2. Present trends
2.1 Natural vegetation
2.1.1 Deforestation
During the last fifteen years or so there has been many agriculture and colonization programmes which have led to the depletion of large tracts of Amazonian forests. Among them the most important were, in the late sixties and early seventies, the colonization programmes related to the network of transamazonian highways and the recent large-scale ranching projects in the southern part of the Amazonian forest, north of the state of Mato Grosso and south of the state of Pará. Another important example of deforestation has been the clearing of the Araucaria stands of southern Brazil to finally give pace to agriculture, which started already before second World War and has had up to now a relatively stronger impact than the clearing of the amazonian forests (depletion of the Paraná pine stands is analysed in some detail below). Comments and judgements on deforestation in the Brasilian Amazon are found in many documents and many more newspapers and magazines. This literature does not provide unfortunately the factual and quantitative data which could allow for a sound estimation of the magnitude of the problem in terms of affected areas and of the quantitative aspects of degradation and reconstitution of the forest cover. Apparently very few writers seem to have taken the time to carry out the investigation needed for an objective quantitative assessment of the problem.
Broadleaved forests and woodlands
To our knowledge the only published 1 serious study to evaluate deforestation on a large-scale has been performed by the Institute de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE) using Landsat satellite imagery at different dates to evaluate the trends in deforestation (34) (45) (48). One limited study (45) cover two satellite scenes (6.25 million ha approximately) and gives detailed information of the pattern of development of ranches in the northeastern corner of the state of Mato Grosso, at the contact between dense forest and cerrado. The second study is reported in document (48). The area covered is very large - 55.25 million ha - corresponding to 31 satellite scenes. It includes the two scenes of the first study. The two sets of scenes correspond approximately to a 5-years interval (72–73 to 77–78). They cover the western part of Goiás, the northeastern quarter of Mato Grosso, the southeastern part of Para and the northwestern part of Maranhão. It is entirely situated in the southern part of the amazonian forest zone and the northern cerrado area, where deforestation for agriculture - and particularly ranching - is particularly serious. A detailed analysis of the results for each scene and the corresponding RADAMBRASIL vegetation map sheets or the Unesco/C.I.T.V. vegetation map of Latin America has permitted to separate deforestation in the various vegetation types.
Other data on depletion of closed forests in the state of Acre and the territory of Rondonia and some others concerning cerrado types (e.g. (22) (20) (41) (42)) were combined with the analysis of the INPE study to derive overall global estimates of depletion of hardwood forest types for the period 1976–1980.
The impact of agriculture projects on the cerrado stands has been estimated at 900,000 ha of deforested areas per year. To this must be added some 150,000 ha of cerrado stands depleted by the exploitation for charcoal (the rest of the cerrado charcoal being a by-product of the large-scale land-clearing operations for the livestock projects (20)).
As to deforestation for the period 1981–95, the same figures have been taken as for the former quinquenium. Some increase in colonization programmes (whether planned, spontaneous or “induced”) may occur; on the other hand there may be also reduction of forest depletion. For instance cattle raising projects no longer receive fiscal incentives in forested areas, and the interministerial working group on the development of the Amazon recommended recently that the maximum area to be devoted to agriculture be 4%.
The estimates given assume that for closed forests a total amount corresponding to one fourth of the area converted annually to agriculture reverts to “forest fallow” (NHCa). This takes into account the fact that cattle raising projects, which constitutes a (semi)-permanent form of land-use are responsible for a large part of the deforestation, and that there has been in the last years a steady increase in deforestation. This assumption does not conflict with the observation made in document (45) from a sample of sixteen deforested areas covering 135,000 ha that 35% approximately of their total area showed a secondary tree vegetation (“pasture area with secondary arboreal regrowth”).
Parana pine forests
The following data are tentatively reconstructed from various documents mainly “Los bosques de Sudamerica” by K. Hueck, and references (1) (3) (8) and (10).
| Years | Parana state | Other states | Total |
| (climax) | (7650) | (12050) | (19700) |
| 1950 | 2750 | ? | ? |
| 1955 | 2450 | 2350 | 4800 |
| 1964 | 1800 | 1700 | 3500 |
Depletion of Parana pine forests starts generally by an overlogging of the growing stock followed by a complete clearing for agriculture or grazing. To this main cause must be added destruction by fire which can affect every year tens of thousand ha (in 1962 a fire destroyed 500,000 ha of Araucaria stands and other mixed tropical forests, as reported by Hueck in “Los bosques de Sudamerica”).
In the following table rates of depletion for closed forests and woodlands between 76 and 80 and 81 and 85 and resulting areas in 1985 are estimated:
Average annual deforestation
(in thousand ha)
| Periods | |||||
| 1976–80 and | 1981–85 (projections) | ||||
| NHCf1uv | NHCf1uc | NHCf1 | NHCf2 | NHCf | NHc/NHO1 |
| 1030 | 1030 | 330 | 1360 | 1050 | |
| NSf1uv | NSf1uc | NSf1 | NSf2 | NSf | |
| 801 | n.a. | 80 | 40 | 120 | |
The total area of closed forests and productive woodlands deforested annually amounts thus to: 1360 (NHCf) + 120 (NSf) + 1050 (NHc/NHO1) = 2,53 million ha.
The following tables are derived from the similar ones at the end of the year 1980 and using the indications of the preceding section.
Areas of natural woody vegetation for whole of Brazil
estimated at end 1985
(in thousand ha - Total country area = 851,196,000 ha)
| Closed Hardwood Forests | NHCf1 | NHCf2i | NHCf2r | NHCf2 | NHCf | NHCa |
| 295480 | 49350 | 4650 | 54000 | 349480 | 48120 | |
| Coniferous Forests | NSf1 | NSf2i | NSf2r | NSf2 | NSf | NSa |
| 710 | 10 | 720 | 720 | |||
| Woodlands and scrublands | NHc/NHO1 | NHc/NHO2 | NHc/NHO | nH1 | nH2 | nH |
| 111900 | 95300 | 207250 | 19450 | 39300 | 58750 |
The corresponding estimates for growing stock (VOB) and commercialized volume (VAC) are given in the following table:
Growing stock estimated at end 1985
(totals in million m3)
| NHCf1uv | NHCf1uc | NHCf2 | NHCf | ||||||
| VOB | VAC | VOB | VOB | VOB | |||||
| m3/ha | total | m3/ha | total | m3/ha | total | m3/ha | total | total | |
| Amazonian forests | 155 | 42915 | 5 | 1385 | 145 | 870 | 80 | 4320 | 48105 |
| NHCf outside Amazonia | |||||||||
| 195 | 900 | 10 | 45 | 175 | 1310 | 95 | 790 | 3000 | |
| Total NHCf | - | 43815 | - | 1430 | - | 2180 | - | 5110 | 51105 |
| NSfuv | NSf1uc | NSf2=NSf1uc | NSf | ||||||
| VOB | VAC | VOB | VOB | VOB | |||||
| Coniferous forests (NSf) | 350 | 0 | 50 | 0 | (see NSf2) | 100 | 70 | 70 | |
| N.f1uv | N.f1uc | N.fs | N.f | ||||||
| VOB | VAC | VOB | VOB | VOB | |||||
| All closed forests (N.f) | - | 43815 | - | 1430 | - | 2180 | - | 5180 | 51175 |
| VOB | VAC | ||||||||
| Productive woodlands (NHc/NHO1) | 50 | 5600 | 5 | 560 | |||||
The above totals correspond to an area of logged-over forests (NHCf1uc) equal to 6 million ha in the amazonian region and to 7.5 million ha in the southern broadleaved forests.
2.1.2 Degradation
Open woodlands and scrublands are subject to degradation by man in many parts of the country, as in almost all tropical countries. This is particularly true in the densely populated areas of the caatinga region. The main causes are fire, grazing and extraction of wood for domestic uses (in particular fuelwood) which is said to be much in excess of the productivity of the natural woody vegetation of the cerrado and caatinga regions. Wood for the iron industry, as has already been said, is extracted for a large part, in the large-scale land clearing operations of the livestock projects, and this cause is accounted for in deforestation statistics.
2.1.3 Trends in forest utilization
Logging (wood for wood processing industries)
In a world timber trend study carried out by FAO in 1978, the following forecasts were made for 1985 of net removals of wood for wood processing undustries:
| Category | Natural forests (million m3) | Plantations (million m3) | Total (million m3) |
| Broadleaved | 11.7 | 17.6 | 29.3 |
| Coniferous | 1 | 22.0 | 22.0 |
| Broadleaved+Coniferous | >11.7 | 39.6 | >51.3 |
When comparing this table, though incomplete, to the similar one given in paragraph 1.1.2 for 1975, it shows the substantial increase expected in total net removals of wood for wood processing industries, which will be coming from plantations (6 times more in 1985 than in 1975). On the contrary the total output from natural forests is likely to decline due to the likely exhaustion of Parana pine forests and despite an increase from amazonian forests. No significant increase of output per ha is expected in this period, although a few integrated industrial projects may be created in the amazonian region which will make a better use of the forest (e.g. project for the National Forest of Tapajós) (44).
Other products
Forecasts for demand on the forests of wood for production of charcoal, fuel and “other industrial roundwood” are given in section 1.1.2 (33). No increase is foreseen for the two first uses while a 10% increase is foreseen for “other industrial roundwood”. However, it must be borne in mind that these forecasts were made before the energy crisis became serious and probably estimates of fuelwood, charcoal and more generally of wood for energy, are being revised upwards.
2.2 Plantations
Any assumption regarding the planting programmes for the next 5-year period (1981–1985) involves large areas of plantations. The forecasts made below for the next 5-year period cannot be but very tentative as many economic and financial factors cannot be predicted with much accuracy. The following has been assumed for the period 1981–85:
an increase of 30% of total planting performance from period (76–80), i.e. 450,000 ha per year of successfully established plantations corresponding to an average annual plantation programme of 500,000 ha;
maintenance and even slight increase of the relative share of plantations for charcoal and energy compared to the former 5-year period;
a steady increase of areas planted with pines;
the levelling-off of the other plantations (other hardwoods - PHL - “frutiferas”, “palmeras”).
Industrial plantations
Areas of established industrial plantations estimated at end 1985
(in thousand ha)
| Years | 81–85 | 76–80 | 71–75 | 66–70 | 56–65 | 46–55 | before 45 | Total | ||
| Age class | 0–5 | 6–10 | 11–15 | 16–20 | 21–30 | 31–40 | > 40 | |||
| Category | Species | |||||||||
| PHL1 | “Nativas” | 15 | 13 | 24 | 8 | 21 | 81 | |||
| PHH1 | Eucalyptus spp. | 400 | 240 | 240 | 30 | 80 | 7 | 3 | 1000 | |
| Gmelina arborea | 45 | 40 | 35 | 120 | ||||||
| Subtotal PHH1 | 445 | 280 | 275 | 30 | 80 | 7 | 3 | 1120 | ||
| PH.1 | Tot. hardwood plantations | 460 | 293 | 299 | 38 | 101 | 7 | 3 | 1201 | |
| PS.1 | Pinus spp. | 593 | 487 | 398 | 222 | 24 | 1 | 1725 | ||
| Other conifers | 20 | 9 | 42 | 4 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 120 | ||
| Tot. softwood plantations | 613 | 496 | 440 | 226 | 59 | 10 | 1 | 1845 | ||
| P..1 | Total industrial plantations | 1073 | 789 | 739 | 264 | 160 | 17 | 4 | 3046 | |
Other plantations
Areas of established plantations for charcoal and food production estimated at end 1985
(in thousand ha)
| Years | 81–85 | 76–80 | 71–75 | 66–70 | 56–65 | 46–55 | before 45 | Total | ||
| Age class | 0–5 | 6–10 | 11–15 | 16–20 | 21–30 | 31–40 | > 40 | |||
| Category | Species | |||||||||
| PHL2 | “Frutiferas” | 70 | 70 | 31 | 4 | 9 | 184 | |||
| “Palmito” | 100 | 171 | 92 | 363 | ||||||
| Subtotal PHL | 170 | 241 | 123 | 4 | 9 | 547 | ||||
| PHH2 | Eucalyptus spp. | 1000 | 700 | 405 | 90 | 275 | 23 | 12 | 2505 | |
| Subtotal PHH | 1000 | 700 | 405 | 90 | 275 | 23 | 12 | 2505 | ||
| P..2=PH.2 | Total “other” plantations | |||||||||
| 1170 | 941 | 528 | 94 | 284 | 23 | 12 | 3052 | |||
All plantations
Areas of established plantations estimated at end 1985
(in thousand ha)
| Years | 81–85 | 76–80 | 71–75 | 66–70 | 56–65 | 46–55 | before 46 | Total | ||
| Age class | 0–5 | 6–10 | 11–15 | 16–20 | 21–30 | 31–40 | older than 40 | |||
| Category | Species | |||||||||
| PAL = PHL1+PHL2 | “Nativas” | 15 | 13 | 24 | 8 | 21 | 81 | |||
| “Frutiferas” | 70 | 70 | 31 | 4 | 9 | 184 | ||||
| “Palmito” | 100 | 171 | 92 | 363 | ||||||
| Subtotal PHL | 185 | 254 | 147 | 12 | 30 | 628 | ||||
| PHH = PHH1+PHH2 | “Eucalyptus” spp. | 1400 | 940 | 645 | 120 | 355 | 30 | 15 | 3505 | |
| “Gmelina arborea” | 45 | 40 | 35 | 120 | ||||||
| Subtotal PHH | 1445 | 980 | 680 | 120 | 355 | 30 | 15 | 3625 | ||
| PH = PH.1+PH.2 | Total hardwood plantations | |||||||||
| 1630 | 1234 | 827 | 132 | 385 | 30 | 15 | 4253 | |||
| PS = PS.1+PS.2 | Pinus spp. | 593 | 487 | 398 | 222 | 24 | 1 | 1725 | ||
| Other conifers | 20 | 9 | 42 | 4 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 120 | ||
| Total softwood plantations | ||||||||||
| 613 | 496 | 440 | 226 | 59 | 10 | 1 | 1845 | |||
| P= P..1+P..2 | Total plantations | 2243 | 1730 | 1267 | 358 | 444 | 40 | 16 | 6098 | |
Concerning the characteristics of these plantations it can be expected that improvement will continue concerning selection, establishment techniques, protection, yields and recovery given the important research and experience gained in the last twenty years.
Bibliography
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Annex 1
A. Distribution of total area according to Unesco classification
(“Vegetation Map of South America”)
| Unesco denomination | Map code | Unesco code | Woody vegetation types of major occurrence | Areas | |
| (in thousand ha) | % | ||||
| Tropical ombrophilous lowland forest | 1–2 | IA1a | NHC | 267700 | 31.5 |
Tropical or subtropical evergreen seasonal lowland forest (including atlantic coastal types) | 5–8 | IA2a | NHC | 83850 | 9.9 |
| Tropical ombrophilous submontane forests | 29 | IA1b | NHC | 2440 | 0.3 |
Tropical or subtropical evergreen seasonal submontane forest (Broadleaved atlantic submontane types) | 31 | IA2b(1) | NHC | 1250 | 0.1 |
Subtropical evergreen seasonal submontane forest (needle-leaved) | 54 | IA2b(2) | NS | 920 | 0.1 |
| Tropical ombrophilous alluvial forest | 89 | IA1f | NHC | 12460 | 1.5 |
| Tropical ombrophilous swamp forest | 91 | IA1g | NHC | 1710 | 0.2 |
| Mangrove forest | 94 | IA5 | NHC | 1320 | 0.2 |
| Degraded formations and crops | 3–6–9–34 | - | NHCa | 19050 | 2.2 |
Tropical or subtropical evergreen seasonal lowland forest (with “cerradãc”) | 10 | IA2a | NHC-NHc | 17730 | 2.1 |
Tropical or subtropical evergreen seasonal submontane forest (Broadleaved with “cerradao”) | 35 | IA2b(1) | NHC-NHc | 1380 | 0.2 |
Subtropical semi-deciduous lowland forest (with “cerradao”) | 55 | IA3a | NHC-NHc | 9360 | 1.0 |
| Degraded formations and crops | 12–37–59(part) | - | NHCa-NHca | 29400 | 3.5 |
Sclerophyllous dominated extremely xeromorphic forest | 15 | IC1 | NHC | 1780 | 0.2 |
Drought deciduous broadleaved lowland and submontane woodland (chaco) | 17 | IIB1a | NHc/NHO | 1450 | 0.2 |
Tall grassland with a tree synusia of broadleaved evergreen (lowland and submontane) | 96–97 | VA1b | NHO | 5270 | 0.6 |
| Tall tropical grassland with palms | 99 | VA4 | NHO | 130 | ε |
| Inundated tall tropical grassland (pantanal) | 101 | VA | NHO | 11730 | 1.4 |
| Medium tall grassland with tree synusia | 4–7 | VB | NHO | 3630 | 0.4 |
Medium tall grassland with a tree synusia of broadleaved evergreen (cerrado) | 13–38–56 | VB1a | NHO | 127880 | 15.0 |
| Degraded formations and crops | 59(part) | - | NHOa | 27420 | 3.2 |
Mixed deciduous evergreen thorn forest with succulent (caatinga) | 18 | IC2a | nHC/nHO | 55570 | 6.5 |
| Degraded formations and crops | 20 | - | nHC/nHOa | 9030 | 1.1 |
| “Submontane thicket and caatinga” | 41 | IIIB(?) | nHC/nHO | 1320 | 0.2 |
| “Dunes and restingas” | 103 | IIIC(?) | nHC/nHO | 3360 | 0.4 |
Areas without natural woody vegetation types (including internal waters) | - | - | - | 154056 | 18.1 |
| Total BRASIL | - | - | - | 851196 | 100.0 |
B. Distribution of total area according to Hueck's classification
(“Mapa de la vegetación de America del Sur”)
| Hueck's denominations | Map code | Woody vegetation types of major occurrence | Areas | |
| (in thousand ha) | % | |||
“Pluviselva tropical siempreverde del Amazonas y Orinoco” | 1–13 | NHC | 361670 | 42.5 |
“Pluviselva tropical siempreverde de alta montaña de Guyana” | 27 | NHC | 1980 | 0.2 |
“Pluviselva tropical siempreverde de las llanuras de la costa atlantica” | 26 | NHC | 5270 | 0.6 |
“Pluviselva tropical siempreverde de la cordillera de la costa atlantica” | 25 | NHC | 12690 | 1.5 |
“Bosques subtropicales deciduous y mesofiticos del Brasil oriental y meridiana en parte con alta proporción de especies siempreverdes | 29 | NHC | 105120 | 12.4 |
| “Bosque de Araucaria angustifolia” | 32 | NS | 16810 | 2.0 |
“Palmeras de Orbignya martiana (Babaçu) en el Brasil oriental” | 48 | NHCa | 3950 | 0.5 |
“Bosques de galeria y otres tipos de vegetación asociados a rios en zonas desarboladas o pobres en bosques” | 87 | NHC | 29660 | 3.5 |
| “Manglares” | 88 | NHC | 3620 | 0.4 |
“Bosques deciduos al oriente del Pantanal, alternando con pastizales y campos cerrados” | 30 | NHC-NHc/NHO | 2970 | 0.3 |
| “Bosque de Agreste” | 44 | NHC-NHc/NHO | 10050 | 1.2 |
“Bosque desde seco hasta semi-húmedo del Chaco oriental” | 35 | NHc/NHO | 1480 | 0.2 |
“Campinas y “caatinga baixa” en la región de la caatinga amazonica” | 15 | NHO | 1980 | 0.2 |
| “Campos cerrados, chaparrales y sabanas semejantes” | 46 | NHO | 145660 | 17.1 |
| “Vegetación del Pantanal” | 58 | NHO | 12850 | 1.5 |
| “Caatinga” | 43 | nHC/nHO | 65740 | 7.7 |
| “Dunas litorales y bosques de dunas litorales” | 72 | nHC/nHO | 6100 | 0.7 |
| Other areas (including waters) | - | - | 63596 | 7.5 |
| Total BRASIL | - | - | 851196 | 100.0 |
