Eduardo Malta Campos Filho eduardomalta@socioambiental.org

Www.yikatuxingu.org.br

Mechanized seeding of

forests in Xingu,

Central Brazil New Haven - January 2012

Xingu

watershed

Watershed Area: 51,1

millions of hectares

Xingu

headwaters 17,7 million

hectares

Water Resources & Biodiversity

Xingu River

Sociodiversity on the Xingu headwaters

18 indigenous ethnies, different cultures and languages

Migration from other parts of Brasil since the 1980s

Different cultures Different relations

natural resources with the

Inadequate & Illegal Deforestation

300,000 hectares of degraded riparian areas

1st  Key  was  to  find  a  regional  consensus:    the  Water  

Save  the  Good  Water  of  Xingu  

Big  Land  Owners  &  Small  Land  Owners  &  Indigenous  People  Rural  Unions  &  NGOs  &  Government  

A  Campaign  of  Shared  SocioEnvironmental  Responsibility  

2nd  Key:    3  pillars   Forest  

Restoration  Agroforest  Education  

Regional  articulation

Agroforestry

Culture

Actions  on  the  ground  

Sensibilization  &  Information  

Gather  NGOs,  Communities  

&  Public  Policies  

We  offer  a  “Menu”  

Indigenous  People      Small  Land  Owners      For  Big  Land  Owners  

Manual  Labor  available  

Manual  Labor  unavailable  

3rd  Key:  Participatory  planning  

Techniques:  Seedlings,  Direct  Seeding,  Regrowth,  Enrichment    Goals:  for  fruits,  for  timber,  for  legality,  for  beauty,    ILPF,  Pequi+cattle,  Rubber+cassava,  Rubber+regrowth...      

Agroforestry    

Mechanization  and  Regrowth  

Regrowth (may be not effective in the long run)

+ Enrichment (much better)

“Agroforesta+on”  

Smallholder in Cerrado (Brazilian Savannah)

Beggining:  

 Pilot  Projects  funded  by  Na+onal  &  Interna+onal  Coopera+on  funds  for  the  environment    

Now:  

→    Farmers'  resources:  inves&ng  on  their  own  

→    Carbon  Sink  +  PES:  investment  from  private  ins&tu&ons  in  marke&ng  

 

Financial  Resources  

A)  Technical  assistance  

B)  Seeds  

C)  Fences  

D)  Big  Nurseries  

How  do  we  apply  the  financial  resources?  

Forest  Restoration  in  Xingu    

4th  Key:  Direct  Seeding  

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Seedlings

Direct  Seeding

Regrowth

(hectares)

Campaign  Y  Ikatu  Xingu    6  years'  results    

Seedlings  →  400  hectares    

Direct  Seeding  →  1,000  hectares    

Regrowth  →    1,000  hectares      2,400  hectares    211  landholders  (of  all  sizes)    

23  municipalities  

450Km  Range  

Techniques'  

“popularity”  

Iversidade  Socioambiental  

3rd  Key:  Valorization  of  Cultures  

Indians'  know-­‐how:  tree  direct  seeding    

Imigrants'  know-­‐how:  Mechanized  seeding  

=>Mechanized  planting  of  native  forests  

Muvuca – Mix of Seeds and Substrate

Mixing seeds with sand

Muvuca ready to plant Loading Muvuca

Breaking dormancy (hot water – cool water)

Muvuca  Seed  Composition    

30  seeds  of  native  tree  species  /  m2    

 +  

10  crop  &  green  manure  seeds  /  m2      

 

5  fast-­‐growing  tree  species  

40  –  55  non-­‐pioneer  tree  species  

Seeding  Density  

Seeding  Richness  

Mechanized  Seeding    

Adaptable  to  different  machines  and  plan7ng  systems:  

Tillage  Launching  machine  

Non-­‐7llage  In-­‐line  grain-­‐sowing  machine  

1 month – in-line machine 1 month – launching machine

3 months – in-line machine 3 months– launching machine

1  year:  in-­‐line   3.5  years:  launched  

3.5  years:  launched   3.5  years:  launched  

Direct  seeding   Seedling  

30,000  trees/ha  in  the  1st  year  

High  ini+al  density  →  herbivores  adjust  density  as  “restora+on  gardeners”  

1,700  trees/ha  in  the  1st  year  

Ini+al  density  is  lower  than  expected  final  density  →  herbivores  are  “barriers  to  restora+on”  

3-­‐5  layers  of  plants  allows  diffuse  light  in  the  vegeta+on    

→    be[er  rainfall  absorp+on              →  heterogenous  habitat  with  many  niches  

1  grass  layer  shades  too  homogenously  

→  low  water  absorp+on  capacity  →  one  habitat,  one  niche    

flower  and  fruit  produc+on  since  3rd  month  →  rich  net  of  biological  interac+ons  

Only  grasses  flower  and  fruit  produc+on  un+l  3rd  year  →  poor  net  of  biological  interac+ons  

Direct  seeding   Seedling    Young  tree's  roots  develop  without  traumas    

–>  deeper  roots  

→  more  resistant  to  droughts  

–>  be[er  soil  decompression    

Seedlings'  roots  oaen  suffer  traumas    

→  shallow  roots    

→  less  resistant  to  droughts  

→  slow  soil  decompression    

Homogenous  biomass  →    poor  nutrient  cycling  →    slow  soil  restora+on                                                    

           

 

Diversified  biomass  →  enhanced  nutrient  cycling    →    fast  soil  restora+on    

5  years  monitoring  results  

5,000  to  20,000  trees  /  hectare  0.5  to  20  trees  /  m2  

1  –  10%  Germination  +  Survival  Rate   30  -­‐  45    species  germinate  &  survive  in  each  project  →  Need  research!    

 US$  600  –  US$  1,000  /  hectare  (isolation  costs  excluded)  

 

Density  

Richness  

Costs  

www.sementesdoxingu.org.br  

Xingu  Seed  Network  

www.sementesdoxingu.org.br

Xingu  Seed  Network  evolution  Year   People   Tons  of  

seeds  Number  of  species  

2006   15   2   74  

2007   55   3   92  

2008   90   5   131  

2009   180   9   166  

2010   250   14   186  

2011   300   20   203  

Xingu Seed Network

15 groups / 25 communities indigenous and land reform settlers

Participatory pricing of seeds during the annual reunion (from U$0.,30 – U$200 / Kg)

53 tons of 203 species native forest seeds

www.sementesdoxingu.org.br

Xingu Seed Network

Money Distribution US$ 250,000 transferred to indigenous communities

and smallholders

Positive relationship between Indians, smallholders and large-scale

landholders

www.sementesdoxingu.org.br

Remunerating Forest Keepers people who preserve native forests

www.sementesdoxingu.org.br

Regional meetings

Local workshops

Annual reunions

Connection to other

Networks

Publishing traditional knowledge

Scholar Seed

Festivals Rotating Fund for

the groups

Commercialization

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A r aguaiaA r aguaiadododoá r  v ore sá r  v ore sá r  v ore sa s

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A r aguaia  

A r aguaiae

A r aguaiadododoá r  v ore sá r  v ore sX inguá r  v ore sá r  v ore sá r  v ore sá r  v ore sa sa sP la n te

Manual  doplant ador

Important  Network  Rules  

 

-­‐  Collectors  also  restore  their  own  land    

-­‐  Collect  maximum  half  the  seeds  from  each  tree  

-­‐  Take  note  of  number  of  trees  and  places  collected  

-­‐  Demand-­‐oriented  collection  of  seeds  

Other  lessons  learned...  

1)  Work  with  local  communities  for  seed  collection  →  and seed-technology

2)  The  land  owners  plan  &  plant  →  the best capacity-building process

3)  Include  native  trees  as  seeds  in  local  crops  →  must start from the point where the farmer is

4)  Local  leaders  present  the  work  to  the  local  society  

5)  Develop  value-­‐chains  for  forest  products  

Some  Supporters  

Socioenvironmental is just one word

SocioEnvironmental balance. Think well before using it.