The economic cost of the use of fire in the Amazon

Mendonca, Mario Jorge C. Cardosa de; Diaz, Maria del Carmen Vera; Nepstad, Daniel C.; Motta, Ronaldo Serôa da; Alencar, Ane; Gomes, João Carlos Costa; Ortiz, Ramón Arigoni

doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.11.011

Cited by 96 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The largest contribution to estimated deforestation for cropland from the trajectory corrections was a single year of pasture classification followed by 1-3 years of cropland classification. Use of deforested lands as pasture for a single year is unlikely, given the high cost of fencing material (49) Soybean Price Data. To estimate the influence of crop prices on deforestation, we adjusted the Fudaçao Getúlio Vargas Agroanalysis monthly price paid to soybean producers for inflation using a standard consumer price index (46), IBGE Extended National Consumer Price Index.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropland expansion changes deforestation dynamics in the southern Brazilian Amazon

Morton

DeFries

Shimabukuro

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

867

635

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agriculture ͉ carbon ͉ land use change ͉ soybean T he ''arc of deforestation'' along the southern and eastern extent of the Brazilian Amazon is the most active land-use frontier in the world in terms of total forest loss (1) and intensity of fire activity (2). Historically, the dominant pattern of forest conversion has begun with small-scale exploration for timber or subsistence agriculture, followed by consolidation into largescale cattle ranching operations or abandonment to secondary forest (3-5). Recent expansion of large-scale mechanized agriculture at the forest frontier has introduced a potential new pathway for forest loss, generating debate over the contribution of cropland expansion to current deforestation dynamics (5-9). In the nine states of the Brazilian Legal Amazon, mechanized agriculture increased by 36,000 km 2 , † † and deforestation totaled 93,700 km 2 ‡ ‡ during [2001][2002][2003][2004]. Recent gains in the area under cultivation and the productivity of locally adapted crop varieties have made Brazil a leading worldwide producer of grains such as soybeans; the agribusiness sector now accounts for more than one-third of Brazil's gross national product (10).The state of Mato Grosso alone accounted for 87% of the increase in cropland area and 40% of new deforestation during this period. Whether cropland expansion contributes directly to deforestation activity or occurs only through the intensified use of previously deforested areas has important consequences for ecosystem services (11), such as carbon storage, and future deforestation dynamics.Amazon deforestation is Brazil's largest source of CO 2 emissions (12, 13). Carbon fluxes from deforestation are a function of the area of forest loss (14-16) and related forest disturbances, such as fire (17, 18) and logging (17,19), variations in forest biomass across the basin (20), and land use or abandonment after forest clearing (3,21). Land use after forest clearing remains a major source of uncertainty in the calculation of deforestation carbon fluxes because methods to assess deforestation trends in Amazonia have not followed individual clearings over time (4,5,(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28). The relative contributions of smallholder agriculture and large-scale cattle ranching to annual forest loss have been inferred from the size of deforestation events (5, 28), but no direct measurements have been available. Rapid growth of large-scale agriculture in Amazonia challenges the historic relationship between land use and clearing size.We determine the fate of large deforestation events (Ͼ25 ha) during [2001][2002][2003][2004] in Mato Grosso State to provide satellitebased evidence for the relative contributions of cropland and pasture to increasing forest loss during this period (Fig. 1). Our approach combines satellite-derived deforestation data, vegetation phenology information from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS; ref. 29), and 2 years of field observations to establish the spatial and temporal patterns of land use after fo...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cropland expansion changes deforestation dynamics in the southern Brazilian Amazon

Morton

DeFries

Shimabukuro

et al. 2006

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

867

635

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“…As suggested in Figure 9, during the nine years investigated, and according to the PROBIO data, the remnant vegetation cover was the most affected by burns (~81%), while only 19% of the burned areas were directly associated with land already in use, especially in the Cerrado and Amazon regions, with the purpose of agriculture management, reclaiming of abandoned land, or the consolidation of occupation frontiers [16,[53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60].…”

Section: Burned Areas and Land Cover Classesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution Patterns of Burned Areas in the Brazilian Biomes: An Analysis Based on Satellite Data for the 2002–2010 Period

2012

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Fires modify the structure of vegetation communities, the carbon and water cycles, the soil's chemistry, and affect the climate system. Within this context, this work aimed to understand the distribution patterns of burned areas in Brazil, during the period of 2002 to 2010, taking into consideration each one of the six Brazilian biomes (Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, Pampa and Pantanal) and the respective major land cover classes. Data from the MODIS MCD45A1 product (burned area), as well as thermal anomalies (MOD14 and MYD14) and precipitation (TRMM), were analyzed according to the 2002 Brazilian official land cover and land use map (PROBIO). The Brazilian savanna biome, known as Cerrado, presented the largest concentration of burned areas detected by MODIS (73%), followed by the Amazon (14%), Pantanal (6%), Atlantic Forest (4%), Caatinga (3%), and Pampa (0,06%) biomes. Indeed, in the years of 2007 and 2010, 90% and 92% of Brazil's burned areas were concentrated in the Cerrado and Amazon biomes, respectively. TRMM data indicated that during these two years there was a significant influence of La Niña, causing low rainfall in the Amazon, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Atlantic Forest biomes. Regarding the land cover classes, approximately 81% of the burned areas occurred over remnant vegetation areas. Although no unequivocal correlation can be established between burned areas and new land conversions, the conspicuous concentration of fire scars, particularly in Amazon-Cerrado transition (i.e., the Arc of Deforestation) is certainly not a simple coincidence. Such patterns and trends corroborate the need of improved territorial governance, in addition to the implementation of systematic fire warning and preventive systems.

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“…Como discutido anteriormente, a queima de florestas para atividades agrícolas é uma das grandes responsáveis pelo desmatamento, pelo aquecimento global e por perdas econômicas associadas (Mendonça et al, 2004). Por isso, algumas alternativas vêm sendo propostas como substitutas ao uso do fogo, como a técnica do mulching e do plantio de determinadas leguminosas para adubação orgânica Eastmond & Faust, 2006;Davidson et al, 2008).…”

Section: Alternativas à Agricultura De Corte E Queimaunclassified

“…Outro tema que vem ganhando destaque nas pesquisas sobre a agricultura de corte e queima são as externalidades negativas causadas pelo uso do fogo (Mendonça et al, 2004), embora não apenas aquele decorrente da agricultura tradicional. Ao lado de seus impactos no solo e na biodiversidade, mais conhecidos, outras perdas econômicas relacionadas às queimadas vêm sendo discutidas, como os estragos causados pelo fogo acidental, os impactos da fumaça na saúde pública e na atividade das companhias aéreas e elétricas, e sua contribuição para os processos climáticos de larga escala, forçando a inclusão de uma parcela mais ampla da sociedade na discussão (Mendonça et al, 2004;Sá et al, 2006-7;Malhi et al, 2008).…”

Section: Conclusãounclassified

A agricultura de corte e queima: um sistema em transformação

Júnior

Murrieta

Adams

2008

Bol. Mus. Para. Emílio Goeldi. Ciênc. hum.

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IIIResumo: A agricultura de corte e queima é praticada há milhares de anos nas áreas florestadas do planeta, principalmente nas regiões tropicais. Sua prática envolve uma gama de técnicas que denotam seu caráter diversificado e itinerante, aproveitando o capital energético da floresta em recomposição. Muitos estudos atestam a sustentabilidade desses sistemas quando praticados tradicionalmente e sob baixas densidades populacionais, mantendo, ou mesmo, promovendo a biodiversidade local e garantindo a subsistência de muitas populações pobres rurais. No entanto, é crescente na literatura acadêmica e no debate político o papel que a agricultura de corte e queima vem desempenhando no desmatamento e demais impactos ambientais e socioeconômicos. Esse processo é conseqüência das mudanças no uso do solo, da intensificação agrícola e do aumento demográfico que, estão alterando as práticas e comprometendo a sustentabilidade desses sistemas agrícolas tradicionais. No rastro dessas preocupações, este estudo traz uma revisão do tema na literatura com os objetivos de traçar um panorama geral do que foi produzido até o momento, identificar as principais correntes teóricas envolvidas e apontar as alternativas propostas para sua manutenção.Palavras-chave: Agricultura de corte e queima. Cultivo itinerante. Mudanças no uso do solo. Florestas tropicais. Sustentabilidade.Abstract: Slash-and-burn agriculture has been practiced for thousands of years in the forests around the world, especially in the tropics, where it provides for the livelihood of countless poor rural populations. Characterized by an array of techniques based on crop diversification and shifting land use, this cultivation system has on the utilization of forest decomposing vegetation´s energetic capital its main asset. Many studies claim that slash-and-burn agriculture is sustainable only when performed under conditions of low human demographic density and maintenance or even increase of local biodiversity. However, it is growing in the academic literature, as well as in development debates, the concern regarding the role that this system has been playing in the deforestation of the planet´s tropical forests. This process appears to be closely linked to changes in land use patterns (agricultural intensification) and urban and rural demographic growth. On the thread of these concerns, this article presents a critical review of the international and national academic literature on slash-and-burn agriculture. Thus, this review intend to draw a broad scenario of the current academic debate on this issue, as well as to identify the main alternatives strategies proposed to maintain or replace this cultivation system.

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The economic cost of the use of fire in the Amazon

Cited by 96 publications

References 13 publications

Cropland expansion changes deforestation dynamics in the southern Brazilian Amazon

Cropland expansion changes deforestation dynamics in the southern Brazilian Amazon

Distribution Patterns of Burned Areas in the Brazilian Biomes: An Analysis Based on Satellite Data for the 2002–2010 Period

A agricultura de corte e queima: um sistema em transformação

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