Autossustentabilidade em projeto de restauração florestal

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate self-sustainability in a restoration ecosystem. The area was kept degraded for three decades and later silvicultural restoration practices were implemented, since they were implanted 25 years ago, at a time when there was no basis for restoration ecology in Brazil. Nevertheless, this analysis sought to verify the resumption of structural and functional ecological processes in the 25 years that have elapsed, even if the practices have been silvicultural. It was verified attributes that could infer if the ecosystem in restoration could be considered self-organized and functional, based on the ecology of the restoration, for that was taken as reference an adjacent ecosystem, with no history of degradation, that presents well the local characteristics of the region , prior to degradation. The evaluated areas are located around the Camargos Hydroelectric Power Plant, and are part of the Mata Ciliar Project (UFLA / CEMIG), for restoration of areas affected by the construction of the dam, in the 1990s. Today, the areas have 25 restoration, but the data collected in this work are twenty years. This work was divided into three chapters. In the first chapter, an analysis of the literature on the evolution of science of restoring degraded forest ecosystems was carried out. Next, a characterization of the study areas was added, which are similar for subsequent chapters. In the second chapter, an evaluation of the restoration of biomass allocation and carbon stock in the restoration ecosystem was carried out, based on the allocation in the reference ecosystem. It was verified that the established vegetation accumulated biomass and carbon in quantity similar to the reference ecosystem. However, the soil carbon accumulated in the restoration area was equivalent to 77.8% of the reference soil carbon accumulated, evidencing a slower restoration process. In the third chapter, a methodology of analysis and monitoring of ecological restoration proposed by International Society for Ecological Restoration (SER International) was applied. Were selected 24 estimators for a self-sustaining ecosystem, in which a score was assigned on a scale of 1 to 5, comparing the values found in the reference ecosystem. The analysis showed that 75% of the estimators scored five, showing an evolution to a self-organized and functional state. The analysis also allowed to infer on the verifiers that have a slower trajectory of restoration, as well as those that will not get maximum score, depending on the conditions of the area. For this purpose, measures are indicated that can minimize fragility. The method employed allowed to infer about the progress of the restoration in the area and should be used periodically, in order to reveal the evolution of the trajectory of estimators.