Impact of different land use options on carbon sequestration

Brazil’s contribution to climate change scenario has been remarkably due to greenhouse gases emissions from land use and land use change activities. In particular case of Brazilian Amazon, changes in land use affect the amount of carbon held in the vegetation and soil. This book contains research findings from a study designed to understand the financial performance of alternative land use and forestry activities to small landholders in Brazilian Amazon with the target of enhancing carbon content in cleared and non-productive areas. Different structures of agroforestry systems as options for carbon sequestration services are analyzed, particularly in relation to income generation for small farmers. Further, specific scenarios were used to explore the impact of some economic and ecological risks that may presumably affect systems’ feasibility. The study concludes that agroforestry systems provide a viable combination of carbon storage through enhanced growth of fruit and woody trees. In addition, the results support the view that the presence of carbon payments would contribute to alleviate the losses from decreased yields. The study ends with some policy recommendations for the implementation of carbon programs for smallholders in rural areas in Brazilian Amazon.