Saracura-Mirá, a Proposed Brazilian Amazonian Adaptogen from Ampelozizyphus amazonicus

The Amazon Forest is known all over the world for its diversity and exuberance, and for sheltering several indigenous groups and other traditional communities. There, as well as in several other countries, in traditional medical systems, weakness, fatigue and debility are seen as limiting health conditions where medicinal plants are often used in a non-specific way to improve body functions. This review brings together literature data on Ampelozizyphus amazonicus, commonly known in Brazil as “saracura-mirá” and/or “cerveja de índio”, as an Amazonian adaptogen, including some contributions from the authors based on their ethnographic and laboratory experiences. Topics such as botany, chemistry, ethnopharmacological and pharmacological aspects that support the adaptogen character of this plant, as well as cultivation, market status and supply chain aspects are discussed, and the gaps to establish “saracura-mirá” as an ingredient for the pharmaceutical purposes identified. The revised data presented good scientific evidence supporting the use of this Amazonian plant as a new adaptogen. Literature data also reveal that a detailed survey on natural populations of this plant is needed, as well as agronomical studies that could furnish A. amazonicus bark as a raw material. Another important issue is the lack of developed quality control methods to assure its quality assessment.

The “New Transamazonian Highway”: BR-319 and Its Current Environmental Degradation

The Brazilian government intends to complete the paving of the BR-319 highway, which connects Porto Velho in the deforestation arc region with Manaus in the middle of the Amazon Forest. This paving is being planned despite environmental legislation, and there is concern that its effectiveness will cause additional deforestation, threatening large portions of forest, conservation units (CUs), and indigenous lands (ILs) in the surrounding areas. In this study, we evaluated environmental degradation along the BR-319 highway from 2008 to 2020 and verified whether highway maintenance has contributed to deforestation. For this purpose, we created a 20 km buffer adjacent to the BR-319 highway and evaluated variables extracted from remote sensing information between 2008 and 2020. Fire foci, burned areas, and rainfall data were used to calculate a drought index using statistical tests for a time series. Furthermore, these were related to data on deforestation, CUs, and ILs using principal component analysis and Pearson’s correlation. Our results showed that 743 km2 of forest was deforested during the period evaluated, most of which occurred in the last four years. A total of 16,472 fire foci were identified. Both deforestation and fire foci occurred mainly outside the CUs and ILs. The most affected areas were close to capital cities, and after resuming road maintenance in 2015, deforestation increased outside the capital cities. Current government policy for Amazon occupation promotes deforestation and will compromise Brazil’s climate goals of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and deforestation.

Brazilian Mangroves: Blue Carbon Hotspots of National and Global Relevance to Natural Climate Solutions

Mangroves are known for large carbon stocks and high sequestration rates in biomass and soils, making these intertidal wetlands a cost-effective strategy for some nations to compensate for a portion of their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. However, few countries have the national-level inventories required to support the inclusion of mangroves into national carbon credit markets. This is the case for Brazil, home of the second largest mangrove area in the world but lacking an integrated mangrove carbon inventory that captures the diversity of coastline types and climatic zones in which mangroves are present. Here we reviewed published datasets to derive the first integrated assessment of carbon stocks, carbon sequestration rates and potential CO2eq emissions across Brazilian mangroves. We found that Brazilian mangroves hold 8.5% of the global mangrove carbon stocks (biomass and soils combined). When compared to other Brazilian vegetated biomes, mangroves store up to 4.3 times more carbon in the top meter of soil and are second in biomass carbon stocks only to the Amazon forest. Moreover, organic carbon sequestration rates in Brazilian mangroves soils are 15–30% higher than recent global estimates; and integrated over the country’s area, they account for 13.5% of the carbon buried in world’s mangroves annually. Carbon sequestration in Brazilian mangroves woody biomass is 10% of carbon accumulation in mangrove woody biomass globally. Our study identifies Brazilian mangroves as a major global blue carbon hotspot and suggest that their loss could potentially release substantial amounts of CO2. This research provides a robust baseline for the consideration of mangroves into strategies to meet Brazil’s intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

PRODUÇÃO DE MÓVEIS RÚSTICOS COM MADEIRA RESIDUAL DA FLORESTA AMAZÔNICA

A exploração madeireira e as conversões de áreas de florestas para uso alternativo do solo na região Amazônica, em especial no estado do Amapá, resultam em grandes quantidades de madeira residual que em geral são abandonadas em campo. Essa problemática da geração de resíduos florestais e principalmente do desperdício e da falta de alternativas para o seu uso apropriado, resultou nesta proposta de pesquisa que teve como objetivo a produção de móveis rústicos artesanais como uma alternativa para o uso da madeira residual da floresta Amazônica. Foram coletados resíduos de madeira deixados no campo após a colheita de floresta Amazônica manejada, destinando-os à fabricação de mobiliário rústico, obtendo como resultado final os seguintes protótipos: banco peça de tora única, balcão para barzinho, aparador de madeira, pia de madeira, mesinha de centro com tampo de madeira, mesinha de centro com tampo de vidro. Foi testada a viabilidade técnica para fabricação artesanal das peças de mobiliário utilizando máquinas e ferramentas portáteis. Os resíduos de madeira se mostraram excelente fonte de matéria-prima para movelaria rústica possibilitando múltiplas alternativas de designs, apesar de certas dificuldades terem sido evidenciadas no decorrer do processo como: peso, dureza, orientação da grã da madeira, entre outras que, no entanto, não impossibilitaram a produção dos móveis. O uso da madeira residual para fabricação de móveis rústicos pode se constituir num novo e empreendedor negócio para a região Amazônica, contribuindo para a geração de renda local. Verificou-se que o método empregado proporcionou a produção de móveis originais, o que agrega valor à sua comercialização. Palavras-chave: trabalho artesanal; empreendedorismo; projeto. Rustic furniture production with wood residues from the Amazon forest ABSTRACT: Harvesting and conversions of forest areas to alternative land use in the Amazon region, especially in the Amapá state, result in large amounts of wood residues that are generally abandoned. This problem about the forest residues and mainly of its loss and the lack of alternatives for its proper use, resulted in this research proposal that aimed to produce handcrafted rustic furniture as an alternative to the use of wood residues from the Amazon forest. Wood residues left in the field after harvesting the managed Amazon forest were collected and destined for the manufacture of rustic furniture, obtaining the following prototypes as a final result: log bench, bar counter, wood dresser, wood sink, coffee table with wood top, coffee table with glass top. The technical feasibility of handcrafting furniture pieces using portable machines and tools were tested. Wood residues proved to be an excellent source of raw material for rustic furniture, enabling multiple design alternatives, although certain difficulties were evidenced during the process such as: weight, hardness, wood grain orientation, among others that did not prevent the furniture production. The use of wood residues to rustic furniture manufacture can constitute a new and entrepreneurial business for the Amazon region, contributing to the generation of local income. It was found that the method used provided the production of original furniture, which adds value to its marketing. Keywords: artisan work; entrepreneurship; design.

Deforestation Detection with Fully Convolutional Networks in the Amazon Forest from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Images

The availability of remote-sensing multisource data from optical-based satellite sensors has created new opportunities and challenges for forest monitoring in the Amazon Biome. In particular, change-detection analysis has emerged in recent decades to monitor forest-change dynamics, supporting some Brazilian governmental initiatives such as PRODES and DETER projects for biodiversity preservation in threatened areas. In recent years fully convolutional network architectures have witnessed numerous proposals adapted for the change-detection task. This paper comprehensively explores state-of-the-art fully convolutional networks such as U-Net, ResU-Net, SegNet, FC-DenseNet, and two DeepLabv3+ variants on monitoring deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon. The networks’ performance is evaluated experimentally in terms of Precision, Recall, F1-score, and computational load using satellite images with different spatial and spectral resolution: Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2. We also include the results of an unprecedented auditing process performed by senior specialists to visually evaluate each deforestation polygon derived from the network with the highest accuracy results for both satellites. This assessment allowed estimation of the accuracy of these networks simulating a process “in nature” and faithful to the PRODES methodology. We conclude that the high resolution of Sentinel-2 images improves the segmentation of deforestation polygons both quantitatively (in terms of F1-score) and qualitatively. Moreover, the study also points to the potential of the operational use of Deep Learning (DL) mapping as products to be consumed in PRODES.

Harpy Eagle Harpia harpyja nest activity patterns: Potential ecotourism and conservation opportunities in the Amazon Forest

Summary Tourism can be a powerful tool for wildlife conservation if well controlled and responsibly managed. Apex predators constitute particularly attractive subjects for tourism, but simultaneously they may generate conflict with local communities. Harpy Eagles Harpia harpyja are the largest eagle species and are highly sought-after by ecotourists. The last stronghold of the Harpy Eagle is the Amazon Forest, which is being deforested for cattle ranching. We tested methods for developing Harpy Eagle ecotourism as a potential tool to harmonize these issues. Using camera traps, we collected data on timing of Harpy Eagle visits to their nests, as well as on probabilities of viewing an eagle. Harpy Eagles can only be seen predictably during the first 12 of the 30–36 month nest cycle. In nests with nestlings (up to 5–7 months), adults are visible on a daily basis, and this period lasts 16.6% of the nesting cycle, demanding a minimum of 13, 17, and 26 nests to have at least one nest with a nestling on 90%, 95% and 99% of the days. After this 5–7 month window, we found that two and 4.16 days spent at nests afforded high probabilities of sighting a fledgling or adult eagle, respectively. Harpy Eagles were mainly active at the beginning and the end of the day. Activity core lasted 6.5 decimal hours for adults, peaking at 10h00, and 7.45 decimal hours for fledged eagles, peaking at 15h00. Our results demonstrate that Harpy Eagles fit several criteria for a viable wildlife attraction: predictable in activity and location, viewable, and diurnal, even though at the same time they are considered a rarity. In a broader perspective, Harpy Eagle tourism shows every indication of being a significant tool for more robust rainforest conservation.

Qualifying the Information Detected from Airborne Laser Scanning to Support Tropical Forest Management Operational Planning

(1) Background: Forests throughout the world are managed to fulfil a range of commercial and ecosystem services. The same applies to managed areas of the Amazon forest. We explore a method of sustainable forest management (SFM) which anticipates the result of processes of natural mortality of large, mature trees that could fall and damage their neighbors. Collecting all the information required for planning logging in the Brazilian Amazon is, currently, a hard, time-consuming and expensive task. (2) Methods: This information can be obtained more quickly, accurately and objectively by including airborne laser scanning (ALS) products in the operational plan. We used ALS point clouds to isolate emergent crowns from the canopy height model. Then, we performed field work to validate the existence of these trees, and to understand how many commercial trees (tree diameter ≥ 50 cm) we identified by orienting the trees search through the emergent canopy model. (3) Results: We were able to detect 184 (54.4%) trees from 338 field-recorded individuals in 20 plots (totaling 8 ha). Of the detected trees, 66 individuals were classified as having potential for commerce. Furthermore, 58 individuals presented the best stem quality for logging, which represents more than seven high quality commercial trees per hectare. The logistic regression showed that the effects that positively influence the emergent crown formation are strongly presented in the commercial species. (4) Conclusions: Using airborne laser scanning can improve the SFM planning in a structurally complex, dense and mixed composition tropical forest by reducing field work in the initial stages of management. Therefore, we propose that ALS operational planning can be used to more efficiently direct field surveys without the need for a full census.

Representation of phosphorus cycle in Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (vn5.5_JULES-CNP)

Most Land Surface Models (LSMs), the land components of Earth system models (ESMs), include representation of N limitation on ecosystem productivity. However only few of these models have incorporated phosphorus (P) cycling. In tropical ecosystems, this is likely to be particularly important as N tends to be abundant but the availability of rock-derived elements, such as P, can be very low. Thus, without a representation of P cycling, tropical forest response in areas such as Amazonia to rising atmospheric CO2 conditions remains highly uncertain. In this study, we introduced P dynamics and its interactions with the N and carbon (C) cycles into the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES). The new model (JULES-CNP) includes the representation of P stocks in vegetation and soil pools, as well as key processes controlling fluxes between these pools. We evaluate JULES-CNP at the Amazon nutrient fertilization experiment (AFEX), a low fertility site, representative of about 60 % of Amazon soils. We apply the model under ambient CO2 and elevated CO2. The model is able to reproduce the observed plant and soil P pools and fluxes under ambient CO2. We estimate P to limit net primary productivity (NPP) by 24 % under current CO2 and by 46 % under elevated CO2. Under elevated CO2, biomass in simulations accounting for CNP increase by 10 % relative to at contemporary CO2, although it is 5 % lower compared with CN and C-only simulations. Our results highlight the potential for high P limitation and therefore lower CO2 fertilization capacity in the Amazon forest with low fertility soils.

Simulation of the Scalar Transport above and within the Amazon Forest Canopy

The parallelized large-eddy simulation model (PALM) was used to understand better the turbulent exchanges of a passive scalar above and within a forested region located in the central Amazon. Weak (2 ms−1) and strong (6 ms−1) wind conditions were simulated. A passive scalar source was introduced to the forest floor for both simulations. The simulations reproduced the main characteristics of the turbulent flow and of the passive scalar transport between the forest and the atmosphere. Noteworthily, strong and weak wind conditions presented different turbulence structures that drove different patterns of scalar exchange both within and above the forest. These results show how passive scalar concentration is influenced by the wind speed at the canopy top. Additionally, higher wind speeds are related to stronger sweep and ejection regimes, generating more intense plumes that are able to reduce the passive scalar concentration inside the forest canopy. This work was the first that used PALM to investigate scalar transport between the Amazon rainforest and the atmosphere.