DISTRIBUTION OF BIOMASS IN CERRADO AND ITS IMPORTANCE FOR CARBON STORAGE

ABSTRACT

Cerrado biome occupies about 24% of the Brazilian territory and it is characterized by the presence of an arboreal and shrub stratus, which is practically formed by medium height and tortuous trees, besides grass. The amount of biomass present in the biome is still little known, mainly due to its phytophysiognomic differences. The interest for the quantification of biomass has been growing along with the global warming interest, due to the storage of carbon in the different fractions of the plant. In Cerrado, these studies are particularly important because approximately 50% of their land has already been converted to another land use, mainly agriculture and livestock. In this sense, the main factors related to the production of the plant biomass were approached, the characteristics of the main phytophysiognomies, the stocks and the distribution patterns of the biomass and carbon in the vegetation, highlighting also the strategies that can be adopted for its conservation. The lack of studies of this nature was acknowledged, and it could be associated with the remote sensing and geographic information systems for estimating the biomass and carbon storage accuracy, with cost and time efficiency. In addition, public policies should be encouraged for the conservation of the biome, given the economic potential of its natural resources, especially as source of food, medicine and tourism, mainly for the traditional populations of Cerrado.

Keywords:
Brazilian biome; land-use change; climate change; sustainable use