Antonio Soares da Silva

Mineração e áreas de preservação permanentes (APPs) em Santo Antônio de Pádua - RJ

Santo Antonio de Padua municipality has quarry as one of the main economic activities. However, the mining of minerals promotes a series of environmental impacts, besides the fact that some mining companies are located in Environmental Protected Areas (APP). This article aims to map, in Santo Antonio de Padua municipality the APPs and also to identify the mining companies that operate there. In order to map the APPs we have used ArcGisR of ESRI, aerial photographs at 1:10,000 scale and IBGE cartographic basis, at 1:50,000 scale. To define the APPs we have used the concepts of resolutions 302 and 303, both from 2002, of Conama. The APPs from the top of the hills, crests, slopes over 45o slope angle, springs and river banks were mapped. The APPs represent an area of 212.28 km2, that corresponds to 34.78% of the municipality area. Thirty one quarry entreprises were found operating in APPs. The quarry carachteristics located on the top of the main crests, make this environment more favourable to the mineral explotation. The location of these quarry sites close to rivers and, consequently, in APPs is due to the great utilization of water for cutting the stones. Finally we suggest a revision on the APPS width of 30 meters, because in mountainous areas, an area larger than what is needed, is protected. Furthermore, there is the need to stablish quarry rules that do not cause a big environmental impact mainly on sprig APPs.

Soil Degradation in Southeast Brazil: A Challenge for Restoration and Rehabilitation

The Southeast region of Brazil represents the main economic center of the country. Its use and occupation date back to the beginning of colonization by European countries in the sixteenth century. This long period of economic activities led to the current scenario of land degradation. Since the time of the first settlements, native forests have been removed mainly by the cultivation of coffee in the Paraiba do Sul River Valley and West of Sao Paulo state and also by mining in Minas Gerais. The deforestation exposed fragile soils, developed on sandstones (Sao Paulo and Triângulo Mineiro), and low fertility soils, developed on igneous and metamorphic rocks (Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and Espirito Santo), resulting in the increase of erosion processes. In some areas there are many deep gullies, associated with agriculture and the expansion of cities. In other areas, sheet erosion, gullies, and ravines occur frequently due to coffee cultivation and the introduction of livestock. The northwest part of Rio de Janeiro state is a region which deserves to be highlighted due to the serious threat of desertification caused by lower annual rainfall averages and the intense compaction of soils under excessive grazing. Sustainable and strategically sound restoration and rehabilitation activities need to be implemented to stop the ongoing process of land degradation.

Soil structural indicators of hillslope destabilization in the Serra do Mar mountain range (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil)

Mass movements are amongst the main problems related to natural disasters in Rio de Janeiro State. The cities which suffer most due to these events remain on alert during each rainy season. Many surveys have been conducted to map hazard risk areas. Many authors associate these phenomena with geological characteristics, and some recognize the role of soil properties. This paper outlines the soil indicators which contribute to hillslope destabilization in the Serra do Mar mountain range. A hillslope was selected and soil samples collected from six trenches, along the slope. Soil micromorphological and physico-chemical analyses were conducted to assess mass movement hazard. The presence of gibbsite on the upper third of the slope is one of the factors that can decrease horizon permeability and therefore destabilize slopes. On the lower third of the slope, structures demonstrate that part of this soil is formed by material originating from the upper slope.

Pasture Degradation in South East Brazil: Status, Drivers and Options for Sustainable Land Use Under Climate Change

The landscapes of the Atlantic Forest region of Southeast Brazil (SE Brazil) have suffered from a long-term historical deforestation and degradation. The vast majority of former forest areas had been transformed into sugar cane and coffee plantations. Especially in the state of Rio de Janeiro, these crops are no longer economically viable and most of the former plantations have been converted into cattle pastures. Due to unsuitable environmental conditions and unsustainable management, most of these pastures are nowadays highly degraded. Taking into account projected climate change with increasing droughts and pronounced heavy rainfalls in SE-Brazil, this pasture landscape is about to lose its socio- ecological resilience. Before this background, this paper analyses the status and drivers of pasture degradation in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, it addresses possible options for pasture rehabilitation based on a case study carried out within the framework of the Brazilian-German INTECRAL project. Additionally, it explores the role of pastures as opportunity areas for climate change mitigation by enhancing the carbon storage capacity at landscape level. As the study is based on a scientific cooperation with the Rio de Janeiro State Secretary of Agriculture as implementation partner, it is expected that experiences presented in this paper will be useful to Brazilian stakeholders and decision makers for improving the adaption to exacerbating environmental conditions in rural areas, driven by climate change and inappropriate land use.

Rehabilitation of Degraded Sloped Pastures: Lessons Learned in Itaocara, Rio de Janeiro

The municipality of Itaocara is characterized by a pasture-dominated landscape (mainly dairy farming) at moderately to strongly inclined slopes. The major drivers for pasture degradation are poor and erosion-susceptible soils, a changing regional climate towards less frequent but stronger precipitation events, unsustainable pasture management practices as well as low awareness for degradation phenomena among farmers. Today, almost all sloped pastures in the NW of Rio de Janeiro state show various degradation levels, most noticeable in distinctive erosion forms such as rills, cattle tracks and gullies. If no rehabilitation measures and no sustainable pasture management will be applied to these fragile, historically strongly modified ecosystems, pastures will soon degrade to a degree and extent, where land use will not be profitable anymore and rural population might lose their main source of income. The paper presents the implementation, monitoring and management of a low-cost rehabilitation measure applied on a medium degraded sloped pasture in rural Itaocara. Slope-parcelling hedgerow terraces of various native tree species combined with erosion diminishing bioengineered measures and soil amelioration practices aim both at strengthening pasture resilience against degradation and enabling an extensive rotational pasture management at the same time. The measure will be discussed in the context of other advantageous vegetative and structural pasture rehabilitation approaches under given regional environmental and socio-economic conditions.

A Determinação do Perfil Climatológico do Município de Santo Antônio de Pádua-RJ e Sua Aplicabilidade na Recuperação de Áreas Degradadas

The municipality of Santo Antonio de Padua, located in the northwest State of Rio de Janeiro-RJ has been and is currently characterized by economic activities highly degrading the environment. As a consequence of process, it is possible to highlight the decline of springs, reduced biodiversity, increased frequency of floods and changes in temperature and water balance, culminating in a process of desertification in the region.The present study was conducted through analysis of historical series of temperature (1980-1995) and (2001-2010) precipitation (1980-1985) and determined the climatic classification of the municipality according to Thornthwaite methodology, which has also been used in calculating the climatic water balance to estimate water availability in the municipality. The present study aimed to investigate the trends of climatic parameters and their impact on the physical environment, as well as its applicability in planning the recovery of degraded lands. According to the analysis of the water balance and the historical series of temperature and rainfall, the region presents marked water deficit during the winter, when there is an upward trend of average monthly temperatures. Knowing the climatological profile has allowed us to define the best methodological alternatives for reforestation of the region, demonstrating the importance of evaluating these parameters in any kind of recovery planning forest.