Soil carbon isotope ratios in forest-grassland toposequences to identify vegetation changes in southern Brazilian grasslands

Afforestation of degraded grasslands reduces sediment transport and may contribute to streamflow regulation in small catchments in the short-run

“…Forest plantations impact the environment (Andriollo et al, 2017;Reichert et al, 2017;Cavalli et al, 2020); for instance, eucalyptus have high water consumption than grasslands and consequently decrease the soil moisture, streamflow and groundwater, with more significant effect in regions with low rainfall (Jackson et al, 2005). The effect of forest plantations on water resources is usually significant in small watersheds, but not in large ones (Van Dijk, 2007).…”

“…This expansion is a response to the increased demand for forest-based raw-materials, low prices of land in this region, and currently encouraged by carbon offset projects. This change in land use and management of natural resources consequently raised concerns on environmental sustainability associated with the introduction of exotic, fast-growing forest species (Andriollo et al, 2017;Mateus and Padilha, 2017;Reichert et al, 2017), requiring conservation methods to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation (Ebling et al, 2020;Valente et al, 2020), runoff (Ferreto et al, 2020), soil compaction (Holthusen et al, 2018;França et al, 2021), and water consumption (Ferreto et al, 2021). Similar concerns had been raised in Uruguay, where the conversion of native grasslands into croplands and exotic forest plantations (Eucalyptus and Pinus) has fast-tracked during the last two decades (Brazeiro et al, 2020).…”

Experimental catchments in the Pampa biome: Database on hydrology in grasslands and eucalyptus plantations in subtropical Brazil

“…This biome consists of large extents of natural grassland, with continuous, extensive overgrazing by beef cattle and sheep. Over the last few decades, other uses, including eucalyptus forestry, have changed the traditional land-use system, raising concerns regarding the environmental sustainability associated with the introduction of exotic, fastgrowing forest species (Andriollo et al, 2017;Reichert et al, 2017Reichert et al, , 2021. Although eucalyptus may improve soil quality of degraded sandy soils (Reichert et al, 2016), large plantations potentially increase evapotranspiration and decrease streamflow (Ferreto et al, 2021a;Reichert et al, 2017), along with potential effects on ecology such as a reduction in biodiversity of birds in adult forests (Jacoboski & Hartz, 2020), and changes in local agricultural production, social, and economic dynamics (Matte & Waquil, 2020).…”

Quantification of sediment source contributions in two paired catchments of the Brazilian Pampa using conventional and alternative fingerprinting approaches

“…Then, in 2004, additional plantations were installed in the Pampa biome in areas that were previously devoid of significant forest activity. This expansion is a response to the increased demand for forest‐based raw products, although it raised numerous concerns associated with the potential problems occurring when introducing exotic and fast‐growing tree species in this region of natural grassland (Andriollo, Redin, Reichert, & Silva, 2017; Mateus & Padilha, 2017; Reichert et al, 2017). Since then, the increase in eucalyptus plantations in this region has raised many questions regarding the possible impacts of this activity on the degradation of water and soil resources, as there is limited information on their environmental impact in South America (Bormann et al, 2016; Portela et al, 2015).…”

“…Then, in 2004, additional plantations were installed in the Pampa biome in areas that were previously devoid of significant forest activity. This expansion is a response to the increased demand for forest-based raw products, although it raised numerous concerns associated with the potential problems occurring when introducing exotic and fast-growing tree species in this region of natural grassland (Andriollo, Redin, Reichert, & Silva, 2017;Mateus & Padilha, 2017;Reichert et al, 2017).…”