Land use in Brazilian continental wetland Ramsar sites

Abstract

Wetlands are systems of high biological diversity, productivity, and high economic and social importance to mankind. Despite its importance, wetlands are very threatened by human activities. World-wide, wetlands receive international recognition since 1971 by the Ramsar Convention. Guidelines adopted by Brazil to include its wetlands into the Ramsar List require that Ramsar sites are legally protected. This work analyses the main environmental pressures in the inner and surrounding areas of the 19 Brazilian inland Ramsar sites. Results show that wetland habitats are relatively well conserved in the inner areas of the 19 Ramsar sites. The proportion of natural landscape between the surrounding areas of Ramsar sites varies broadly (between 20 % and 99 %). Low anthropic disturbance inside of Ramsar sites suggests that external human pressures have not affected yet core areas of Ramsar sites. Brazilian guidelines to establish Ramsar sites only in protected areas has been very effective in Brazil, despite the many environmental pressures of protected areas, such as invasion by exotic species, tenure, human occupation, exploitation of illegal resources, etc.