Intensive Agriculture – Fortaleza 2003 San Francisco Meeting – The group proposed a synthetic book in a LBA series 2.Several workshops to involve also non- LBA scientists in the synthesis process 3.Tentative time-line for synthetic book on intensive agriculture

According to this timeline → Workshop 1 was held in Brasilia from 2-4 November 2003 Different LBA and non-LBA groups attended this workshop including biogeochemical, climatic and remote sensing aspects

Approximately 30 participants including four Embrapa’s centers (Environment, CPATU, CPAA and Cerrados) Product of the workshop – book outline

Recent Agricultural Transitions in the Amazon Basin and their Biogeochemical Consequences An LBA Synthesis Activity Coordinators: Mercedes Bustamante and Jerry Melillo

Goal The goal of this activity is to synthesize the results of LBA and related research that has considered the recent agricultural transitions in the Amazon Basin and their biogeochemical consequences.

Transitions of Interest A.Introduction (Jerry Melillo, Mercedes and Doug Morton) 1. review the history of agriculture in the Brazilian Amazon including the role of remote sensing documenting change in agricultural expansion 2. consider socioeconomic drivers 3. discuss LBA goals B. Agriculture in the cerrado region - case studies of transitions (Mercedes and Richard Zepp) 1. Cerrado to pasture 2. Pastures in transition (reformation, row crops such as soy) 3. Cerrado to row crops 4. Amazonian savannas

B. Agriculture in the forest region - case studies of transitions 1.Forest to pasture Eastern Amazon – Robert Walker and Eric Davidson Central Amazon – Erick Fernandes Western Amazon – Chris Neill and Reynaldo Victoria (including land-water interactions) Comparative analyses 2. Pastures in transition (reformation, row crops, agroforests, pasture abandonment) – Erick Fernandes and Robert Walker 3. Forest to row crops 4. Small scale slash and burn and alternatives (chop and mulch without fire) in the eastern Amazon – Ricardo Figueiredo, Tatiana Sa C. General lessons learned

Consequences of Interest Changes in: –within system stocks and fluxes –land-atmosphere interactions –land-water interactions, and –climate feedbacks

Additional Issues Livestock and trace gas fluxes - ( Magda Lima - Embrapa Environment) Fire and trace gas fluxes - (Doug Morton and Paulo Artaxo)

Scaling Process-level Understanding to the Region A. A general strategy - Coupling remote sensing and simulation modeling B. Remote sensing to document changes in land cover and land use – Landsat and MODIS (Greg Asner, Doug Morton, Laerte Ferreira) C. Simulation models - CASA, TEM, Century and so on (Carlos Eduardo Cerri and Mateus Batistella) D. Regional extrapolations – remote sensing and simulation modeling (Carlos Eduardo Cerri, Diogenes Alves)

Agriculture and the climate system – local to regional consequences A.The importance of landscape mosaics (topography, vegetation cover, road networks) on precipitation (Pedro Dias, R. Avissar) B.The concept of thresholds in relation to mosaic structure (Pedro Dias)

Alternative futures – scenarios of future land cover and land use The scenarios – for the next two decades (based on current trends in the economy, climate and so on). Dan Nepstad, Eustaquio and Robert Walker Coupling simulation models and scenarios- Carlos Eduardo Cerri, Jose Marengo

Research challenges Human dimensions - Eustaquio Biodiversity – Marirosa Molina and Ima Vieira (has to be contacted) Policy alternatives, including approaches such as alternatives to slash and burn with small landholders – Roberto Porro and Paulo Moutinho

Timetable November 2003-June 2004 – Identify possible author teams –Revise outline through an “on-line workshop” July 2004 (workshop in Brasilia) –Set outline –Hold working group meeting on remote sensing- modeling links –Hold preliminary discussions on scenario set August 2004-December 2004 –Compile data sets for scaling –Develop chapter outlines

Timetable January 2005 (workshop, location to be determined) –Review driving data sets for scaling –Review chapter outlines February 2005-November 2005 –Simulations for scaling – past, present and future –Drafting chapters December 2005-January 2006 –Chapters out for peer review within the group February 2006 (final workshop at Ubatuba – use SCOPE RAP format) December 2006 – synthesis volume published