Bird Extinctions in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest and How They Can Be Prevented

Pedro F Develey,Benjamin T Phalan

doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.624587

Abstract

Bird species extinctions in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil have been predicted since the early 1990s, but it has become accepted wisdom that none have yet been documented. We revisit this question in light of updates to the global Red List, and conclude that between five and seven bird species have likely been driven to extinction in the wild in this biome in recent decades, plus a further two species that occurred elsewhere in Brazil. These extinctions were the result of habitat loss in combination with other threats. A further nine Atlantic Forest bird species are Critically Endangered, plus six from elsewhere in Brazil. We review growing efforts to help these species avoid extinction using a range of tools including multi-stakeholder planning, advocacy, habitat protection and restoration on public and private land, focussed research, and intensive population management, drawing on examples from the most threatened Atlantic Forest endemics. Conservation organisations, local communities, government agencies, zoos, international funders, universities and others are working together to prevent these species from disappearing. While the political environment in Brazil has rarely been more hostile to conservation, there are also some positive trends. Rates of deforestation in the Atlantic Forest have fallen, forest restoration and recovery is increasing, and an unprecedented number of ordinary people are taking an interest in birds and participating in citizen science. With dedication, collaboration, sufficient resources, and a focus on evidence-informed solutions, we are hopeful that many of the Critically Endangered species can be pulled back from the brink of extinction.

Highlights

We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis
The endemic birds of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest – more than 210 species and growing as taxonomic revision unveils new species (Lima, 2013; Vale et al, 2018) – have long been held up as a test case for predictions of extinctions from habitat loss, including a prediction of > 80 eventual bird extinctions (Brown and Brown, 1992; Brooks and Balmford, 1996; Brooks et al, 2002). These early studies considered that there had been no Atlantic Forest bird extinctions, but that the number of threatened species was consistent with predictions given that species are committed to go extinct after a time lag
We describe conservation actions being implemented for Critically Endangered species, focussing primarily on Atlantic Forest endemics, and end with the question: what will it take to save these species from extinction?

Summary

Introduction

We are in the midst of a biodiversity crisis. International biodiversity targets have been missed, species continue to decline, and extinctions, previously concentrated on small islands, are increasingly occurring on continental islands and land-masses (Szabo et al, 2012; CBD, 2020; WWF Living Planet Report, 2020). Some endemics tolerate degraded habitats, and there may be a rescue effect of forest recovery and conservation interventions, through which species otherwise committed to extinction can be saved from that fate (Brooks et al, 2002; Lira et al, 2012; Pizo and Tonetti, 2020; Bolam et al, 2021; but see Harris and Pimm, 2004).

Results

Conclusion