Projects of the RCGI’s Nature-Based Solutions program involve restoring native vegetation, expanding integrated agricultural systems, and recuperating pasture areas
Increase the sequestration of carbon through vegetation and soil, as well as reduce greenhouse gas (CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions form the objective of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), which is one of the five research programs of the Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Innovation (RCGI) that are funded by Shell of Brazil and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP). Headquartered at the University of São Paulo (USP), the Centre, which recently shifted its focus, will work on the development of innovative studies to help Brazil reassume its commitments made in the Paris Agreement for reducing global warming.
One of the studies focuses on evaluating different techniques for restoring vegetation and reestablishing native species. In this manner, the soil will accumulate a significant level of biodiverse plant substrates that should stimulate microbial biomass, resulting in potential carbon fixation in the soil.
Coordinated by Professor Carlos Eduardo Pellegrino Cerri, from USP’s “Luiz de Queiroz” School of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP), the NBS is a comprehensive program involved with research activities related to agriculture, livestock, and forestry. “These activities emit gases into the atmosphere, but they also are capable of doing the opposite: through photosynthesis, plants absorb CO2, for example, which is later stored in the soil. Soil is a large carbon reservoir,” he explains.
There will be three major lines of research: (1) restoration of native vegetation for carbon sequestration purposes; (2) intensification of integrated agricultural systems; and (3) recovery of degraded pastures to increase their potential for carbon sequestration. The three projects are directly related to the specific actions that Brazil proposed in the Paris Agreement, where it has committed to reducing GHG emissions by 37% by 2025 and 43% by 2030.
Planning – Each project will last five years and will be allocated between ten and 15 researchers from such institutions as USP; São Paulo State University (UNESP); the University of Campinas (UNICAMP); the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), affiliated with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture; the National Institute for Space Research (INPE); and Federal Institutes in the States of Goiás and Alagoas, as well as others. In the first project, the researchers plan to make their initial focus on restoring the vegetation of the Cerrado (savannah) region and the Atlantic Rainforest – two biomes that are extremely fragile, due to human activities, according to Professor Cerri.
The second project delves into implementing more integrated systems in Brazilian agriculture, which involve the production of different crops in the same area – crop-livestock integration, crop-livestock-forest, and agroforestry systems. This is one of the goals proposed by Brazil in the Paris Agreement. “One way to encourage the expansion of integrated systems is to show producers the benefits they will have from adopting these systems. With the NBS projects, I am convinced that we will generate robust scientific results to prove and encourage this practice,” the research Coordinator says.
The application of integrated systems in agriculture results in the more efficient use of resources and promotes greater diversity in the environment. “A variety of plants will be used, which have different behaviors and deposit different organic materials in the soil, thus improving its quality.”
In the third line of research, scientists are committed to finding solutions to recuperate degraded pasture areas, increase their productivity, and reuse them so as to avoid further deforestation. These actions would also increase the carbon sequestration potential of pastures. “The most promising techniques will be those that reconcile improved pasture productivity, associated with lower greenhouse gas emissions. and greater capacity to sequester carbon, all in line with the intensification of ecosystem services.”
According to Cerri, Brazil has about 180 million hectares of pastureland, but a large part of this area has suffered varying degrees of degradation. “Estimates indicate that half of the area is at some stage of low productivity. If we manage to recuperate these pastures, it will be possible to produce the same number of animals within a smaller area or even produce more animals.”
Challenging scenario – The program’s biggest obstacle is that GHG emissions from agriculture, livestock, and forestry are not concentrated. There is a wide variety of soils, climates, vegetation, and management practices. The big challenge will be to better understand the emission dynamics of these gases and the potential for carbon sequestration in different situations. For example, Cerri says that clay soil can generally accumulate much more carbon than sandy soil.
On the other hand, NBS has the advantage of coordinating long-term projects with experts in different areas of knowledge, such as agronomic engineering, forestry engineering, environmental engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, and others. “The new phase of the Centre will be a unique opportunity, in large-scale projects, to boost results that are actually relevant for the country. We hope that this knowledge will result in public policies that encourage the adoption of the alternatives presented by our research.”