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Grazing, forest density, and carbon storage: towards a more sustainable land use in Caatinga dry forests of Brazil

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Abstract

Grazing is the main land use in semi-arid regions of the world, and sustainable management practices are urgently needed to prevent their degradation. However, how different grazing intensities affect forest density and ecosystem functions is often not sufficiently understood to allow for management adaptations that safeguard the ecosystems and their functions in the long run. We assessed the aboveground carbon stocks and plant densities along a grazing gradient in the semi-arid seasonally dry tropical forest of north-eastern Brazil (Caatinga). On 45 study plots, we analysed the aboveground carbon stocks of the vegetation and determined forest density and recruitment as well as the population structure of the most abundant tree species. Grazing intensity was accounted for based on the weight of livestock droppings and classified as low, intermediate, or high. Mean aboveground carbon stock was 15.74 ± 1.92 Mg ha−1 with trees and shrubs accounting for 89% of the total amount. Grazing at high intensities significantly reduced aboveground carbon stocks of herbs but not of other plant functional types. Instead, aboveground carbon stocks of trees and shrubs were negatively related to altitude above sea level, which is a proxy for reduced water availability along with lower anthropogenic impact. The population structure of the most common tree species was characterised by abundant recruitment, irrespective of grazing, whereas the recruitment of less frequent woody species was negatively affected by grazing. Overall, our data imply that grazing and forage management need to be adapted, including the reduction of free-roaming livestock and storage of fodder, to maintain carbon storage and forest density.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Germany (grant number BMBF 01LL0904A/E), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil/National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (MCTi/CNPq; grant number 490003/2012-5), and the Foundation of Science and Technology of Pernambuco (FACEPE; grant number APQ—0842-2.05/12); Almeida-Cortez and Sampaio were supported by fellowships from Brazilian CNPq (grant numbers PQ—307422/2012-7 and 307717/2013-5).

We thank Karin Stock de Oliveira, Jens von dem Bussche, Pedro Guedes, and Karsten Voigt for support during field work. The Prefeitura Municipal de Itacuruba and Floresta and the Secretaria de Agricultura de Itacuruba facilitated contacts to landowners and farmers who kindly provided access to their properties. The Prefeitura Municipal de Itacuruba very kindly supported our work by providing accommodation. The team of the Herbarium Dardano de Andrade Lima (IPA) helped to identify plant species. We also thank Kelaine Ravdin for improving our English. Two anonymous reviewers made valuable comments on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Ecosystem Science/Plant Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Rothenburgstraße 12, 12165, Berlin, Germany

    Katharina Schulz, Maike Guschal, Ingo Kowarik & Arne Cierjacks

  2. Museum of Zoology, Senckenberg Natural History Collection Dresden, Königsbrücker Landstr. 159, 01109, Dresden, Germany

    Maike Guschal

  3. Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Ingo Kowarik & Arne Cierjacks

  4. Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235 - Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil

    Jarcilene S. Almeida-Cortez

  5. Departamento de Energia Nuclear, Centro de Tecnologia e Geociências, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Av. Prof. Luiz Freire, 1000 - Cidade Universitária, Recife, Pernambuco, 50740-545, Brazil

    Everardo V. S. B. Sampaio

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  1. Katharina Schulz
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Correspondence to Katharina Schulz.

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Schulz, K., Guschal, M., Kowarik, I. et al. Grazing, forest density, and carbon storage: towards a more sustainable land use in Caatinga dry forests of Brazil. Reg Environ Change 18, 1969–1981 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-018-1303-0

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