Payment for Environmental Services and soil conservation practices: a case study on a rural property in the Rio Turvo sub-basin, MG

• Main Author: Silva, Luiza Maria Affonso Lopes
• Publication Date: 2025
• Other Authors: Santana, Rodrigo Nobre, Menezes, Sady Júnior Martins da Costa de, Domingues, Getúlio Fonseca, Ribeiro, Carlos Antonio Alvares Soares, Rosa, Alexandre Rosa dos Santos
• Format: Article
• Language: por
• Source: Ciência Florestal (Online)
• Download full: https://periodicos.ufsm.br/cienciaflorestal/article/view/85863
• topic: Landscape analysis; Environmental modeling; Ecosystem service; Análise da paisagem; Modelagem ambiental; Serviço ecossistêmico

Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) offers economic incentives for the implementation of conservation practices, rewarding those who maintain ecosystem environmental services. The objective of this work is to indicate conservation practices on a rural property that is suitable for PSA, using the application of the USPED model (Unit Stream Power Erosion and Deposition) and the Genetic Algorithm (GA) metaheuristic to identify potential areas of erosion and sediment deposition. Maps of land use, slope and permanent preservation areas (APP) were generated with data from the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), the Brazilian Forest Code and the use of the Geographic Information System (GIS). The USPED model was calculated to obtain the net soil erosion/deposition rate. The optimization of vegetation zones was carried out using the Genetic Algorithm (GA) metaheuristic, programmed in Python, obtaining areas that minimize erosion through the location of vegetation zones on the rural property. The results indicate that the implementation of conservation practices such as a direct planting system and the implementation of crop-livestock-forest integration are essential to reduce erosion by up to 60% and improve soil fertility. The land use analysis revealed the need to restore 6.7 ha of APP areas. Adopting these conservation practices and participating in PES programs can significantly reduce erosion and improve soil and water quality in the region.