Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources

About: Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources is a government organization based out in Brasília, Brazil. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Deforestation. The organization has 549 authors who have published 732 publications receiving 13999 citations. The organization is also known as: IBAMA.

Land Use Expansion in the Brazilian Cerrado

Abstract: The main focus of this chapter is the presentation and discussion of land use expansion based on the two latest mappings of land use in the Brazilian Cerrado (2002 and 2013); both maps were produced by interpreting Landsat satellite images. The results show a 3% increase in land occupation in the Cerrado between 2002 and 2013, which is much higher than the 1.23% increase seen in the Legal Amazonia. The area and spatial distribution of different types of land use in 2013 are shown below. A comparison of the 2002 and 2013 results is then shown. Here the emphasis is placed on the new agricultural frontier located in the northern part of the Cerrado, known as MATOPIBA, an abbreviation made up of the first two letters of the names of the states of Maranhao, Tocantins, Piaui, and Bahia. The final section considers the potential for a crop-livestock-forest integration system in the Cerrado. The chapter concludes with a discussion on one of the most important challenges facing environmentally sustainable agriculture in the Cerrado in the near future, namely precision agriculture.

Manipulação de filtros ecológicos para aumentar a cobertura vegetal nativa em jazida tratada com lodo de esgoto no Bioma Cerrado

Abstract: The dominance of invasive species and the compaction of mine surfaces are ecological filters that usually restrict the establishment and growth of native plant species. The understanding of ecological filter mechanisms aiming to overcome their effects on the ecological succession is crucial for the ecological restoration of ecosystems. In order to evaluate the effects of reducing the intensity of the surface compaction and the grass dominance on the plant recruitment, we set up 24 experimental plots at six repetitions in a mine dominated by Urochloa brizantha . Treatments consisted in control (T1), herbicide application on U. brizantha (T2), mechanized plowing to ameliorate surface compaction (T3), and the combination of T2 and T3 (T4). Results showed that the chemical attenuation of U. brizantha dominance and surface decompaction allowed the recruitment of 29 plant species, 66% of which are invasive species, exotic to the Cerrado biome. However, the treatments T2, T3, and T4 resulted in the formation of richer and more diverse plant communities in comparison to the plots used as control (T1). U. brizantha cover redeveloped after both surface unpacking and herbicide application, but the plant species that recruited on U. brizantha cover in the meantime improved the ecological condition in experimental plots.

A Dimensão Política do Atual Processo de Agilização do Licenciamento Ambiental no Brasil

Abstract: Buscou-se fazer uma analise do atual processo de agilizacao do licenciamento ambiental no Brasil, que, embora travestido de roupagens tecnico-cientificas, apresenta motivacoes politicas, uma vez que grupos de interesse com poder de negociacao tem agido no sentido de pressionar os orgaos ambientais para a rapida aprovacao de pedidos de concessao de licencas ambientais. O resultado sao estrategias, mais e menos visiveis atraves de evidencias empiricas, tais quais a flexibilizacao de normas existentes e criacao de novas normas a fim de facilitar a obtencao de licencas ambientais, bem como o aumento de tensoes interinstitucionais e intrainstitucionais nos orgaos ambientais. O entendimento do momento atual, de relativo esmorecimento do movimento ambientalista e de crise global pode ajudar a compreender as reais motivacoes por tras destas mudancas. Entende-se que qualquer politica publica ambiental que esbarre no desenvolvimento economico enfrentara o mesmo problema, de forma que discussoes sobre a questao ambiental deveriam transcender o ambiente academico, demandando participacao politica ativa de todos os setores da sociedade, na busca da chamada justica ambiental.