COP 28: Amapá presents an effective method for forest management – ​​News of Brazil

The 28th United Nations Climate Conference (UN), The COP 28, which began on Thursday, November 30th, in Dubai, It is an opportunity for the State Government to demonstrate to the world effective policies aimed at the environment. Amapá, considered a reference in forest management, will present at the meeting a panel on sustainable forest management, a model that guarantees minimal impact on the environment and promotes the economy of the managed regions.

To be sustainable, management needs to be economically viable, environmentally correct, and above all, involve society, whether within the managed areas or around them. In this model, only previously selected and authorized trees are removed without significant impacts on the environment.

In a single hectare of tropical forest, which is equivalent to the size of an official football field, there are an average of 400 trees. Of these, during management cycles – which can be from 10 to 35 years – only 4 trees are removed, at most. In cases of species with more volume, such as the red angelim, only one tree is removed.

Respect for the forest recovery cycle

Sustainable forest management follows the forest recovery cycle. It is not permitted to cut a greater number of trees than was permitted nor to obtain more volume than was authorized.

The longer the cycle, the longer the forest recovery time. The cutting intensity depends on the number of trees that can be removed per m³. In industrial management, which uses machinery, the cycle occurs as follows:

25 years – intensity of 21.5 m³ per hectare

30 years – intensity of 28.5 m³ per hectare

35 years – intensity of 30 m³ per hectare

The forest management area is debt for the cycle. If the cycle is 30 years, then there will be 30 units of annual production, with techniques and good practices to further reduce impacts on the forest.

“A well-managed forest can remain productive for eternity. The wood product is infinite”explains the director of Environmental Development at the State Secretariat for the Environment (Sema), Marcos Almeida.

Forest incentive

A tree, when managed, generates clearings, areas exposed to sunlight. In this area there is a bank of seeds that are dispersed by adult and fertile trees. With sunlight, these seeds germinate and start new trees. First the pioneers, then the late ones, then the climaxes. In 30 years, the longest cycle, the vegetation cover is already completely complete.

“When you manage the forest, you induce forest dynamics, removing an adult, older tree, where a new one will grow, stimulating natural regeneration”highlights Almeida.

Climate regulation

The forests of Amapá are dated between 300 and 500 years old. A mature forest cannot absorb as much carbon from the atmosphere as a young forest, which has greater absorption power. The structure of wood is composed almost entirely of carbon, which is why management also helps with climate regulation.

“The new forest requires more CO² absorption. For a tree to form, it needs carbon, so it takes this polluting gas from the atmosphere, as well as other greenhouse gases and carbon monoxide, incorporating it into its structure.”details the director of Sema.

The managed areas help to dissipate carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and function as climate regulators, the carbon cycle, the water cycle and the hydrological cycle. They carry out evapotranspiration, where they emit water into the atmosphere, strengthening biodiversity.

Forest management is not deforestation

Deforestation is the total rotation of the forest area, where all the trees are removed. In management, the cutting is selective and the vegetation is not completely removed, without any damage to the fauna.

“When you return to a management area years later, you can see the birds singing and the jaguars walking. Now if it’s deforestation, you won’t have any animals there anymore, because the forest was removed, and it is synonymous with life.”highlights the director.

Community management

In addition to industrial management, there is also community management. In it, the community is responsible for governance, which must participate in all stages of forest management, such as pre-exploratory, exploratory, post-exploratory and administrative management. In Amapá, there is currently no management plan along these lines.

For the director of Environmental Development at Sema, this is a very strong agenda in the state, where several cooperatives have approached the Government to ensure the implementation of this forest management model.

“We really believe in this forest management model. Social participation is from the beginning to the end of the process. There is no obligation for cooperatives to pay to the state. The State creates conditions, training, training and social organization for these entities, so that over the years they can acquire their own machinery and supply legal wood to the state and other markets”explains Almeida.

In community management, which is carried out without the presence of machinery, every 10 years, the intensity is 10m³ per hectare.

Amaparque Project

Focusing on biodiversity and preservation of urban wetlands in the Amazon, Amaparque is an important socio-environmental and urban project developed by the State Government during its management of the Metropolitan Region, covering the municipalities of Macapá, Santana and Mazagão.

With the continuity of the current management, the project will bring well-being to the communities, generate employment opportunities, improve the health, safety and income of the population, in addition to attracting tourism to the region in an environmentally sustainable way.

There are 6.5 thousand hectares for the creation of a Conservation Unit and Ramsar Site, with urban interventions to protect wetlands. The objective is to reconcile the needs of the local population with the process of reversing the environmental degradation of the Ressaca areas of the Igarapé da Fortaleza Hydrographic Basin.

COP 28

The COP (Conference of the Parties) is a meeting between member countries of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In it, heads of states, other government authorities and civil society organizations debate solutions to contain global warming and create sustainable alternatives for life on the planet.

In 2023, the 28th edition of the COP will take place in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The event will address the actions of each country regarding the preservation of the environment and the fight against greenhouse gases in the planet’s atmosphere.

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