Ecological restoration of Xingu Basin headwaters: motivations, engagement, challenges and perspectives
Over the past two decades, the headwaters of the Xingu Basin in the Amazon have been subjected to one of the highest deforestation rates in Brazil, with negative effects on both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The environmental consequences of forest land conversion have concerned the indigenous pe...
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Published in | Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological sciences Vol. 368; no. 1619; p. 20120165 |
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Main Authors | , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
The Royal Society
05.06.2013
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Over the past two decades, the headwaters of the Xingu Basin in the Amazon have been subjected to one of the highest deforestation rates in Brazil, with negative effects on both terrestrial and aquatic systems. The environmental consequences of forest land conversion have concerned the indigenous people living downstream, and this was the first motivation for the Y Ikatu Xingu campaign—‘save the good water of the Xingu’. Among the objectives of the initiative was to restore riparian forests on private land across the basin. For a region where the rivers, rainstorms, forest remnants, distances and farms are huge, the challenges were equally large: crossing the biotic and abiotic thresholds of degradation, as well as addressing the lack of technology, know-how, seeds, forest nurseries, trained personnel and roads, and the lack of motivation for restoration. After 6 years, despite the remarkable advances in terms of technical innovation coupled with a broad and effective social involvement, the restored areas represent only a small portion of those aimed for. The still high costs of restoration, the uncertainties of legislation and also the global economy have been strong forces constraining the expansion of restored forests. Additional efforts and strategies are necessary to overcome these barriers. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/V84-JD7FSDZ9-Q href:rstb20120165.pdf One contribution of 18 to a Theme Issue ‘Ecology, economy and management of an agroindustrial frontier landscape in the southeast Amazon’. istex:DADBC7040A4F5C5F33E1A6E2F2E20C41778C27B9 ArticleID:rstb20120165 Theme Issue 'Ecology, economy and management of an agroindustrial frontier landscape in the southeast Amazon' compiled and edited by Paulo M. Brando, Michael T. Coe and Ruth DeFries ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0962-8436 1471-2970 |
DOI: | 10.1098/rstb.2012.0165 |