Regeneração natural visando á restauração de matas ciliares

Abstract

The restoration of altered areas using natural regeneration is an important process for establishing and developing a forest ecosystem. Therefore, studies regarding the evaluation of the success of adopted practices using natural regeneration are needed. The present work was developed in four demonstrative restoration units of plant coverage from the PIDF-SF project denominated “Surubim”. The work was conducted in pasture areas exposed to disturbances caused by extensive livestock farming in the municipalities of Arcos and Pains, within center-west Minas Gerais, Brazil. The municipalities are a part of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes, presenting a Semideciduous Seasonal Forest phytophisiognomy. The objective of this work was to analyze the development of the demonstrative units of the natural regeneration models, and indicate if the model is capable of stimulating the restauration process of plant coverage in altered pasture areas. The demonstrative units of plant coverage restauration were implanted in 2007. The evaluations of natural regeneration and arboreal extract were performed in 2010, 2011 and 2014, using the permanent plot method. The individuals were marked with numbered aluminum platelets, identified and classified according to ecological group and dispersion syndromes. For each individual, we collected BHC (breast height circumference) and height data. We sampled the soil, analyzing the chemical traits, of each demonstrative unit. Regarding the arboreal extract and natural regeneration, we conducted phytosociological analyses of the horizontal and vertical structures. We also evaluated natural regeneration rate, species diversity and floristic similarity. The use of natural regeneration as restoration method for riparian forest ecosystems, during the initial phase in which the evaluation was performed, provided a significant increase in the number of regenerating individuals and forest species that characterize the initial phase of the establishment of a forest ecosystem, regardless of competition with the pasture.