Desmatamento no sul do Amazonas: simulação do efeito da criação da Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável do Juma

Abstract

Protected areas are important tools to reduce deforestation and support the conservation and protection of natural resources. In Amazonia, the Juma Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) was the first protected area to be benefited by a Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) project. However, the possibility of obtaining carbon credits through REDD projects may be compromised by the effect of leakage, which is caused by the displacement of deforestation. Using environrnental modeling techniques it is possible to simulate scenarios that represent changes in land use and land cover and thus assess the possible trajectories of deforestation. The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of creating the Juma reserve considering a period of 42 years (2008-2050) by simulating scenarios using the AGROECO model. These scenarios were used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Juma reserve in reducing deforestation and to estimate projected carbon emissions. The simulated scenarios were: 1) baseline scenario (without the creation ofthe RDS Juma); 2) scenario with leakage (CV) where the creation of the reserve would cause a shift in deforestation, and 3) scenario with reduced leakage (CVR), where the amount of deforestation resulting from leakage is reduced. Comparison of scenarios permitted analysis of deforestation inside and outside (in a l O km buffer) ofthe reserve andalso along the AM-174 highway (in the segment that crosses Juma reserve). Estimates of carbon stock were made for the study area as a whole and for the area of the Juma reserve. Considering the study area as a whole the simulation shows that by 2050 there would be a reduction in forest cover of 16.0% (14,695 krrr') in the baseline scenario, 15.9% (14,647 krrr') in the CV scenario and 15.4% (14,219 krrr') in the CVR scenario, as compared to what was present in 2008. The loss of forest cover within the limits of the Juma reserve by 2050 would be 18.9% (1,052 km'') in the baseline scenario and 7.1% (395 krrr') in the CV and CVR scenarios, which considered the creation of the Juma reserve. Deforestation was 2.0 (CV) and 2.1 (CVR) times higher in the vicinity of the reserve than inside the reserve. The presence of the Juma reserve reduced deforestation and reduced the construction of secondary roads inside the reserve. The stock of carbon in the total study area (2008) was estimated at 1.63 GtC, and the stock in the Juma reserve was estimated at 0.10 GtC. From the simulated scenarios, the total stock in the study area was estimated to be reduced to 1.37 GtC (baseline scenario and in the CV) and to 1.38 GtC (CVR). In the area of the Juma reserve, the carbon stock would be reduced to 0.08 GtC (baseline scenario) and to 0.09 GtC (CV and CVR).