Resumen
- This chapter provides an estimate of the potential of soil carbon sequestration (SOC) for the Brazilian Atlantic region and determines the land use and management practices which can enhance and stabilize SOC sequestration. Data on carbon pools under selected native vegetation types and various soil types in different Brazilian states are provided. The actual land use was grouped in eight categories to give a general characterization of the productive area of the Atlantic region: namely: forest, annual crops, sugarcane, pasture, reforestation, fruit plantation, horticulture/gardening, and others or non-agricultural areas. This region presents four main groups of agricultural uses/practices which can be changed to a recommended land use: (i) convert sugarcane areas harvested by burning (manual cut) into areas without burning and mechanical harvest; (ii) convert conventional tillage into no-till systems for production of grain crops; (iii) increase reforested areas; and (iv) recover degraded pasture areas into productive pastures. It is possible to increase the amount of carbon sequestered by increasing the area under recommended land use. Hence, a scenario about changes of the actual land use was established and new land use practices were proposed. These proposed practices as well as the alternative scenarios are enumerated and discussed. The potential of SOC sequestration in the Atlantic region, in the 0 to 20 cm soil layer, ranges from 144 to 154 Tg C per year (150 Tu Tg per year). Total C sequestration over 20 years us 3 Pg C.