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Assessment of a large watershed in Brazil using Emergy Evaluation and Geographical Information System

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  • Agostinho, Feni
  • Ambrósio, Luís Alberto
  • Ortega, Enrique

Abstract

Humanity's future depends on the preservation of natural ecosystems that supply resources and absorb pollutants. Rural and urban productions are currently based on chemical products made from petroleum, which are responsible for high negative impacts on the Biosphere. In order to prevent those impacts, efficient public policies seeking for sustainable development are necessary. Aiming to assess the load on the environment (considering the gratuitous contributions of natural systems—a donor's perspective) due to human-dominated process, a scientific tool called Emergy Evaluation has been applied in different production systems, including crops and farms. However, there is still a lack of emergy studies in the context of watersheds, probably due to the difficulty of collecting raw data. The present work aims to carry out an assessment of Mogi-Guaçu and Pardo watershed, through the combined use of Emergy Evaluation and Geographical Information System. The agricultural and natural land uses were considered, while urban areas were excluded. Emergy flows (expressed in seJha−1yr−1) obtained for all agricultural and natural land uses were expanded for the whole watershed and the emergy indices were calculated. The results show that the watershed has: low renewability (%R=32%); low capture of natural resources through high external economic investment (EYR=1.86); low dependence on natural resources (EIR=1.16); and moderate load on the environment (ELR=2.08). Considering a scenario where sugar-cane crops, orchards and pasture areas are converted from conventional to organic management, watershed's emergy performance improved, reaching a new renewability of 38%, but it is still not enough to be considered sustainable.

Suggested Citation

  • Agostinho, Feni & Ambrósio, Luís Alberto & Ortega, Enrique, 2010. "Assessment of a large watershed in Brazil using Emergy Evaluation and Geographical Information System," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(8), pages 1209-1220.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:221:y:2010:i:8:p:1209-1220
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2009.12.019
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    2. Agostinho, Feni & Almeida, Cecília M.V.B. & Bonilla, Silvia H. & Sacomano, José B. & Giannetti, Biagio F., 2013. "Urban solid waste plant treatment in Brazil: Is there a net emergy yield on the recovered materials?," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 143-155.
    3. Agostinho, F. & Oliveira, M.W. & Pulselli, F.M. & Almeida, C.M.V.B. & Giannetti, B.F., 2019. "Emergy accounting as a support for a strategic planning towards a regional sustainable milk production," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    4. Xiumei Xu & Chao Feng & Yongshan Du & Qimeng Wang & Gaige Zhang & Yicheng Huang, 2022. "Evaluating the sustainability of a tourism system based on emergy accounting and emergetic ternary diagrams: a case study of the Xinjiang Kanas tourism area," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6731-6787, May.
    5. Wu, Zhilong & Dai, Xuhuan & Li, Bo & Hou, Ying, 2021. "Livelihood consequences of the Grain for Green Programme across regional and household scales: A case study in the Loess Plateau," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    6. Ferraro, D.O. & Benzi, P., 2015. "A long-term sustainability assessment of an Argentinian agricultural system based on emergy synthesis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 306(C), pages 121-129.
    7. Oliveira, M. & Zucaro, A. & Santagata, R. & Ulgiati, S., 2022. "Environmental assessment of milk production from local to regional scales," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 463(C).
    8. Agostinho, Feni & Ortega, Enrique, 2012. "Integrated food, energy and environmental services production as an alternative for small rural properties in Brazil," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 103-114.
    9. Giannetti, B.F. & Ogura, Y. & Bonilla, S.H. & Almeida, C.M.V.B., 2011. "Emergy assessment of a coffee farm in Brazilian Cerrado considering in a broad form the environmental services, negative externalities and fair price," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 104(9), pages 679-688.
    10. Xiaobin Dong & Yufang Zhang & Weijia Cui & Bin Xun & Baohua Yu & Sergio Ulgiati & Xinshi Zhang, 2011. "Emergy-Based Adjustment of the Agricultural Structure in a Low-Carbon Economy in Manas County of China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 4(9), pages 1-15, September.
    11. Arbault, Damien & Rugani, Benedetto & Tiruta-Barna, Ligia & Benetto, Enrico, 2014. "A first global and spatially explicit emergy database of rivers and streams based on high-resolution GIS-maps," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 281(C), pages 52-64.
    12. Dong, X.B. & Yu, B.H. & Brown, M.T. & Zhang, Y.S. & Kang, M.Y. & Jin, Y. & Zhang, X.S. & Ulgiati, S., 2014. "Environmental and economic consequences of the overexploitation of natural capital and ecosystem services in Xilinguole League, China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 767-780.
    13. Scarpelin, Juliano & Agostinho, Feni Dalano Roosevelt & de Almeida, Cecília Maria Villas Bôas & Giannetti, Biagio Fernando & Dias, Lívia Cristina Pinto, 2022. "Valuation of losses and damages resulting from the Fundão's dam failure: An emergy perspective," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 471(C).
    14. Jianying Feng & Jing Wang & Xiaoshuan Zhang & Fengtao Zhao & Radoslava Kanianska & Dong Tian, 2015. "Design and Implementation of Emergy-Based Sustainability Decision Assessment System for Protected Grape Cultivation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(10), pages 1-24, October.

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