An unprecedented study has revealed that restoring native vegetation around agricultural crops can generate an annual increase of R$4,2 billion in agricultural production in the state of São Paulo for some crops. The work developed in co-production between researchers and public managers from the Secretariat of Environment, Infrastructure and Logistics of the State of São Paulo (Semil) shows that farmers can make billions in profits from ecological restoration through the planting of native vegetation, which is the practice of planting species native to a given region or ecosystem. The profit effect comes from pollination generated by bees.
The production of soybeans, oranges and coffee alone would add R$1,4 billion, R$1 billion and R$660 million respectively to the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year. Other permanent crops, such as guava, avocado and mango, would see gains of R$280 million, while temporary crops, such as tomatoes, peanuts and beans, would see an increase of R$820 million, totaling approximately R$4,2 billion in total production. The research also highlights that there is an increase in the quality and size of the products, as a result of the greater frequency of pollinators visiting the flowers of cultivated plants when there is native vegetation nearby.
“These figures demonstrate how nature-based solutions can simultaneously benefit agriculture, farmers' incomes and biodiversity protection. Society has a lot to gain from this perspective,” highlighted Rafael Chaves, deputy director of the project at Semil and co-author of the study.
The work was developed by the Biota Síntese project group, which is coordinated by several institutions, including Semil and the University of São Paulo (USP), and acts as an analysis center to integrate science and public policy, promoting collaboration between researchers, government and civil society.
Researchers and technicians from the Secretariat, in addition to other institutions, presented the results of studies carried out over the last two years at the State Environmental Council (Consema).
“This work developed by our teams, in partnership with academia, provides support for both improving current public policies and formulating new policies,” stated Jônatas Trindade, Undersecretary of the Environment.
The methodology used in the research indicates that it is possible to apply the initiative individually in each municipality. “One example is the bees that live in native forests, which go out to look for food in the flowers of crops, pollinating them, generating more fruit and consequently greater production,” said Eduardo Moreira, a researcher at USP and co-author of the study.
“Ecosystem services are extremely valuable, but they are not always adequately recognized, since they are silently provided by biodiversity, and the project helps to fill this gap,” noted Carlos Joly, professor emeritus at Unicamp and coordinator of Biota Síntese.
Technicians from Semil, Fundação Florestal, Cetesb and partner institutions participated in the event “Biota Síntese Launches: Payment for Environmental Services and Pollination”.
Payment for Environmental Services
Another study presented was in the area of Payments for Environmental Services (PSA). The publication brings together guidelines to strengthen recent programs that have already achieved good results, such as the PSAs Juçara, Guardians of the Forests and Mar sem Lixo, and lessons learned from consolidated success stories, such as the Conexão Mata Atlântica Project and the São Paulo Environmental Credit for Private Natural Heritage Reserves (CAP/RPPN).
By compiling and discussing these state PSA experiences, the group concluded that increasingly encouraging the gains of this type of policy can go far beyond increasing the areas conserved.
“The PSA brings social gains with the effective increase in income for environmental service providers, greater participation of these people in environmental conservation actions and certainly an important gain in the relationship between associations and communities with the public management of Conservation Units”, explained Patrícia Ruggiero, a researcher at USP and co-author of the study.
The initiative continues to work to offer solutions that promote a balance between economic development and nature conservation, reinforcing the role of the Government of São Paulo as a national reference in sustainability. The research received investments of R$4,3 million from the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)