The second work package focuses on the quantification of different ecosystem services, such as biodiversity, the provision of timber and non-timber forest product (NTFP), carbon sequestration, soil, and water conservation. Quantified ecosystem services of silvopastoral systems will also be compared to other land uses, such as intact Cerrado vegetation and intensively managed pastures.
Considering biodiversity, we will carry out forest inventories in silvopastoral system to ascertain qualitative and quantitative indicators of species composition, richness, and its abundance. Population structure will be assessed, with a special focus on important non-timber forest products for the region. In order to assess the amount of carbon available in the silvopastoral system, we will collect both above- and below-ground biomass data in the field, which will be supplemented, if needed, with data from the National Forest Inventory and additional secondary data, as well as the integration of mathematical models and indirect measurement using remotely sensed data. Other soil functions will be assessed in different land-use types by using different indicators, combining above and belowground properties and processes. Finally, we will also evaluate water ecosystem services by using an ecohydrological approach, which acknowledges the influence of connections between ecosystem function and hydrological attributes and processes on water dynamics and quality.
