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Did you know that yerba mate has a high CO? sequestration capacity?

That’s just one of the many environmental benefits of yerba mate. Read the full article to learn more!

Yerba mate is globally known for its bioactive compounds, which offer a wide range of health benefits. But did you know that this plant is also a powerful ally in environmental preservation?

Among its many positive impacts, the high capacity to sequester CO? (carbon dioxide) has stood out in recent scientific studies — a key factor when it comes to sustainability and combating climate change.

What is carbon sequestration?

Carbon sequestration is a natural strategy used to mitigate the effects of deforestation and pollution. The process occurs through trees and plants that capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their biomass and in the soil — reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases.

Yerba mate’s environmental role

Yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is a tree species native to South America, typically found in the Atlantic Forest, especially the Mixed Ombrophilous Forest — the same ecosystem where the Araucaria tree grows. For this reason, its cultivation supports local biodiversity and contributes to biome regeneration.

Additionally, agroforestry systems that combine yerba mate with other native species improve soil health, provide optimal shading for the crop, and even promote natural fertilization. Yerba mate also helps with soil and water conservation, acting as a natural ground cover and reducing erosion risks.

Scientific research confirms yerba mate’s carbon sequestration efficiency

As a perennial plant — with a long life cycle — yerba mate has great potential to store carbon both in its biomass and in the soil. This characteristic contributes significantly to climate balance and the preservation of local flora and fauna.

In Brazil, Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) and the Solidaridad Foundation conducted an in-depth study on this potential. The research was carried out in southern Paraná, in the municipalities of Cruz Machado and Bituruna, analyzing different cultivation systems across four local farms.

The following factors were evaluated:

• Shading levels
  
  
• Tree density
  
  
• Age and height of yerba mate stands
  
  
• Leaf biomass
  
  
• Planting density and spacing
  
  
• Harvest intervals
  
  
• Potential productivity
  
  

Promising results

The system with the highest carbon stock was identified as System B, which featured:

• High shading levels
  
  
• High density of native trees
  
  
• High yerba mate planting density
  
  

The most forested systems — with other species in addition to yerba mate — had the highest carbon stocks in plant biomass, contributing between 69% and 85%. Even in full-sun systems, carbon sequestration from yerba mate alone yielded significant results.

The study also found that practices such as using high-yield genetic material, biological inputs, and maintaining the plant canopy during harvest further enhance CO? absorption.

The total amount of CO? mitigated by the systems studied ranged from 400 to 700 tons per hectare.

Carbon Matte: a CO? calculator for yerba mate producers

Based on this research, Embrapa and Solidaridad developed a tool to estimate carbon stocks and greenhouse gas emissions in yerba mate cultivation: the Carbon Matte.

This is a spreadsheet-based tool that allows input of data from different yerba mate production systems (dense, agroforestry, and full sun), including variables such as biomass production and silvicultural practices adopted.

The tool calculates the total carbon emissions and removals from the system (vegetal biomass and soil), as well as emissions from key GHGs such as carbon dioxide (CO?) and methane (CH?).

As a result, yerba mate producers can gain a more accurate understanding of how much carbon their plantations are sequestering and how to improve their practices for greater sustainability. This can also support carbon credit commercialization.