be improved with second-growth forest. We will determine the best type of species (the fastest growth and development) for growth under conditions determined by groundwork according to the methods set down by Chave and Leigh6.
3. For large fragments (closed forest) that have high levels of biomass and biodiversity, we will create reserves, banks of ecological wealth.
4. For large low density fragments specialized logging techniques, such as polycyclic and reduced impact, will be used to ensure proper management and sustainability.
5. Reforest according to certain parameters:
a. If fragments are round, add to them concentrically. Otherwise, reforest to make area round while adding concentrically.
b. Prioritize stepping stone fragments and groups of fragments.
c. Prioritize the larger fragments in terms of regrowth, connectivity, etc.
d. Prioritize the fragments and groups of fragments that are closer together, and reforest in such a way to take advantage of potentials for linkage (to create a new blanket of forest).
6. Types of species that will be grown will be based on relative levels of biomass and biodiversity.
a. Fragments in the first two groups (the lowest) of biomass and biodiversity will be regrown using pioneer species (also see pollen data recommendations below).
b. Fragments in the middle three groups will be regrown with species that increase sustainability of the fragment.
c. Fragments in the last group (the highest) will be those that we focus more closely on in terms of alternative logging strategies and reserves.
7. Types of species to regrow using pollen count data as well.
a. Rainforest tree for lack of pollen.
b. Regrowth scrub for low biomass areas.
8. Methods of Reforestation
a. For smaller and farther away fragments, we will mainly use the method of seed dispersal because it is cheaper.
b. For key fragments (stepping stone) and ones that are larger and closer together, we will use the method of rooting cuttings as described by Itoh7.
9. And finally, we will encourage that development of infrastructure (e.g. airstrips, railroads, industrial edifices) to be concentrated in areas that are already severely deforested according to our methodology and data.
Next: Indexation of Forest Health->
1: Nascimento, Henrique E.M. and Laurance, William F. “Total aboveground biomass in central Amazonian rainforests: a landscape-scale study.” Forest Ecology and Management. 2002. Volume 168, pgs. 311-321.
2: Brown, S. and Lugo A.E. “Biomass of tropical forests: a new estimate based on forest volumes.” Science. 1984. Volume 223, pgs. 1290-1293.
3: Da Silva, Roseana Pereira et al. “Diameter increment and growth patterns for individual tree growing in Central Amazon, Brazil.” Forest Ecology and Management. 2002. Volume 166, pgs. 295-301.
4: Fujisaka, Sam; Escobar, German and Veneklaas, Erik. “Plant community diversity relative to human land uses in an Amazon forest colony.” Biodiversity and Conservation. 1998. Volume 7, pgs. 41-57.
5: Ranta, Pertti et al. “The fragmented Atlantic rain forest of Brazil: size, shape and distribution of forest fragments.” Biodiversity and Conservation. 1998. Volume 7, pgs. 385-403.
6: Chave, Jerome and Leigh Jr., Egbert G. “A spatially explicit neutral model of β-Diversity in tropical forests.” Theoretical Population Biology. 2002. Volume 62, pgs. 153-168.
7: Itoh, A. et al. “Rooting ability of cuttings relates to phylogeny, habitat preference and growth characteristics of tropical rainforest trees.” Forest Ecology and Management. 2002. Volume 168, pgs. 275-287.
8: www.infraestruturabrasil.gov.br/english/nacional/ab_map_trans.asp
