Tropical rainforest regeneration in an area degraded by mining in Mato Grosso State, Brazil
Gold mining has been a major cause of environmental degradation in the rainforests in the north of Mato Grosso State, Brazil. Regulations on mining activity are beginning to be developed, including standards for forest recovery methodologies. This study characterizes natural tropical rainforest regeneration in Matupa County, Mato Grosso State, Brazil.
Research goals & methods
16 plots were surveyed along three transects in a 16-ha area undergoing regeneration. Surveys of vegetation above 0.5m in height were taken 5 months, 18 months, and 36 months after abandonment. Transects were 20m, 40m, and 60m from remnant forest fragment, respectively. The number of individuals, species, families and diversity increased during the time interval studied and decreased with distance from the remnant fragment.
Conclusions & takeaways
These floristic and structural alterations in the community as a whole and in the populations of the most important species, Trema micrantha and Schizolobium amazonicum, showed the tendency of a succession model by facilitation, where these pioneers would be improving the ecological conditions and thus easing the regeneration of late species. Conservation of the forest fragment in the surroundings was essential for the natural regeneration process of the forest in the degraded area.