Landowner perceptions of the value of natural forest and natural grassland in a mosaic ecosystem in southern Brazil

Abstract

The forest-grassland mosaics of southern Brazil have been subject to many land use and policy changes over the decades. Like many grasslands around the world, the Campos grasslands are declining with few conservation efforts underway. In contrast, forests receive much attention and many incentives. It is hypothesized that perception of land cover has the potential to shape ecosystems. Here we conduct a questionnaire to further our understanding of decision-making practices that alter landscapes (Campos grassland, Araucaria forest, agriculture and plantation) and direct land policies in the region. Our analysis reveals that plantations are significantly less desirable than the other landscape types. However, plantation land use has increased by 87 % over the past few decades, as a result of industry and government incentives. The proportions of other landscape types have remained consistent over the past two decades. Restoration of native vegetation is not a priority of landowners and restoration would require a financial incentive.

Alternative stable states and the sustainability of forests, grasslands, and agriculture

“…Weak human influence (A) results in equilibrium states and FG for all possible discount rates, whereas moderate (B) and strong (C) human influence scenarios result in limit cycles xg exceeds that of land cover (F , G), because social dynamics occur at more rapid timescales than forest dynamics. In our questionnaire responses (47) we observe that landowner preference is not always reflected in actual land use, but there is a correlation between preference and actual land composition. To this effect, F , G, and A shadow oscillations in x f , xg , and xa , following a lag of 15 to 20 y (Fig.…”

“…Human behavior is in part driven by the perceived future gains for their present actions (41,47,48), prompting the use of a discount factor. de is the economic discount rate (49,50) and dc is the conservation discount rate.…”

Conifer demography in forest–grassland mosaics: a landscape-scale study over a 24-year period

“…Furthermore, coarse-scale factors that promote establishment and growth, such as soil nutrients and moisture, often occur as patches (Garbin et al 2006, Matos et al 2016. The maximum aggregation of Araucaria at scales larger than 300 m likely reflects recruitment D r a f t 20 structuring by such large-scale factors, coupled with human effects like periodic grassland burning for pasture renewal and cattle grazing (Henderson et al 2016). Early indigenous people historically managed species of the genus Araucaria as a strategic food resource (Reis et al 2014).…”

“…In the last decades grasslands have been replaced by agriculture as well as by forest expansion, the latter occurring as a network of small patches in close contact with other land uses (Matos et al 2016). Grasslands are occasionally burned by ranchers (Overbeck et al 2007, Henderson et al 2016, and punctuated by rock outcrops (Carlucci et al 2011). They become colonized by Araucaria trees, which eventually form clusters and act as nurse trees in forest nucleation (Duarte et al 2006).…”

“…Furthermore, several landscape patterns and processes are patchy and may influence spatial patterns of colonizing tree populations through effects on survivorship and growth. Examples are grassland burning for pasture renewal, past use by indigenous people, and the spatial distribution of rock outcrops, soil moisture, and nutrients (Garbin et al 2006, Overbeck et al 2007, Carlucci et al 2011, Tokuoka and Hosogi 2012, Reis et al 2014, Henderson et al 2016). Conversely, negative density effects are expected to act against aggregation through increased mortality and reduced growth of close neighbors.…”