Dietmar Sattler

Impact of natural climate change and historical land use on landscape development in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Climate variations and historical land use had a major impact on landscape development in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Mata Atlântica). In southeast Brazil, rainforest expanded under warm-humid climate conditions in the late Holocene, but have been dramatically reduced in historical times. Nevertheless, the numerous remaining forest fragments are of outstanding biological richness. In our research in the Atlantic Forest of Rio de Janeiro we aim at the reconstruction of the late Quaternary landscape evolution and an assessment of human impact on landscapes and rainforests. In this context, special focus is given on (a) effects of climate variations on vegetation cover, soil development, and geomorphological processes, and (b) spatial and temporal land use and landscape degradation patterns. In this paper we present some new results of our interdisciplinary research in the Serra dos Órgãos mountain range, state of Rio de Janeiro.

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.

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.

Rio de Janeiro: A State in Socio-ecological Transformation

Within the period of about 500 years since the European colonization, today’s state of Rio de Janeiro has been transformed from a sparsely populated forest area to an economic and cultural hub of Brazil and the whole continent of South America. This development process is on the one hand characterized by technological progress and economic and population growth but on the other hand also accompanied by overexploitation of natural resources, land and ecosystem degradation, uncontrolled urban sprawl, and increasing social disparities. In the past few years, some efforts have been made to counteract these negative trends, but many challenges remain to keep pace with the rapidly changing demands and needs in a globalized world. In this introductory chapter, we provide an overview of the recent developments in the environmental and agricultural sectors in the state of Rio de Janeiro. We focus on the rural areas of the state that provide essential goods and services for the urban agglomerations. In this context we briefly introduce the chapters of the book that are divided into five main sections: (a) Agricultural Management; (b) Ecosystem Management and Biodiversity; (c) Integrated Water Management; (d) Land Restoration, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Climate Change Adaptation; as well as (e) Environmental Governance and Economic Instruments.

Rural Rio de Janeiro: Over the Hills and Far Away?

The urban-rural landscape between the three cities of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Belo Horizonte is the most densely populated part of the entire Brazil and its economic backbone. For the state of Rio de Janeiro (RJ), many rural areas are characterized by declining and aging population, while the urban areas still increase in population (George and McGranahan 2010; Gragnolati et al. 2011). Greater economic opportunities and other pull factors of urban areas draw rural migration toward the cities where they cause higher demands for food, water, and energy resources, which are met by rural landscapes’ decreasing agricultural production. This development puts additional pressure on the natural resources, which already suffered from historical overexploitation (Chap. 2).

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.

Use of Native Plant Species for Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation Measures in Southeast Brazil

Southeast Brazil is the economic backbone of the country where about 70% of the national GDP is generated. The continuously growing pressure from rural and industrial land use is causing progressive land degradation, especially within the unique Atlantic Forest dominion of this region. Restoration and rehabilitation of degraded areas or of impact caused by building activities are still scarce and carried out using mainly technical engineering methods. Natural engineering or soil bioengineering measures using living plant material are very rare, and if applied, they mostly use non-native plants already proven to work in other tropical regions. As the demand for bioengineered rehabilitation and ecological restoration is expected to increase, suitable plant material is urgently needed. The use of non-native plants for engineering carries several ecological risks, in particular the invasive spread of these plants. This chapter provides a brief overview of the actual state of the art regarding the use of native and non-native plant species in rehabilitation and restoration measures applied in the Atlantic Forest dominion. Furthermore, first results are presented from a case study on bioengineered rehabilitation of a degraded pasture where plants native to Southeast Brazil were successfully used.

The INTECRAL Project

INTECRAL (Integrated Eco Technologies and Services for a Sustainable Rural Rio de Janeiro) is a German-Brazilian research project (2013–2017) funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in cooperation with the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock Program RIO RURAL (SEAPPA-PRR). It contributes to a sustainable development of the rural areas of Rio de Janeiro state by (a) enhancing the competitiveness of the agricultural sector, (b) providing environmentally friendly and climate-adapted solutions for land and water management, and (c) adopting appropriate green technologies. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the project and outline the main outcomes as well as the way forward.

Bioengineered Measures for Prevention of Proceeding Soil Degradation as a Result of Climate Change in South East Brazil

As a consequence of increasing impact of climate change, particularly uncovered soils in Brazil are significantly vulnerable to soil erosion. Soil erosion, especially at sloped pastures leads to a loss of productive base for agriculture which negatively influences economy. Furthermore, these bare and compacted soils promote floods after heavy rainfall events. The application of efficient bioengineered measures adapted to local conditions can prevent expansion of soil degradation at exposed agriculture sites (pasture land). The objective is to regain a resilient soil covered by protective vegetation by less extended measures. A pasture at a slope of about 3.3 ha in Itaocara (Rio de Janeiro) is used for pilot test. The pasture land is highly affected by soil degradation, due to unsuitable soil management and overgrazing. Based on the results of geodetic survey by University of Leipzig suitable bioengineered measures were conducted using local available and inexpensive materials. Measures include installation of palisades made from eucalyptus and bamboo, development of bush layer/hedge terraces (pre-cultivated bushes placed on a terrace along contours) and transplantation of grass sods. All developed techniques are monitored for control of efficiency and sustainability.