Research Area: Land Use Planning and Biological Inventory

Iracambi works with local farmers to identify existing land use and catalog the forest fragments to assist in the elaboration of a land use plan. 

Iracambi lies in the area that has the largest remnant of the Atlantic Rainforest in Minas Gerais, the core of which is the Serra do Brigadeiro State Park, about 13,000 hectares. In addition, there are three municipal conservation areas, plus Iracambi’s own private reserve. To date, no systematic plan has been made as to how these areas should be conserved and of what could or should be done to conserve the many other fragments outside the declared conservation areas. Iracambi has already built up a Geographic Information System (GIS) covering its own land, and is now working on extending this to the surrounding area. We aim eventually to cover the whole 200 km sq of Iracambi's area of influence.

Objective:

• To map the region according to land use and soil types, and to inventory the biodiversity in remaining forest fragments in order to create a land management scheme for rehabilitating degraded lands. The focus of the work will be on:
  
• Mapping current and potential land use; identify remaining forest fragments and land and water resource degradation hot-spots;
  
• Evaluating alternative uses that enhance the potential for rehabilitation;
  
• Identifying critical fragments and patches of degraded lands with a view to acquiring them and putting them under conservation management;
  
• Studying population dynamics and do inventories of existing forest fragments to determine which patches hold the largest biodiversity and population sizes;
  
• Assisting local Government in preparing a plan that indicates measures and policies that will synchronize sustainable smallholder livelihoods and conservation.
  

Activities:

• Working with local farmers and local government in Environmental Protection Areas (APA) to identify existing land use and thereby elaborate management plans for the APA;
• Inventorying biodiversity in to create a picture of the state of the ecosystem and to identify critical areas in need of special conservation care;
• Using and developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) as a planning and educational tool;
• Participatory mapping for land use education within the local community

Outcome:

• A sustainable development land use plan;
  
• A biodiversity conservation plan;
  
• A snapshot of current land use;
  
• A snapshot of the current state of biodiversity conservation, both to be a baseline for monitoring future changes.
  

 Papers:

Biological Studies

Planning and Protected Areas

  Coffee

Agroecology Studies: