Legal Reserve Areas Research Articles

Preservation areas x environmental legislation in the Rio das Almas hydrographic basin, Ceres microregion (GO) between 2008/2016

The aim of this research was to analyze the remaining areas of vegetation cover, with emphasis on permanent preservation areas (APPs) and legal reserve areas (RLs), in the Rio das Almas hydrographic region, Microregion of Ceres (GO). In order to analysis and mapping, it was considered two specific periods: 2008 related to the deadline established by the 2012 Forest Code to amnesty deforestation, regions nominated as consolidated rural areas, and 2016, to map and calculate APPs and RLs. The results revealed that deforestation occurred before 2008 and, therefore, possibly the vast majority of the analyzed farms fall under the amnesty provided by Law 12.651 / 2012. There was also a reduction of natural vegetation around 4.0% over the 8-year period.

Evaluation and potential use of native forest species in the recovery of a legal reserve in the Western Amazon

The Brazilian Amazon, which has been heavily devastated by exploratory processes and human occupation, has great value in terms of forest resources. As such, the aim of this study was to evaluate the potential use of native forest species to constitute productive agroforestry systems that can be set up in areas of legal reserve. A floristic/phytosociological survey was carried out of tree individuals with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥10 cm in 12 plots of 50 x 100 m (0.5 ha). From the data, species with a density of greater than three trees ha-1 were selected, and evaluated for use and ecological group. A total of 180 species distributed in 40 botanical families were identified, of which only 23 species presented an absolute density (AD) ≥3 trees ha-1, indicating that the occurrence of most species in the area is rare. Species such as Copaifera multijuga, Dinizia excelsa, Peltogyne paniculata, Tachigali chrysophylla, Dipteryx odorata, Bertholletia excelsa and Hevea brasiliensis are used commercially and may be indicated for production systems. As a result, native Amazonian forest species have great potential for use in recovery programs, promoting the recovery of local biodiversity and the development of small rural properties. However, it is necessary to invest in research and the development of public policy to support such initiatives.

Los principales retrocesos promovidos por la Ley Forestal brasileña de 2012

El objetivo de este estudio es analizar los principales retrocesos introdu-cidos por la Ley Forestal de Brasil de 2012 y el contexto político de su formulación. El aná-lisis se basa en la comparación de las reglas que disciplinan los Institutos del Área de Pre-servación Permanente (APP) y del Área de Reserva Legal (ARL) en propiedades agrarias privadas por las Leyes Forestales de 1965 y 2012. Así como en las posiciones y los intere-ses de los actores más relevantes en relación con la protección de los bosques naturales, poniendo de relieve la gran influencia del sector agrario. El estudio demuestra que la Ley Forestal de 2012 fue formulada para anular casi completamente los dos principales Institu-tos Jurídicos de protección de la vegetación nativa en propiedades agrarias privadas, legali-zar las ocupaciones ilegales de los dos espacios protegidos, amnistiar a los infractores y aumentar el territorio susceptible de deforestación legal. A pesar de las alteraciones legisla-tivas promovidas por la Ley Forestal de 2012 la indiscutible violación a la garantía consti-tucional de prohibición de retroceso ambiental y de los deberes de protección ambiental del Estado brasileño, el Supremo Tribunal Federal las refrendó, con base en el principio de la división de poderes.

Georeferenced Information System as a Tool in the Quantification of Protection Areas

The use of georeferenced systems has been widely used to obtain data on the quality of the environment, aiming to quantify how areas are being occupied, and how natural reserves are being affected as a result of human action. The Sanga Mineira microbasin belongs to the Paraná basin 3 and is considered one of the main water reservoirs in the municipality of Mercedes, with 120 properties in its territory, whose main source of income is agriculture and livestock. For the expansion of monoculture areas, many areas of Legal Reserve and Permanent Preservation are being destroyed by farmers, causing a series of environmental imbalances. Thus, through the above, the research aimed to quantify the areas of Legal Reserve (RL) and Permanent Preservation Area (PPA) in the Sanga Mineira microbasin, using the Georeferenced Information System (GIS), in addition to detecting the main changes that occurred as a result of the change in the Forest Code, to assess whether the new laws have helped to improve the sustainability of the environment. Methodological technical procedures the SPRING program was used to evaluate 97 properties, of which the three main land use classes were verified: Permanent Preservation Area, Legal Reserve Area and Total Consolidated Area. It was concluded that there was a decrease in the Legal Reserve areas and an increase in the areas of APP’s and Total Consolidated Area.

VALOR ECONÔMICO DAS PRÁTICAS DE CONSERVAÇÃO DO SOLO NO ESTADO DE MINAS GERAIS EM 2006

Este estudo buscou medir a importância econômica das práticas de conservação do solo, das matas e diversas questões estruturais dos estabelecimentos agropecuários mineiros utilizando o método dos preços hedônicos espaciais. Os resultados confirmam a importância das práticas de conservação, destacando a utilização de terraços que elevam o preço da terra. Contudo, a utilização de rotação de culturas apresentou relação negativa com o preço da terra. Destaca-se também a relação inversa entre áreas de reserva legal e o preço da terra, o que pode ser interpretado como um custo de oportunidade da área ocupada com matas.

Homegardens as a System for Restoration of Legal Reserves: Aspects of Forest Legislation

ABSTRACT The homegardens result from collective learning and fulfill environmental services, contributing to the agrobiodiversity conservation and food security. The present study analyzed whether legal mechanisms incorporate concepts on environmental services and if legal frameworks in the state of Sao Paulo include homegardens as a feasible system for restoration of legal reserve (RL) area. Revisions of Law no 12.651/2012 and resolutions SMA no 44/2008 and SMA no 32/2014 were carried out. For each attribute regarding the environmental services, grades from zero (absent) to two (explicitly described) were assigned. In the legal frameworks, the concepts concerning production, regulation and support were present, with the absence of cultural ones. For the adoption of homegardes as a viable system for restoration in legal reserve area, precepts should be changed regarding the presence of exotic species, management and monitoring practices required in legal frameworks.

Seleção de indicadores de paisagem para as áreas ambientais em assentamento rural

Os Assentamentos Rurais (ARs) são a materialização do processo de reforma agrária no Brasil, sendo caracterizados pela sua multifuncionalidade. Com relação à função ambiental, os ARs devem respeitar os dispositivos legais da Política Nacional do Meio Ambiente (PNMA), com a conservação das áreas de preservação permanente (PP) e de reserva legal (RL); áreas ambientais do AR. Desta forma, é de extrema importância a seleção e a utilização de indicadores para auxiliar na avaliação e monitoramento destas áreas em ARs, associando-se a Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG). Neste contexto, o objetivo deste estudo é selecionar indicadores de paisagens para as áreas ambientais em ARs, exemplificado no AR Rosa Luxemburgo II, em São Cristovão, Sergipe. Após revisão bibliográfica, definiu-se oito indicadores de paisagem da categoria 'Uso da Terra', associando-se a utilização de ferramentas de processamento digital de imagens e plataforma SIG. Como principais resultados, têm-se que, no AR estudado, na fase de ordenamento espacial do AR, existe significativa omissão das áreas de PP; cerca de 61% e 48% das áreas ambientais e de RL, respectivamente, estão efetivamente ocupadas com vegetação nativa, necessitando a recomposição florestal das demais áreas ambientais, para a plena disponibilidade dos serviços ecossistêmicos; e, a existência da Assessoria Técnica, Social e Ambiental à Reforma Agrária (ATES) não representou ações ambientais de conservação e de proteção das áreas de PP e RL. Como conclusões, tem-se que os indicadores de paisagem, no modelo DPSIR, são importantes para a avaliação e o monitoramento das áreas ambientais em ARs, mostrando-se uma ferramenta efetiva para o planejamento e a gestão ambiental de ARs.

COTAS DA RESERVA AMBIENTAL: UMA INTERPRETAÇÃO DA ANÁLISE ECONÔMICA DO DIREITO

No Novo Código Florestal (Lei nº 12.651/2012), a obrigação dos proprietários rurais de manter uma área de vegetação nativa (ou Área de Reserva Legal – ARL) foi flexibilizada pela introdução das Cotas de Reserva Ambiental (CRA). Por meio da organização de um Mercado de compensação, as CRA permitem que proprietários rurais com déficit de ARL regularizem sua situação por meio da compra de CRA daqueles com superávit de ARL (limitado ao mesmo bioma). Através de revisão bibliográfica e pesquisa jurídica, analisamos as especificidades dos arranjos institucionais estabelecidos para funcionamento desse instrumento. Utilizando o referencial analítico da AED, foi possível notar que o referido instrumento econômico de gestão ambiental, ao tentar estabelecer um sistema econômico mais eficiente e sustentável via internalização de externalidade, engendra uma alocação especifica de direitos de propriedade tácitos relativos ao meio ambiente. Mas, para que tal instrumento seja exitoso na promoção de preservação florestal, é preciso garantir direitos de propriedade seguros e um monitoramento efetivo da norma.

Carrots, Sticks and the Brazilian Forest Code: the promising response of small landowners in the Amazon

The Brazilian Forest Code has been in existence more than 80 years but has largely been ineffective in reducing deforestation in the Amazon due to a lack of adherence and enforcement. Recent revisions to the law reduced the restoration requirements for Areas of Permanent Preservation (APP) and Legal Reserve (LR) and established new tools to facilitate compliance, encourage environmental conservation and strengthen the supervision and monitoring of protected areas. The goal of these changes is to facilitate compliance, encourage environmental conservation, and strengthen the monitoring of protected areas. This paper investigates the probability that a household in Rondonia, Brazil will set aside land for permanent preservation and, once this decision is made, the extent of restoration. Our results suggest that-even in a region that is heavily deforested and under conditions of weak enforcement-households are complying with the law by developing formal plans for restoration. Most important, we find that access to extension agents, existing APP guidelines, and other policy levers (such as environmental licensing) have made a significant impact on the development of these plans suggesting that the 2012 Forest Code has the potential to impact future land restoration decisions.

Phytochemistry and Allelophatic Potential of Torelliodora Eucalyptus Leaves on Germination and Initial Growth of Mutambo

ABSTRACT: Considering the possibility of a intercropping between exotic and native wood species for Legal Reserve areas restoration, information is needed about the possible interactions (positive or negative) between the involved species. The aim of this study was to determine the allelochemicals classes of aqueous extracts from dried and fresh leaves of torelliodora eucalyptus, as well as to evaluate the allelopathic potential of these extracts in the germination and initial growth of Guazuma ulmifola, a native species from Cerrado. To obtain the aqueous extracts at the concentrations of 25 mg mL-1, 50 mg mL-1, 100 mg mL-1 and 200 mg mL-1, the fresh and dried leaves of the eucalyptus were separately subjected to turbolize, followed by an ultrasound bath for two hours and static maceration, in darkness, for 48 hours in a refrigerator. The extracts were subjected to classical phytochemical analysis and determination of pH, electrical conductivity, soluble solids and allelopathic tests. For the germination and growth biological tests, a completely randomized experimental design with four replications per treatment was performed. The phytochemical analysis indicated that the phenolic compounds and derivatives are the major constituents of the aqueous extract of fresh and dried leaves of the tolleriodora eucalyptus, with predominance of the flavonoid contents on the dried leaves. Dried and fresh leaves extracts of torelliodora eucalyptus influenced G. ulmifolia germination, but this effect was dependent on their concentration. Initial seedling growth of G. ulmifolia was negatively influenced only by the dried leaves extract of the exotic species.

IMPACTOS DA MUDANÇA NO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL BRASILEIRO NO CONTEXTO DA AGRICULTURA DE BASE FAMILIAR

Technical assistance and rural extension services should be based on sustainable development initiatives and, in theory, environmental legislation should be the benchmark for the beginning of agricultural sustainability. In accordance with this understanding, the Forest Code of 1965 defined parameters for the conservation of vegetation in rural properties. Of scientific importance, these parameters were significantly reduced by the Law 12.551/2012, which repealed the Forest Code. Aiming to support the Extension Program for Sustainable Rural Development, developed by the Agricultural Mechanization Laboratory of UEPG, the change in Brazilian environmental legislation was analyzed through surveys of 304 family-based rural properties in ten municipalities in the state of Parana. In nine municipalities, the legal reserve area exceeded the quantitative required by the Forest Code. On the other hand, the new legislation made it unnecessary the recovery of 86.76 ha of permanent preservation areas required by previous legislation, reduced now to only 0.55 ha. This finding is a cause of concern to the demands of soil conservation, water and biodiversity.

USO DE INDICADORES BASEADOS NA LEGISLAÇÃO AMBIENTAL BRASILEIRA PARA ANÁLISE DE PROPRIEDADES RURAIS FAMILIARES DA AMAZÔNIA

Os efeitos do novo Código Florestal Brasileiro (CFB) - Lei Federal n. 12.651 (BRASIL, 2012) - ainda estão sendo avaliados e discutidos quanto à adequação de propriedades rurais à legislação ambiental, tanto nas questões de recuperação de áreas degradadas quanto em relação às possibilidades de uso sustentável das áreas de preservação permanente (APP) e de Reserva Legal (RL). O objetivo do trabalho foi construir e aplicar indicadores ambientais de avaliação para verificar o desempenho ambiental de propriedades rurais familiares, considerando alternativas que o produtor deve seguir para se adequar às legislações ambientais e, também, verificando as condutas favoráveis ao não cometimento de infrações ou crimes ambientais. Foram estabelecidos indicadores ambientais de avaliação propostos a partir de parâmetros da legislação, os quais foram utilizados na análise de propriedades rurais conduzidas sob sistemas de produção orgânica (SPO) ou convencional (SPC). As propriedades rurais conduzidas em SPO apresentaram melhores resultados quanto aos indicadores ambientais de avaliação tanto das áreas de RL quanto das APPs, predominando o caráter essencialmente preservacionista nas propriedades rurais. Houve baixa ocorrência de casos de manejo agroflorestal ou agroextrativismo tanto nas áreas de RL quanto de APP das propriedades rurais avaliadas nos dois sistemas de produção. Os indicadores ambientais construídos a partir da legislação ambiental demonstraram ser uma ferramenta eficiente, prática e de baixo custo, para os técnicos e agricultores assim como na identificação de situações positivas de manejo em relação à adequação às leis ambientais.

Compensating for past deforestation: Assessing the legal forest surplus and deficit of the state of Pará, eastern Amazonia

Up to 80% of each private rural property in the Brazilian Amazon is protected by law through the Legal Reserve (LR) mechanism of the federal Forest Code, underlining the conservation importance of forests on private lands in one of the world̿s most important biomes. However, our understanding of the discrepancies in levels of forest protection on private lands as obligated by the law versus what occurs in practice remains very poor. We assessed patterns of forest cover and legal compliance with the Forest Code in the 1.25Mkm2 Brazilian state of Pará, which has the highest deforestation rate in the Amazon. We evaluate the LR deficit and surplus patterns for different sized properties and across 144 municipalities, and found that the total LR surplus (12.6Mha) was more than five times the total area of deficit (2.3Mha). Yet, from the total surplus, only 11% can be legally deforested while the remaining 89% is already protected by law but can be used (sold or rented) to compensate for areas that are under deficit. Medium and large-scale properties make up most of the total LR deficit area, while agrarian reform settlements had comparatively large amounts of both compensation-only surplus and deforestable surplus. Most of the municipalities (77%) in the state could compensate their total deficit with surplus areas of LR in the same municipality, while the remainder can be compensate their deficit in one or more neighbouring municipalities, indicating compensation can always take place close to the source of the deficit. Maximising the environmental benefits of achieving Forest Code compliance requires measures that go beyond the existing legal framework, including interventions to avoid further deforestation in places where it is still legal, compensate in close proximity to areas with legal reserve deficit and promote local restoration on degraded lands.

Use of legal reserve areas as geochemical background in hydrosedimentology studies¹

In hydrosedimentology studies the determination of the trace element concentrations at the study site is imperative, since this background can be used to assess the enrichment of sediments with these elements. This enrichment can be the result of the natural process of geological formation or of anthropogenic activities. In the latter case, guidelines are used to indicate the concentrations at which trace elements cause ecotoxicity effects on the environment. Thus, this study used legal reserve areas in the municipality of Toledo, PR, where natural forests are maintained, with no or minimal human interference to establish background levels. The results of atomic emission spectrometry with inductively coupled argon plasma showed that the legal reserves have lower levels of trace elements than other theoretical references, but equivalent concentrations to the safety levels recommended by international guidelines. It was concluded that determining values is fundamental to recommend this background as scientific database for research in the area of hydrosedimentology of this site and also as a way of environmental management of the watershed of this municipality.

Improving the monitoring, control and analysis of the carbon accumulation capacity in Legal Reserves of the Amazon forest

The Amazon forest is host for a large number of deforestation activities caused by artisanal mining and mainly by agriculture and livestock businesses. In order to regulate these activities and relieve the environmental impacts, local authorities have been trying to guide them towards more responsible operations. This paper describes the initiative of monitoring forest areas located near deforestation regions since fundamental elements such as biomass and carbon accumulation of trees may be adequately controlled and monitored against occasional disturbances brought by these activities. The current standard approach in the Amazon is to monitor all trees in the forest within an area called transecto, in order to keep a rigorous record of their behavior and growth. However, these control activities are restricted to controlling portions that are located in strategic areas, therefore they do not represent the entire region to be monitored. This research exploits a new methodology based on geostatistics, aimed at optimizing sampling, and allowing the extension of the study to much larger forest areas, while keeping unitary utilization of human resources unchanged and at the same time, increasing the studied areas footprint and the precision of the results. The proposed methodology also allows the selection of the Legal Reserve (RL) area to be made according to the actual carbon-accumulation distribution on the property's contained forest, allowing the determination of a location target for the RL, what is not possible with the current used methodologies that rely simply on a percentage area utilization for the RL, inside the property. This methodology was applied using the available data set in this paper in order to optimize the samples and to monitor the capacity of the forest to store carbon at Tapajós National Forest, in Pará, Brazil. It is expected that this methodology will contribute to an overall cost decrease per unit area of the monitoring activities, increase the precision for the RL location and simplify the needed procedures through the application of a user friendly toolkit, that can be developed using the proposed methodology, whose complexity is totally transparent to the land and business owners, regulators, environmental scientists and workers involved. This, if correctly applied could ultimately contribute to the sustainable development of the affected regions.

IMPACTOS DO NOVO CÓDIGO FLORESTAL NA REGULARIZAÇÃO AMBIENTAL DE PROPRIEDADES RURAIS FAMILIARES

http://dx.doi.org/10.5902/1980509815735Os efeitos do novo Código Florestal Brasileiro (CFB) - Lei Federal 12.651/2012 - foram avaliados em relação à adequação de unidades familiares de produção conduzidas em sistema de produção orgânico (SPO) ou convencional (SPC). Foram estudadas 17 propriedades rurais do território Portal da Amazônia, quantificando-se as áreas totais, de preservação permanente (APP) e de reserva legal (RL), usando-se o Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG). Compararam-se os resultados com o que é exigido para o bioma Amazônia pelo novo CFB. A maior parte das propriedades avaliadas não apresentou o mínimo exigido para as áreas de RL e APP (nascentes e margem de córregos). As propriedades em SPO apresentaram melhores resultados em relação àquelas conduzidas em SPC quanto à manutenção da vegetação nativa nas APPs, além de um maior percentual de remanescentes florestais compondo a RL das propriedades. Tendo em vista consolidação das áreas desmatadas anteriormente a 22/07/2008, previstas no novo CFB, todas as dezessete propriedades sanaram seus passivos ambientais do ponto de vista da legislação brasileira atual para RL. No caso das APPs, todas as nove propriedades em SPO sanaram seus passivos ambientais, enquanto que no SPC isso ocorreu em quatro das sete avaliadas.

Impact of the new brazilian forestry code on the adequacy of small farm households to the environmental law

In order to evaluate the effects of Brazil’s new Forest Code on the legal status of farm households, 17 farms, located in Portal da Amazonia territory, northern Mato Grosso state, and managed in either conventional specialized farm (CPS) or organic (OPS) production systems were studied. The total area per farm, as well as the surfaces of legal reserve units and preservation areas were measured by using Geographic Information System (GIS), to allow a comparison of these data with legal requirements for the Amazon Region. Most of the small farm households did not comply with the required percentages of land for Legal Reserve (LR) and Permanent Preservation Areas (PPA), in the latter case regarding riparian areas and areas for protection of water sources. Farms under OPS showed better results regarding preservation of native vegetation as well as higher percentages of forest remnants in their LR. Considering the amnesties and exemptions established by the New Forest Code, most farms have complied with the terms and requirements of current Brazilian environmental regulations.

Impacts on the environmental landscape caused by alterations in the new Forest Code

With the adoption of Law number 12.651 in the new Forest Code, some alterations caused great discussion among environmentalists and farmers, some more impactful than others, but all somewhat important. The present study sought to assess the environmental impact caused in an area of approximately 5 thousand hectares, considering only the point where the New Forest Code considers valid the reckoning of Permanent Preservation Areas of Legal Reserve. The value found in this study shows the great impact that this point of the new law could cause at medium and long term on areas of legal reserve, impacting the local landscape. We also emphasize that, considering or not the PPAs in the sum of legal reserve areas, the area in study is far from the required adequate values, regarding environmental matters required by law, which generally occurs in rural areas, indicating the lack of supervision by the competent bodies. As a tool for this study, we used geoprocessing techniques for the assembling of the photographic mosaic and scaling of the aerial images.

Análise dos processos de averbação das Reservas Legais no Estado de Sergipe

Este trabalho objetivou analisar o numero de averbacoes das Reservas Legais (RL) existentes no Estado de Sergipe, como tambem realizar entrevistas com tecnicos dos orgaos ambientais. Os processos foram divididos por territorios e organizados em tabelas sistematizadas por tamanho de propriedade rural e bioma, entre os anos de 1980 e 2011. Constatou-se que foram averbadas as Reservas Legais de 714 propriedades, representando apenas 0,7% do total de imoveis rurais desse Estado. A falta de estrutura e o numero reduzido de funcionarios nos orgaos publicos, alem da ausencia de uma politica de divulgacao, esclarecimento e incentivo ao proprietario rural, sao as principais causas desse cenario, demonstrando a fragilidade da gestao florestal no Estado.

Prospecção fitoquímica preliminar de plantas nativas do cerrado de uso popular medicinal pela comunidade rural do assentamento vale verde - Tocantins

Este estudo objetivou caracterizar qualitativamente grupos de metabólitos secundários e alguns constituintes de 9 espécies de plantas medicinais nativas do cerrado utilizadas pela comunidade rural do Assentamento Vale Verde, identificando potencialidades biológicas e farmacológicas. As informações referentes às plantas de uso medicinal foram obtidas por meio de estudos etnobotânicos e etnofarmacológicos, realizados no período de 2010 a 2012. O material botânico coletado foi identificado e depositado no Herbário da Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Porto Nacional (TO). O extrato etanólico e metanólico foi obtido a partir do material seco em estufa, filtrado e concentrado em evaporador rotatório sob pressão reduzida, pesados e novamente colocados em estufa por 24h a 50ºC, obtendo o rendimento (m/m) resultante da relação entre a massa de extrato concentrado e após seco. A análise fitoquímica das plantas selecionadas foi feita usando a metodologia da Prospecção Preliminar, realizando testes para detecção de alguns constituintes importantes e dos principais grupos de metabólitos: saponinas, fenóis e taninos, catequinas, esteróides e triterpenóides, cumarinas, antraquinonas e flavonóides. Os testes foram considerados positivos através de reações de precipitados com colorações, formações de espumas e manchas coloridas. Os testes fitoquímicos realizados nos extratos revelarem a presença de constituintes do metabolismo secundário das plantas que podem contribuir para a identificação de marcadores químicos para as espécies estudadas, sendo estes indispensáveis para os testes de qualidade e integridade de fitoterápicos e uso popular mais seguro das plantas medicinais, possibilitando melhor controle farmacognóstico dessas espécies e direcionamento dos seus usos e aplicações na pesquisa pela bioatividade preliminarmente conhecida. Neste caso, especialmente devido às atividades antimicrobianas, antioxidantes e contra insetos, sugerindo relação com a presença de compostos fenólicos e flavonoídicos, positivos nos extratos da maioria das espécies. Estas informações são inéditas no Tocantins e estratégicas para fortalecimento das políticas de conservação de Áreas de Reserva Legal no âmbito do Cerrado, bioma prioritário para conservação da biodiversidade, melhorando a caracterização dos recursos medicinais ainda disponíveis na flora nativa regional bem como vislumbrando suas aplicações biológicas e farmacológicas.