Deforestation causes the release of carbon stored in trees, plant life and other biomass. Changes in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere can alter the earth's climate system.[1] Climate change could have devastating effects on all ecosystems, but especially on those that are already degraded or threatened. Climate change may affect storm patterns; the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) points out that warming of sea temperatures could intensify tropical storms and hurricanes, increase rainfall over some areas, and generate stronger peak winds.[2] In heavily degraded areas that already suffer from erosion and deforestation, such storms could have devastating results.
The Serra do Brigadeiro Development Territory (SBDT) in situated in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and is one of the first Development Territories to be created in the State of Minas Gerais. It is comprised of nine municipalities around the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park. The Atlantic Forest is only 7% of what it once was; this portion of the Atlantic Forest is only 3% of its original size. The remaining tracts face further deforestation from local farmers who, without feasible alternatives, are unable to support themselves due the rapidly declining soil fertility.
Besides providing important habitat, healthy forests capture carbon dioxide and prevent its release into the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the potential release of stored carbon through deforestation also poses an incredible threat to the earth's stability. Climate change can exacerbate storms, droughts, and irregularities in rainfall patterns. These complex ecosystems are under pressure from local populations who exploit their natural resources for survival. This dependence is putting even greater pressure on this section of the already over-exploited and damaged Atlantic Forest. Soil degradation, erosion and landslides, increased forest fires, contamination of water, and extinction are just some of the common problems resulting from loss of forest.
Around the world, development practitioners and communities are looking for solutions that reconcile the needs of rural farming communities with the preservation of tropical forests. The SBDT is at a pivotal point. The people and the environment of this heavily degraded section of the Atlantic Forest are extremely vulnerable to any extreme conditions. In the SBDT, one major focus is on a payments for ecosystem services (PES) program targeted at increasing the resiliency of the local habitat and the communities which they support.
Ecosystem services are necessary to ensure that an area can withstand harsh weather patterns, such as storms and droughts. Ecosystem-based adaptation strategies, such as agroforestry and reforesting land to offer protection and resilience from storms, demonstrate the alternative benefits from this type of land use project. While mitigation activities help to slow or decrease the effects of climate change, adaptation works to alleviate the impacts that new climate patterns have on the ecosystem.
It is vital that those organizations working in the region cooperate with Atlantic Forest communities to mitigate socioeconomic issues that are exacerbating land degradation problems in a highly sensitive and diverse region. With the increased threat of a shift in climate, land management and conservation activities must be geared toward alleviating existing pressure and increasing habitat connectivity to facilitate the natural adaptation of the concerned region.
[1] IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007a). Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[2] IPCC (2007b). Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.
