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Mapping Land Suitability to Guide Landscape Restoration in the Amazon

Author

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  • René Poccard-Chapuis

    (CIRAD, UMR SELMET, Paragominas 68627-451, Brazil
    Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, 34000 Montpellier, France)

  • Sophie Plassin

    (CIRAD, UMR SELMET, Paragominas 68627-451, Brazil
    INRAE, AGIR, Université de Toulouse, 31326 Castanet-Tolosan, France)

  • Reinis Osis

    (UMR ESO, Le Mans Université, 72085 Le Mans, France
    IX Consult, Itajubá 37501-052, Brazil)

  • Daniel Pinillos

    (Farming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University & Research, 6700 HB Wageningen, The Netherlands
    French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), Agroecology and Sustainable Intensification of Annual Crops (AIDA), University of Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France)

  • Gustavo Martinez Pimentel

    (NUMA, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém 66075-110, Brazil
    Equipe de Conservação da Amazônia (ECAM), Brasília 70070-934, Brazil)

  • Marcelo Cordeiro Thalês

    (Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi (MPEG), Belém 66077-830, Brazil)

  • François Laurent

    (UMR ESO, Le Mans Université, 72085 Le Mans, France)

  • Mario Rodrigo de Oliveira Gomes

    (EMBRAPA Amazônia Oriental, Paragominas 68627-451, Brazil)

  • Laura Angelica Ferreira Darnet

    (CDS, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília 70910-900, Brazil)

  • Jaqueline de Carvalho Peçanha

    (Norte Brasil Consulting, Paragominas 68628-120, Brazil)

  • Marie-Gabrielle Piketty

    (CIRAD, UMR SENS, 34000 Montpellier, France
    SENS, CIRAD, IRD, Univ Paul Valery Montpellier 3, Univ Montpellier, 34000 Montpellier, France)

Abstract

Beyond reducing deforestation, the control of forest degradation, the promotion of forest restoration, and the improvement of agricultural practices in the Brazilian Amazon are becoming increasingly important for sustainable development. To enable farmers and authorities to organize their landscapes and optimize both agricultural practices and the provision of ecosystem services, mapping land suitability is essential, but it is lacking in the region. In this paper, we present a method for mapping land suitability at a fine scale (30-m pixels), adapted to the needs of farmers and municipalities, to not only optimize agricultural production but also the ecosystem services provided by forests. We used topographic data from the Brazilian municipality of Paragominas to produce four maps, one each of soil texture, slope, floodplains, and hydrography, that we then combined into a single land suitability map. This map has been incorporated into a spatial database, which also contains information on land use, remoteness, and land tenure. We performed spatial analyses to measure the process of land use change, and to define indicators that enable local stakeholders to organize landscape restoration. We highlight an organic link between agricultural intensification and forest restoration, and provide a spatial tool for landscape design, assessment, and monitoring.

Suggested Citation

  • René Poccard-Chapuis & Sophie Plassin & Reinis Osis & Daniel Pinillos & Gustavo Martinez Pimentel & Marcelo Cordeiro Thalês & François Laurent & Mario Rodrigo de Oliveira Gomes & Laura Angelica Ferrei, 2021. "Mapping Land Suitability to Guide Landscape Restoration in the Amazon," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-24, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:4:p:368-:d:529134
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    References listed on IDEAS

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