Researchers say that to restore Brazil’s soil carbon, more agricultural operations should integrate crop, livestock and forestry—a process known as ICLF. (Photo taken by Carlos Silva for Brazil’s Agricultural Ministry)
The replacement of native vegetation with agricultural areas in Brazil’s six biomes has caused an estimated loss of 1.4 billion tons of soil carbon, a recent study says. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, also proposes means of carbon restoration that would simultaneously benefit agriculture and help Brazil meet its climate goals. “The study both highlighted the magnitude of the impact caused by converting native vegetation into agricultural areas in each biome and proposed ways of offsetting the resulting loss in carbon stocks in each biome,” João Marcos Villela, the lead author, told EcoAméricas. “[We] hope it will guide public policies and private-sector initiatives to promote sustainable, low-carbon farming practices, as well as inform the carbon-credit market with data on Brazilian carbon stocks that will help developers of new carbon credit projects make them more viable.” The study, published in January, calculates soil-carbon loss... [Log in to read more]
