Recent Advances in Ecological Restoration

In Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil, there are hundreds of Eucalyptus forest farms for pulp production distributed in several municipalities. In these pulpwood production farms, a major forestry restoration project is underway for Permanent Preservation Areas, which have peculiarities that may favor or hinder restoration. In this compilation, in order to search for alternatives for the restoration of these Permanent Preservation Areas, the planting of seedlings of native species in nuclei is implemented and evaluated as an alternative technique to traditional reforestation with total area plantation. Suitable techniques for forest restoration in mined areas are also explored, with the goal of attaining environmental sustainability for the bauxite mining in the region. Thus, by monitoring of mined and restored areas, 146 native species of the Atlantic Forest were found, 61 in the planting of seedlings, 97 in the inventories for evaluation of these plantings and 92 in natural regeneration. The authors set out to elucidate the underlying processes modeled by diversity and community composition with respect to aboveground biomass during succession in an Amazon forest in order to devise better passive restoration plans. 45 20m x 50m (1000 m2) plots were sampled across three sites in secondary forests, having different stand ages after shifting cultivation, and an old-growth forest located in the Northern Amazon forest, Venezuela. One study discusses how, due to the environmental heterogeneity conditions, active restoration measures are fundamental in degraded areas where natural regeneration is limited, mainly due to the absence of fragments in the landscape. Finally, it is emphasized that passive restoration is playing an important role in the ecosystem services recovery at local-scale. In the penultimate study, the authors compare the floristic composition and structure of the natural regeneration stratum of a 23-year-old restored forest with an adjacent dense ombrophilous forest. For this purpose, 60 plots with dimensions of 3x3 m (9m²) were equally and systematically distributed in these two areas. All shrub-tree individuals with height <30 cm and circumference at breast height <15 cm in these plots were included and their heights and diameter at ground level were measured. Lastly, the dynamics of soil use and coverage in a region under the influence of mining activities are explored. This region is located in Minas Gerais state, more specifically in the municipalities of São Sebastião da Vargem Alegre e Miraí -- both located in Zona da Mata Mineira.