An official website of the United States government
Here’s how you know
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
deciduous forests; ecosystems; forest litter; forest trees; grasses; mortality; pastures; planting; plowing; seedlings; sowing; species diversity; stems; tractors; Brazil
Abstract:
... The goal of restoration is to accelerate ecosystem recovery, but in ecosystems that naturally regenerate rapidly restoration techniques need to be selected carefully to facilitate rather than impede natural recovery. We compared the effects of five restoration techniques, such as plowing the soil, removing grasses, adding forest litter, seeding, and planting nursery‐growing seedlings, on the regen ...
land use; natural regeneration; rain forests; seedlings; seeds; sexual reproduction; soil fertility; sprouting; stems; trees; Brazil
Abstract:
... The relative importance of sexual reproduction (seed) and sprouting as sources for regeneration in Brazilian Atlantic Forest was evaluated in three different successional forest stages: young forest, immature forest, and late-successional forest. Young plants (10-100 cm tall) of tree species were classified into the following categories: (1) seedlings that are nonsprouting--plants that originated ...
... The objective of this work was to select indigenous vegetal species for restoration programs aiming at the regeneration of ombrophilous dense forest. Thirty-five spoil piles located in the county of Sideropolis, Santa Catarina, that received overburden disposal for 39 years (1950-1989) were selected for study because they exhibited remarkable spontaneous regrowth of trees compared to surrounding s ...
canopy; sprouting; reforestation; models; species diversity; planting; indigenous species; habitat fragmentation; Araucaria angustifolia; understory; Brazil
Abstract:
... In the current context of intense forest fragmentation and consequent loss of biodiversity, commercial reforestations have gained special attention in conservation biology because the colonization of the understory in these wooded areas may result in a considerable number of species. A record was made of the regenerating species in the understory of reforestations with Araucaria angustifolia at pl ...
... We investigated the response of ant species to landscape and geomorphologic parameters of a long-term (7-11 years) restoration project in the Jequitinhonha River (Northern State of Minas Gerais, Brazil) margins, previously dredged by a diamond mining company. Geomorphological changes from the dredging were severe and the area is unlikely to be adequately restored, mainly due to the negative effect ...
business enterprises; deforestation; ecosystems; environmental policy; forest restoration; forestry law; forests; models; private lands; Brazil
Abstract:
... Over the past 150 years, Brazil has played a pioneering role in developing environmental policies and pursuing forest conservation and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. In particular, the Brazilian Forest Act, first drafted in 1934, has been fundamental in reducing deforestation and engaging private land owners in forest restoration initiatives. At the time of writing (December 2010), ...
correlation; plantations; community structure; overstory; stems; natural regeneration; species diversity; planting; ecological restoration; indigenous species; stand basal area; understory; forests; Brazil
Abstract:
... Plantations of native-tree species are often recommended for ecological restoration, but the understanding of how these techniques catalyze natural ecological processes is limited. We investigated natural regeneration in five plantations of native trees in the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve (PABR) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The plantations were 9-11 years old, and contained 8-14 na ...
... In this study, seedling growth and herbivory were monitored during the first 4 years of plot development in a large-scale reforestation experiment in Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest (Mata Atlântica). Seedlings were planted in a factorial design testing two levels of density, three levels of diversity, and the presence or absence of pioneer species at the Reserva Natural Vale in the Brazilian state of ...
James Aronson; Pedro H. S. Brancalion; Giselda Durigan; Ricardo R. Rodrigues; Vera L. Engel; Marcelo Tabarelli; José M. D. Torezan; Sergius Gandolfi; Antônio C. G. de Melo; Paulo Y. Kageyama; Márcia C. M. Marques; André G. Nave; Sebastião V. Martins; Flávio B. Gandara; Ademir Reis; Luiz M. Barbosa; Fabio R. Scarano
cans; ecologists; ecosystems; forest restoration; indigenous species; laws and regulations; reforestation; sodium monochloroacetate; threatened species; tropical forests; Brazil
Abstract:
... Around the world, there is growing desire and momentum for ecological restoration to happen faster, with better quality, and in more extensive areas. The question we ask is how can laws and governmental regulations best contribute to effective, successful, and broad‐scale restoration? In the state of São Paulo, Brazil, there is a legal instrument (SMA 08‐2008) whose aim is to increase the effectiv ...
... High‐diversity reforestation can help jumpstart tropical forest restoration, but obtaining viable seedlings is a major constraint: if nurseries do not offer them, it is hard to plant all the species one would like. From 2007 to 2009, we investigated five different seed acquisition strategies employed by a well‐established tree nursery in southeastern Brazil, namely (1) in‐house seed harvesters; (2 ...
Pinus taeda; adults; canopy; ecological restoration; harvesting; income; indigenous species; juveniles; plantations; saplings; secondary forests; seedlings; soil chemical properties; soil fertility; species diversity; understory; woody plants; Brazil
Abstract:
... The understory of exotic tree plantations can have non‐negligible native species richness. Ecological restoration of these sites may include the harvest of trees, depending on the tradeoff between timber income and harvest impacts on biodiversity. This study aimed to investigate how a site can recover from harvest disturbance, by comparing the regeneration of woody species in the understory of two ...
... It is essential to understand how ecological restoration (ER) improves human well‐being in order to justify more investments and upscaling in this emergent field of action. As part of a 22‐year‐old, 80 ha ER project being carried out around a water reservoir that supplies drinking water to the city of Iracemápolis (population 19,700), in the mega‐diversity Atlantic Forest biome of Brazil, we asses ...
animals; butterflies; ecosystem services; fauna; grasslands; habitats; landscapes; species diversity; tropical forests; Brazil
Abstract:
... Currently, a large‐scale restoration project aims to restore around 15 million hectares of Atlantic Forest in Brazil. This will increase forest cover and connectivity among remnant sites as well as restore environmental services. Currently, studies on recovery of fauna in restored areas of the Atlantic Forest are practically nonexistent. To address this knowledge vacuum, our study compares diversi ...
certification; ecological restoration; ecosystems; experimental design; motivation; Brazil
Abstract:
... Restoration practitioners adopt a multiplicity of approaches that range from basic trial and error, and site‐specific efforts, to complex experimental designs that test cutting edge theoretical hypotheses. We classify these different strategies to understand how restoration is planned and executed, and to contribute to the discussion on certification and evaluation. We use Aldo Leopold's notion of ...
... Direct seeding is a promising technique for ecological restoration, but it has been poorly studied in neotropical savannas. Different types of plant cover (no cover, crops, or green manure) and fertilization (unfertilized, synthetic fertilizer, or poultry litter) were used to verify if survival and growth of different tree species after direct seeding could be enhanced by the use of any combinatio ...
Gustavo Zuleta; Adriana E. Rovere; Daniel Pérez; Paula I. Campanello; Bárbara Guida Johnson; Celina Escartín; Antonio Dalmasso; Daniel Renison; Nicolás Ciano; James Aronson
... The development of the science and practice of restoration ecology in Argentina can be divided into three periods. The first was 1992–2004, characterized by isolated restoration efforts, mostly in arid and dry ecosystems, and engaging specific people in the academic, agro‐technological, and private sectors as partially required by national regulations, but also inspired by the 1992 Earth Summit, t ...
... Degradation of ecosystems is ongoing in Latin America but there is also a strong upswing in conservation and restoration efforts. SIACRE – the Ibero‐American and Caribbean Society for Ecological Restoration – is playing a key role in coordinating and promoting this trend at international, national, and subnational levels. In October 2014, SIACRE members organized the first national seminar on ecol ...
Diplura; Protura; Symphyla; arthropod communities; ecosystems; forest succession; prediction; reforestation; soil; soil arthropods; soil ecology; species diversity; tropical forests; Brazil
Abstract:
... The recovery of soil ecological processes during the restoration of tropical forests is greatly influenced by arthropods that live in the litter and soil. However, these communities present complex dynamics, and their colonization patterns are not well understood. In this study, we examined the response patterns of litter and soil arthropods to the ecosystem regeneration process by assessing refor ...
biodiversity; cost effectiveness; ecological restoration; environmental degradation; environmental policy; indigenous species; planning; professionals; public policy; scientists; stakeholders; vegetation cover; Brazil
Abstract:
... Despite growing worldwide commitment to large‐scale ecosystem restoration, national public policies on restoration are few, and those that exist tend to be vague. Brazil and especially São Paulo state stand out. In a pioneering attempt to improve restoration projects and their outcomes, the Secretariat for the Environment of the State of São Paulo has enacted a legal instrument to drive planning a ...
... Topsoil translocation has been used for vegetation restoration throughout the world, but it has been poorly tested within savannas. This study describes Brazilian savanna (cerrado) regeneration for the first 3 years following topsoil translocation. The topsoil was stripped from 2.5 ha of savanna and spread on 1 ha of an abandoned laterite quarry in the Federal District, Brazil. We assessed vegetat ...
birds; ecological function; ecological restoration; ecosystems; frugivores; habitats; humans; nestedness; planting; rain forests; seed dispersal; species diversity; tropical forests; Brazil
Abstract:
... Human activities have led to the loss of habitats and biodiversity in the Atlantic Rain Forest in Brazil. Ecological restoration aims to rebuild this biome and should include not only the reinstatement of species but also the reestablishment of complex ecological interactions and the ecological functions that they provide. One such function is seed dispersal, which is provided by the interactions ...
Maria Isabel F. Bertacchi; Nino T. Amazonas; Pedro H. S. Brancalion; Gilvano E. Brondani; Anderson C. S. Oliveira; Marcelino A. R. Pascoa; Ricardo R. Rodrigues
... Little is known about the potential of restoration plantations to provide appropriate understory conditions to support the establishment of seeds arriving from neighboring native forests. In this article, we investigated how seedling establishment is affected in the understory of restoration sites of different ages and assessed some of the potential environmental factors controlling this ecologica ...
... Coastal sand dunes support various ecosystem services, including storm protection and tourism. Restoration programs are often critical to preserve this ecosystem due to its fragility and high degree of degradation. Dune restoration still suffers from a general lack of knowledge of the ecological processes controlling tropical dune communities. We investigated if facilitation can increase restorati ...
ecosystem services; ecosystems; land use change; microbial biomass; plantations; rain forests; reforestation; riparian forests; soil; soil microorganisms; soil sampling; sugarcane; Brazil
Abstract:
... Intensive land use of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest accelerated with the rise of sugar cane plantations in the northeastern part of Brazil. Consequently, many ecosystems were destroyed, including riparian forests. The number of studies of riparian restoration has increased but comparative studies on the belowground effects of common reforestation strategies are rare. Here, we compared soil microbi ...
Ana P. Moreira da Silva; Daniella Schweizer; Henrique Rodrigues Marques; Ana M. Cordeiro Teixeira; Thaiane V. M. Nascente dos Santos; Regina H. R. Sambuichi; Carolina G. Badari; Ulysse Gaudare; Pedro H. S. Brancalion
... Recent global commitments have placed forest and landscape restoration at the forefront of countries' efforts to recover ecosystem services, conserve biodiversity, and mitigate the effects of climate change. However, it needs to be asked if current native tree seedling supply meets an increase in demand for forest restoration? This study assessed the current configuration, distribution, and produc ...
Internet; ecological restoration; public policy; Brazil; Indiana; Latin America
Abstract:
... As ecological restoration is gaining importance worldwide, researchers, practitioners, and interested people are beginning to self‐organize, in order to exchange knowledge and experiences in this growing area. Latin America has recently shown some examples, and the Brazilian Network for Ecological Restoration (REBRE) is one of them. Working on a nonhierarchical basis, its members, some of whom are ...
... Rehabilitation of degraded areas by mining activities is necessary to achieve sustainable mining. For an effective revegetation, the understanding of plant growth and the nutrient requirements of native plant species, especially those with the potential to be used in the rehabilitation of mined areas such as waste piles or mine pits, is indispensable. In this study, we evaluated the growth perform ...
Jerônimo B. B. Sansevero; Jorge M. Alonso; Micael C. Booth; Mateus M. Bueno; Lucas S. Carvalho; Nicoló Clemente; Meri Diana S. Foesch; Felipe A. Mateus; Ricardo Valcarcel
... Several ambitious restoration targets have been set for recovering degraded ecosystems in Brazil (21 million hectares with a legal deficit of native vegetation). The development of scientific knowledge and skilled professionals is necessary to meet this demand and is fundamental for achieving success in medium‐ and long‐term restoration. In this study, we describe the availability and profile of p ...
cerrado; dry season; ecosystems; forest restoration; germination; grasses; grasslands; ground vegetation; hay; herbaceous plants; land use change; savannas; topsoil; wet season; Brazil
Abstract:
... Tropical grassy biomes have been widely neglected for conservation and, after unplanned land use conversion, ecological restoration becomes urgent. The majority of interventions have been based on the misapplication of forest restoration techniques, because there are no validated techniques to restore the species‐rich ground layer. In search for innovative techniques to restore the herbaceous laye ...
autumn; biomass; botanical composition; canopy; ecological function; ecosystems; field experimentation; grasses; grasslands; grazing management; livestock; overgrazing; photosynthetically active radiation; primary productivity; spring; sward; Brazil
Abstract:
... Moderate grazing intensity is considered the basic requirement to enhance ecosystem function in grasslands. Yet, deterioration by overgrazing is common in many biomes, including Campos grasslands in South America. Understanding how grazing management can lead to recovery of ecosystem function is essential to design and implement effective strategies for sustainable use of this resource. In a long‐ ...
carbon nitrogen ratio; detritivores; ecosystems; functional diversity; natural regeneration; soil; species richness; trees; tropical forests; vegetation structure; Brazil
Abstract:
... Restoration projects may have broad and complex ecological goals that require distinct and integrative measures for evaluating restoration development and success. However, most studies usually evaluate structural and species composition parameters, with less emphasis on ecological processes and functioning. The main objective of this study is to use an integrated approach that considers structura ...
business enterprises; collectors; decision making; ecological restoration; experts; indigenous species; issues and policy; plants (botany); quality control; seed markets; seed quality; seeds; stakeholders; technology; Brazil
Abstract:
... Large‐scale ecological restoration programs across the world involve a voluminous demand for native seeds of diverse native plant species. In this article, we explore how institutional systems have operated and impacted native seed supply in Brazil. Native seed supply for restoration is essentially a community‐based activity which faces broad barriers to operating within regulations because of req ...
... Ecological restoration is becoming mainstreamed worldwide but target ecosystems' responses to restorative interventions are not sufficiently monitored, in terms of the wide range of ecological, social, and economic attributes available. In order to highlight and better understand this problem, we conducted a literature review of the ecological, social, and economic attributes cited in the scientif ...
cerrado; direct seeding; ecological invasion; ecosystems; grasslands; ground vegetation; herbaceous plants; land use change; seed germination; species reintroduction; species richness; topsoil; vegetation cover; Brazil
Abstract:
... Neotropical grasslands have undergone intensive degradation by land conversion or biological invasion, but their restoration is still challenging. Here, we integrated two approaches to (1) assess the resilience of pristine dry and wet cerrado grasslands after removal of plants and topsoil and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of different treatments based on the material extracted from pristine grass ...
botanical composition; cerrado; disturbed soils; fire frequency; forbs; forests; funding; grasses; grassland restoration; grasslands; humans; land use; planting; savannas; soil quality; trees; woody plants; Brazil
Abstract:
... Defining the reference system for restoration projects in regions characterized by complex vegetation mosaics is challenging. Here we use the Cerrado region of Brazil as an example of the importance of clearly defining multiple natural and anthropogenically altered states in grassland‐savanna‐forest mosaics. We define three main, natural vegetation types–grassland, savanna, and scleromorphic (cerr ...
... Brazil has committed to fulfilling international restoration goals and to enforcing environmental legislation that will require private landowners to undertake ecological restoration of 21 million hectares of degraded and deforested landscapes. To support a broad range of restoration practices, a well‐established supply chain capable of representing regional plant diversity is essential. This stud ...
Carolina Giudice Badari; Luis Eduardo Bernardini; Danilo R. A. de Almeida; Pedro H. S. Brancalion; Ricardo G. César; Victoria Gutierrez; Robin L. Chazdon; Haroldo B. Gomes; Ricardo A. G. Viani
aboveground biomass; agroforestry; canopy; cost effectiveness; forest restoration; landscape restoration; landscapes; natural regeneration; reforestation; species richness; Brazil
Abstract:
... Large‐scale forest restoration relies on approaches that are cost‐effective and economically attractive to farmers, and in this context agroforestry systems may be a valuable option. Here, we compared ecological outcomes among (1) 12–15‐year‐old coffee agroforests established with several native shade trees, (2) 12–15‐year‐old high‐diversity restoration plantations, and (3) reference old‐growth fo ...
birds; case studies; ecological restoration; ecosystems; grasslands; public ownership; species richness; vegetation structure; Brazil
Abstract:
... Grasslands in southeastern South America have been extensively converted to various land uses such as agriculture, threatening regional biodiversity. Active restoration has been viewed as a management alternative for recovery of degraded areas worldwide, although most studies are conducted in forests and none has evaluated the effect of active restoration of grasslands in southeastern South Americ ...
... Coastal degradation has spurred active restoration of mangrove ecosystems, from local initiatives to global commitments to increase mangrove forest area by 20% over the next decade. Mangrove restoration projects typically have multiple objectives, including carbon storage, coastal resilience, and fisheries recovery. How planting seedlings, the most common form of active restoration, can promote re ...
deciduous forests; deforestation; direct seeding; early development; ecological restoration; field experimentation; green manures; hydrogels; seedling emergence; seedlings; trees; weeds; Brazil
Abstract:
... Although direct tree seeding may be a potentially useful restoration practice, many biotic and abiotic barriers prevent seedling emergence and early development, reducing its success and applicability. To overcome these barriers, we undertook a field experiment to test the effects of using green manure and hydrogel alone, or in combination, on seedling performances of 14 native tree species that w ...
... Invasion by exotic grasses is a severe threat to neotropical grasslands conservation and a major challenge for their restoration. To restore fire‐prone cerrado grasslands in southeastern Brazil, which have been massively invaded by the African grass Urochloa decumbens, we tested prescribed fire, herbicides, and hoeing, by themselves or in different combinations. Techniques were compared using ecol ...
Euterpe edulis; adults; agroforestry; biodiversity; community service; demography; ecological restoration; fruits; income; landscape restoration; profitability; stakeholders; wildlife; Brazil
Abstract:
... Recent global commitments to forest and landscape restoration in the tropics call for new management approaches that benefit both biodiversity and livelihoods of forest‐dependent people. The sustainable use of wild forest products is a promising pathway, but requires clarity about harvested species' demography and harvesters' rights. Here, we explored how the exploitation of fruits of the threaten ...
... Functional composition is an important driver of aboveground biomass (AGB) variation in the tropical forest and has been demonstrated through the mass ratio hypotheses (MRH) that explain how dominant species and their functional traits have an important role in the AGB increase. We hypothesized that AGB stock of tree species is promoted by the simultaneous effects of restoration treatments and Tec ...
canopy; cattle; forest restoration; forest succession; landscapes; pioneer species; planting; riparian forests; species richness; understory; Brazil
Abstract:
... Planting seedlings remains the most popular method of forest restoration, but passive restoration may become a new promise to reduce costs, despite concerns about its efficacy. Here, we present a study of a riparian forest recovery program in the Southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil. The objective was to compare planting seedlings and passive restoration eight years since restoration started and asses ...
... Ecological restoration has been increasingly considering biotic interactions. Different restoration strategies usually rely on different composition and abundance of plants with potential impact on the establishment of plant–pollinator interactions. We evaluated the restoration of plant–pollinator interaction networks in young restoration areas in the South Atlantic rainforest, Brazil. We assessed ...
... Ecological restoration interventions, in most cases, aim to restore habitat structure and plant community composition, thus re‐establishing ecosystem functioning as similar as possible to that of the pre‐existing natural ecosystem. However, given the difficulty of cultivating many species, that goal seems unattainable, unless “if you build it, they will come.” Here we addressed the Field of Dreams ...
... Plant phenology is rarely considered when selecting species used in restoration actions. However, considering the potential flowering and fruiting phenologies of species is a key point to: (1) evaluate the capacity of restoration actions in reestablishing ecological interactions (pollination and seed dispersal) and ecosystem functions (early germination and plant establishment to reduce soil erosi ...
... The UN “Decade on ecosystem restoration” demands urgent actions to bring back native ecosystems from degraded lands. Tree seedlings are widely available for restoration plantings. However, the lack of other life forms available in commercial nurseries constraints grassy biomes restoration. The use of fertilizers is widely common to grow tree seedlings in nurseries and the current technology could ...
biodiversity; ecological restoration; forests; herbaceous plants; pollination; Brazil
Abstract:
... The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is one of the most endangered biodiversity hotspots in the world and restinga ecosystems are exposed to intense degradation. The restoration of these ecosystems is challenging as there is a lack of understanding, among other aspects, of how plants interact with pollinators. Ecological networks are useful for assessing restoration outcomes as they provide data on the r ...
Alan Henrique Marques de Abreu; Jorge Makhlouta Alonso; Elton Luis da Silva Abel; Pedro Lima Filho; Paulo Henrique Pereira Reis; Paulo Sérgio dos Santos Leles
... Brazil has one of the largest prison populations globally, with high occupancy and recidivism rates. The possibility of professional training and work while serving time can be decisive to avoid recidivism and promote the resocialization of former inmates. The Replanting Life Program (Programa Replantando Vida–PRV) employs, trains, and remunerates inmates to work in ecological restoration activiti ...