The work covers approximately 30 thousand hectares of riparian forest between Foz do Iguaçu and
Guaíra (PR). It will be the most complete forest inventory ever carried out by a hydroelectric plant
on strip
Photo Credits: Sara Cheida/Itaipu Binational.
Itaipu Binacional and the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) began the first field surveys on Wednesday (7) to prepare an inventory of the fauna and flora in the protection strip of the lake. The work will cover approximately 30,000 hectares of riparian forest on the Brazilian side of the plant, between Foz do Iguaçu and Guaíra, in the western part of Paraná.
The goal is to assess the conservation status, connectivity, and tree diversity of the protection strip. The research is coordinated by Embrapa Forests, with participation from Embrapa Instrumentation, and involves investments of R$ 20.6 million over five years. According to Itaipu, it will be the most comprehensive forest inventory ever conducted by a hydroelectric plant in Brazil.
‘The protection strip is an environmental asset, and understanding it in detail helps us define management strategies and continuous improvement for this vegetation. It also helps us understand how the community can benefit from the ecosystem services provided by this vegetation,’ explains forestry engineer Luís Cesar Rodrigues da Silva, project manager with Itaipu.
The first phase of the research began in March with exploratory visits and interviews. For the current phase, lasting five months, the researchers have delineated 400 ‘plots,’ a term used to designate the collection areas along the protection zone. A set of three plots will be installed every ten kilometers, separated by at least 30 meters from each other.
Initially, information will be collected on tree vegetation, such as the number of individuals, tree dimensions, necromass (dead biomass on the ground), and data indicative of forest regeneration capacity, among other factors. Samples of branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits collected will be sent to two partner herbaria for later identification and cataloging of species.
In subsequent phases, data will be gathered on fauna, genetic diversity, soil enzymatic activity, worm abundance, the diversity of epiphytic plants such as bromeliads and orchids, and nutrient cycling in the forest, which serve as indicators of the forest’s environmental quality.
In 10% of the plots, aerial monitoring will also be conducted using drones equipped with technologies such as laser scanning (LiDAR – Light Detection and Ranging). All data will be processed at the end of the study so that researchers have a comprehensive profile of the analyzed area.
Researcher Maria Augusta Doetzer Rosot from Embrapa Forests compares the work in the protection zone to an asset inventory. ‘Just as a company conducts a survey of all its assets, a forest inventory assesses the forest resources, which translate into goods and services,’ she explains.
Researcher Maria Augusta Doetzer Rosot from Embrapa Forests.
According to her, the results will not only provide technical information but will also serve as a tool for the conservation of Atlantic Forest biodiversity and the maintenance of ecosystem services. For example, by estimating biomass, it will be possible to evaluate the contribution of the protection zone to carbon retention, one of the greenhouse gases. “Carbon sequestration is just one of the many environmental services provided by the forest. The inventory has multiple facets to capture the full potential of the forest for improving environmental quality,” she asserts.
According to the researcher, hydroelectric plants have a standard for conducting surveys around the reservoir protection area, but not with the methodological rigor currently used in the Itaipu areas. “I believe that what will be developed here will serve as a standard to be replicated in other areas of Brazil,” she concludes.
Background
The protection strip of the Itaipu plant extends 170 kilometers in a straight line between Foz do Iguaçu and Guaíra. However, when considering the sinuosity of the reservoir’s banks, it spans 1,400 kilometers, with an average width of 200 meters, covering 15 municipalities in western Paraná.
Luís Cesar Rodrigues da Silva recalls that the first major inventory conducted at the site by Itaipu was before the formation of the lake, between 1974 and 1976. The goal at that time was logistical planning for the construction of the plant, but the study also served as a basis to set the plantings that now constitute the riparian forest. ‘Everything we have done over the last 40 years has been informed by this [first] inventory. Now, we will have a larger, more comprehensive study with more technological resources, which will contribute to planning activities for the next 40 to 50 years,’ he notes.
Veridiana Alves da Costa Pereira, the manager of Itaipu’s Protected Areas Division, adds that the protection strip is still evolving. ‘That’s why we need to understand what is happening in it and how its functionality is performing,’ she says. ‘There is a very interesting component: regeneration. These are the small trees that don’t fit into traditional inventories but will be the forest of the future. With this new inventory, we will be able to anticipate and visualize how this evolutionary process will unfold.”
