Restoring Brazilian savanna ground layer vegetation by topsoil and hay transfer

Pilon, Natashi A. L.; Buisson, Élise; Durigan, Giselda

doi:10.1111/rec.12534

Cited by 56 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The return of soil organic matter and soil respiration to predisturbance levels after only 10–13 years of rehabilitation supports the hypothesis that these variables benefit from active rehabilitation, including seedling plantation and topsoil application, that is, the transfer of organic matter, soil microbial communities and plant propagules to the target sites (Ferreira & Vieira, ; Pilon, Buisson, & Durigan, ), although this was not explicitly tested in this study. Our data indicate that active mineland rehabilitation in the Brazilian Amazon is able to restitute selected ecological characteristics in short time periods.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Active rehabilitation of Amazonian sand mines converges soils, plant communities and environmental status to their predisturbance levels

et al. 2020

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The continuous monitoring of mineland rehabilitation is paramount for identifying deviations from desired trajectories and providing assessments for environmental agencies. In this study, we analyzed soil texture and chemical properties, vegetation development and soil respiration along rehabilitation chronosequences including nonrehabilitated areas, areas at different rehabilitation stages and reference sites covered by native forests in three sand mines in the Carajás National Forest, eastern Amazonia, Brazil, to estimate their rehabilitation status. For nine environmental variables related to ecological processes, vegetation structure, and community diversity, we computed response ratios in relation to predisturbance levels found in native reference sites and integrated them into an index of rehabilitation status using a multivariate approach. Our analyses showed that the soil chemical properties and tree community composition of the rehabilitated minelands converged over time to those of native ecosystems. All environmental indicators and the overall rehabilitation status increased with rehabilitation time, indicating that rehabilitation interventions set the rehabilitation trajectory on a desired path. Although most indicators did not achieve predisturbance levels, we conclude that rehabilitation activities can effectively reduce the environmental impacts of sand extraction in Amazonia over short time periods, thereby contributing to the recovery of ecosystem services and the protection of biodiversity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Active rehabilitation of Amazonian sand mines converges soils, plant communities and environmental status to their predisturbance levels

et al. 2020

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“…For restoration of tropical grasslands, knowledge is slowly increasing about the transfer (Le Stradic, Buisson & Fernandes, ; Le Stradic et al ., ; Pilon et al ., ) and propagation of old‐growth grassland species (Negreiros et al ., ; Oliveira et al ., ; Le Stradic et al ., ; Gomes et al ., ), yet for most ecosystems such information remains scarce or non‐existent, particularly for herbaceous species (Fernandes, ). Complicating matters, emerging research on species of the Cerrado, Katanga copper outcrops (Central Africa), and Queensland (Australia), suggests that many graminoids – a functional group that is critical to ecosystem flammability and livestock forage – produce few seeds, much of which is of low quality (Silcock & Scattini, ; Boisson et al ., ; Le Stradic et al ., ; Kolb et al ., ; Dayrell et al ., ).…”

Section: Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands

et al. 2018

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Despite growing recognition of the conservation values of grassy biomes, our understanding of how to maintain and restore biodiverse tropical grasslands (including savannas and open‐canopy grassy woodlands) remains limited. To incorporate grasslands into large‐scale restoration efforts, we synthesised existing ecological knowledge of tropical grassland resilience and approaches to plant community restoration. Tropical grassland plant communities are resilient to, and often dependent on, the endogenous disturbances with which they evolved – frequent fires and native megafaunal herbivory. In stark contrast, tropical grasslands are extremely vulnerable to human‐caused exogenous disturbances, particularly those that alter soils and destroy belowground biomass (e.g. tillage agriculture, surface mining); tropical grassland restoration after severe soil disturbances is expensive and rarely achieves management targets. Where grasslands have been degraded by altered disturbance regimes (e.g. fire exclusion), exotic plant invasions, or afforestation, restoration efforts can recreate vegetation structure (i.e. historical tree density and herbaceous ground cover), but species‐diverse plant communities, including endemic species, are slow to recover. Complicating plant‐community restoration efforts, many tropical grassland species, particularly those that invest in underground storage organs, are difficult to propagate and re‐establish. To guide restoration decisions, we draw on the old‐growth grassland concept, the novel ecosystem concept, and theory regarding tree cover along resource gradients in savannas to propose a conceptual framework that classifies tropical grasslands into three broad ecosystem states. These states are: (1) old‐growth grasslands (i.e. ancient, biodiverse grassy ecosystems), where management should focus on the maintenance of disturbance regimes; (2) hybrid grasslands, where restoration should emphasise a return towards the old‐growth state; and (3) novel ecosystems, where the magnitude of environmental change (i.e. a shift to an alternative ecosystem state) or the socioecological context preclude a return to historical conditions.

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“…In the last 10 years, practically all countries in the world have made ambitious global commitments involving the restoration of degraded ecosystems (Aronson & Alexander, ; Suding et al., ), including Neotropical savannas (Strassburg et al., ), which are biodiversity hotspots (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, Da Fonseca, & Kent, ). Therefore, restoration scientists and practitioners have developed and tested several methods to actively restore these ecosystems (Ferreira, Walter, & Vieira, ; Pereira, Laura, & Souza, ; Pilon, Buisson, & Durigan, ; Silva, Oliveira, Rocha, & Vieira, ; Silva & Vieira, ). However, active savanna restoration is challenging due to the high cost of controlling exotic grasses (Breed, Lowe, & Mortimer, ) and the unavailability of commercial propagules (vegetative material or seeds) of native plants, especially grasses, forbs and shrubs, to replace exotics (Pilon et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, restoration scientists and practitioners have developed and tested several methods to actively restore these ecosystems (Ferreira, Walter, & Vieira, ; Pereira, Laura, & Souza, ; Pilon, Buisson, & Durigan, ; Silva, Oliveira, Rocha, & Vieira, ; Silva & Vieira, ). However, active savanna restoration is challenging due to the high cost of controlling exotic grasses (Breed, Lowe, & Mortimer, ) and the unavailability of commercial propagules (vegetative material or seeds) of native plants, especially grasses, forbs and shrubs, to replace exotics (Pilon et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abandoned pastures cannot spontaneously recover the attributes of old‐growth savannas

Cava

Pilon

Ribeiro

et al. 2017

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Active restoration strategies have been recommended to recover Neotropical savannas in abandoned lands, but no studies have investigated the trajectories and speeds of spontaneous recovery for these systems. Research into the dynamics of degraded savannas is urgently needed to guide restoration decision making. We analysed the dynamics of secondary savannas in the Brazilian Cerrado by sampling 29 abandoned pastures (time since abandonment ranging from 3 to 25 years) and applying the space‐for‐time substitution method. We modelled the temporal changes in plant community attributes and estimated the time (years) required for these attributes to match those of two reference ecosystems (three replicates each), old‐growth savanna and a forest‐type savanna, which had encroached following fire suppression (encroached savanna). We also analysed the plant community composition of the study sites. Our models showed that tree canopy cover, richness and density rapidly increased with time since pasture abandonment, easily surpassing the values of the old‐growth savanna (28 years) and reaching the values of encroached savanna 49 years after abandonment. The cover and richness of the ground layer increased at a much slower pace. Since the species in this layer, including the exotic grasses, are shade intolerant, they will be eliminated by canopy closure over time. Up to 25 years after abandonment, secondary savannas continued to lack many (37%) old‐growth savanna species, mostly from the ground layer (82% of grasses absent). This period was also not sufficient for the secondary savannas to become floristically similar to the encroached savannas, which are dominated by shade‐tolerant tree species. Synthesis and applications. Despite the reported high natural regeneration of Neotropical savanna vegetation, abandoned pastures will not spontaneously return to an old‐growth savanna state. Protected from fire and lacking the native ground layer, the end state of secondary savannas will be a low‐diversity forest. If restoration goals include the recovery of old‐growth savanna biodiversity and structure, interventions are required to prevent woody encroachment and reintroduce native grasses, forbs and shrubs. However, if the desirable endpoint is a low‐diversity forest, passive restoration (non‐intervention) and fire protection are appropriate.

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Restoring Brazilian savanna ground layer vegetation by topsoil and hay transfer

Cited by 56 publications

References 40 publications

Active rehabilitation of Amazonian sand mines converges soils, plant communities and environmental status to their predisturbance levels

Active rehabilitation of Amazonian sand mines converges soils, plant communities and environmental status to their predisturbance levels

Resilience and restoration of tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and grassy woodlands

Abandoned pastures cannot spontaneously recover the attributes of old‐growth savannas

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