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Effects of Restoration and Conservation of Riparian vegetation on Sediment Retention in the catchment area of Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil
Fachinelli, N.P.; Pereira, A.O., Jr. Effects of Restoration and Conservation of Riparian Vegetation on Sediment Retention in the Catchment Area of Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil. World2023, 4, 637-652.
Fachinelli, N.P.; Pereira, A.O., Jr. Effects of Restoration and Conservation of Riparian Vegetation on Sediment Retention in the Catchment Area of Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil. World 2023, 4, 637-652.
Fachinelli, N.P.; Pereira, A.O., Jr. Effects of Restoration and Conservation of Riparian Vegetation on Sediment Retention in the Catchment Area of Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil. World2023, 4, 637-652.
Fachinelli, N.P.; Pereira, A.O., Jr. Effects of Restoration and Conservation of Riparian Vegetation on Sediment Retention in the Catchment Area of Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant, Brazil. World 2023, 4, 637-652.
Abstract
The concept of ecosystem services (ESs) provides a valuable approach to communicate societies' dependence on natural ecosystems, assisting in the evaluation of measures to protect vegetation in watersheds that promote water-related ESs. Vegetation cover and land use are important factors related to the capacity of ecosystems to provide soil loss regulation and sediment retention services, which are highly relevant for sediment management in watersheds draining into reservoirs with multiple water uses. This study aims to assess the relationship between potential changes in land use and land cover and the sediment retention service provided by riparian vegetation in a watershed draining into a hydroelectric reservoir in the Brazilian Cerrado. Sediment load was selected as a physical variable that affects different water uses in reservoirs, with these uses being dependent on the quality or quantity of stored water. Scenarios were analyzed to represent landscape reconfigurations from a baseline condition in order to account for the recovery of riparian vegetation by the agricultural sector, as foreseen in the Brazilian Forest Code. To map and quantify variations in annual sediment retention, the InVEST model was used, which allows estimating an integrated response of the drainage basin to large-scale land use changes over time and space. The results show that for the drainage basin of the Corumbá IV Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), the recovery of riparian areas occupied by annual crops has the potential to generate greater benefits to water use in the reservoir. In the studied catchment area, 14% of the total vegetation deficit in riparian areas is occupied by crops, while 86% is occupied by pastures. This highlights the buffering role of riparian vegetation as an effective practice for managing sediment flows originating from sheet erosion in agricultural landscapes. The methodology employed in this study allows for the quantification and mapping of the effects of soil and water conservation measures in river basins. This enables the prioritization of sectoral efforts for the restoration of native vegetation, considering the highest returns in benefits perceived by water users affected by sediment input in reservoirs. The study's results reinforce the importance of conserving vegetation in riparian areas and their surroundings for sediment retention, highlighting the role of these areas as assets in providing water-related ecosystem services.
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Environmental Science
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
