The Mata Atlântica (Atlantic Forest) originally covered approximately 15% of the Brazilian territory. It comprehends a complex environment which incorporates mountain ranges, plateaus, valleys and plains of the entire Atlantic coastal region of Brazil. At the southeast region it expands westwards reaching the borders with Paraguay and Argentina.  

The Atlantic Forest biome is formed by umbrageous woods (dense, open and mixed) and deciduous and semi-deciduous seasonal rainforests. Umbrageous woods constitute the core of this biome and are associated with the hot and humid climate of the south/southeast coastal area, without recurrent dry periods and thermal amplitudes minimized by the sea influence.

The area originally covered by the Atlantic Forest biome has nowadays the highest population density and the strongest economic activity in the country. The remaining forest contains an unique biodiversity which is of great importance by itself beside its environmental significance to Brazil.   

This project aims at evaluating green-house gases (GHG) dynamics and carbon balance in livestock production systems in the biome, evaluating the mitigation potential of pastures with different levels of intensification, integration systems and GHG emissions in poultry and swine farms.     

Production systems under evaluation: beef cattle production in pastures under intensive and semi-intensive management and degrade pastures; dairy cattle production in pastures under intensive and extensive management; crop-livestock, crop-livestock-forestry and silvopastoral integration systems; swine and poultry intensive production systems.