Sustainable land-use alternatives in tropical rainforests? Evidence from natural and social sciences
Authors/Creators
- 1. Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Centre, Brennhausgasse 14, D-09599 Freiberg, Germany
- 2. Embrapa Amazonas Ocidental, Rodovia AM 010 Km 29, Manaus, Brazil
- 3. Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745 Jena, Germany
- 4. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário, Trindade, Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, CEP: 88040-970
- 5. Universidade Federal de Pará, Rua Augusto Corrêa, 01, Guamá, Belém, PA, CEP 66075-110, Brazil
- 6. Instituto Nacional de Meteorología (INMET), Eixo Monumental Sul Via S1, Rua G, 4. avenida, Setor Sudoeste, Brasília, DF, CEP 70680-900, Brazil
- 7. University of Central Florida (UCF Coastal), 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, Florida, 32816
Description
The Amazon rainforest, formerly pristine and highly biodiverse, is increasingly under threat from deforestation for cattle grazing, other forms of agriculture, mining and development. To better understand which land management type best serves sustainability aims, we compare soil gas exchange (CO2, CH4, N2O) and soil chemistry for forested land with post-forest land at 13 locations and 29 sites within the state of Amazonas, Brazil. We find that forest soils show distinctively different signals and signatures compared to soils in post-forest land use cases. Crucial answers emerge regarding the limits of system resilience as well as sustainable alternatives to deforestation and current land-use practices. We carry out a socioeconomic evaluation and discuss the likely reasons for inaction and how to overcome them.
Files
EGJ52_Matschullat.pdf
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(4.2 MB)
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