Do you know why we are developing a biomass/carbon map?

Of course for some of us is too logical to think about the importance of having a biomass map! But do you actually know where we can apply these maps?

We can explore carbon cycle, estimate the emissions of carbon dioxide by land use change and study which environmental factors contribute the most in biomass increase. Besides that, we have some political instruments, like REDD+ and national inventories, that need a reference to estimate Brazilian emissions and to stablish goals of deforestation reduction and prices for carbon market.

EBA Group has participated of the Third National Communication in the LULUCF sector (Land Use and Land Use Change and Forests) improving the biomass maps for all brazilian biomes (Amazônia, Mata Atlântica, Cerrado, Pantanal, Pampa e Caatinga) and the factors used to estimate the losses and gains of carbon.

Let us explain a little bit how it works.

Where the vegetation was taken off, we have loss of carbon – so we have to associate to a biomass/carbon map – and, of course the stock of the new use (like an agriculture has its stock of carbon too, even if it is probably smaller then a grown forest…). Where the vegetation was once taken off but then it was left for regeneration, it works like a sink of carbon, because the trees start growing and fixing carbon. The sum of these emissions and absorptions of carbon results in the estimative of balance of emissions of the country in the sector of land use and land use change and forest.

If you want to learn more about national inventories, we can look in http://sirene.mcti.gov.br/.