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Accelerating Capoeira Regeneration on Degraded Pastures in the Northeastern Amazon by the Use of Pigs or Cattle

Author

Listed:
  • Stefan Hohnwald

    (Faculty of Resource Management, HAWK—University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Büsgenweg 1a, 37077 Göttingen, Germany)

  • Osvaldo Ryohei Kato

    (Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Travessa Dr. Enéas Pinheiro, s/n, Marco, Belém, PA 66095-903, Brazil)

  • Helge Walentowski

    (Faculty of Resource Management, HAWK—University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Büsgenweg 1a, 37077 Göttingen, Germany)

Abstract

In the humid tropics of Latin America, considerable proportions of agro-scapes are covered with degraded pastures that were taken over by dense weedy shrub canopies hampering further forest succession. While tree seeds are still constantly dispersed by bats and birds, these often do not reach the soil but got stuck in the dense shrubby vegetation. While manual up-rooting of weedy shrubs or tree replantation is too expensive, we tested if burrowing pigs or trampling cattle can enhance proportions of bare soils for fallow restoration. These hypotheses were tested in on-farm experiments at Igarapé-Açu, northeastern Pará. Soil-opening effects of ten pigs (40 days + nights) and ten oxen (40 overnight stays), respectively, were tested against manual clearing and control on three plots per treatment, respectively. Ground cover percentages of bare soil, weedy shrubs, grasses, and tree species were visually determined in 40 plots/treatment before and directly after treatments, and half a year later ( n = 480 samples). Both animal treatments could not really match manual clearing (62%) but pigs reached above 36% bare ground cover, while cattle just 20%. As pigs are almost omnipresent on Amazonian smallholdings and even give a modest economic refund, the use of pigs is recommended to smallholders who want to break up the lush weed layers for the benefit of forest restoration.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Hohnwald & Osvaldo Ryohei Kato & Helge Walentowski, 2019. "Accelerating Capoeira Regeneration on Degraded Pastures in the Northeastern Amazon by the Use of Pigs or Cattle," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-16, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:6:p:1729-:d:216198
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Eric A. Davidson & Cláudio J. Reis de Carvalho & Adelaine Michela Figueira & Françoise Yoko Ishida & Jean Pierre H. B. Ometto & Gabriela B. Nardoto & Renata Tuma Sabá & Sanae N. Hayashi & Eliane C. Le, 2007. "Recuperation of nitrogen cycling in Amazonian forests following agricultural abandonment," Nature, Nature, vol. 447(7147), pages 995-998, June.
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