Afforestation in the rupestrian grasslands: The augmenting pressure of eucalyptus

Abstract

For at least 30 years, the expansion of eucalyptus plantations in municipalities like Grão-Mogol and Itamarandiba, in Minas Gerais State, has been provoking considerable impacts on ecosystems and human communities in the rocky fields of the Espinhaço Mountain Range. From an environmental point of view, eucalyptus monocultures fragment the areas hitherto preserved of the Cerrado (savannah) biome, leading to loss of connectivity and hampering reproduction of plants and animals. The removal of native vegetation reduces the reproductive capacity of fauna, which in turn, interferes with the resilience capacity of savannah vegetation areas still preserved. In socio-economic terms, the afforestation contributes to the concentration of income and boosts the rural exodus and uncontrolled urbanization process. While afforestation projects can be seen, individually, as economically viable activities, systemically they can result in significant externalities, especially when conducted on large scale, with environmental and social losses that sooner or later will lead to economic unsustainability. This article highlights how the expansion of eucalyptus plantations can be harmful when it produces a homogeneous landscape. The authors hope that this can be an issue for the discussion about land management in its broadest sense.