Pollution-Related Biodiversity Loss in Brazil: More Actions Required

Extensive clearing of Indonesian primary forests results in increased greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. However, there is no consensus on the areal extent and temporal trends of primary forest clearing in Indonesia. Here we report a spatially and temporally explicit quantification of Indonesian primary forest loss, which totalled over 6.02 Mha from 2000 to 2012 and increased on average by 47,600 ha per year. By 2012, annual primary forest loss in Indonesia was estimated to be higher than in Brazil (0.84 Mha and 0.46 Mha, respectively). Proportional loss of primary forests in wetland landforms increased and almost all clearing of primary forests occurred within degraded types, meaning logging preceded conversion processes. Loss within official forest land uses that restrict or prohibit clearing totalled 40% of all loss within national forest land. The increasing loss of Indonesian primary forests has significant implications for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation efforts. Deforestation affects climate, biodiversity and other ecosystem services. This study quantifies Indonesia’s increasing rate of primary forest loss, which runs counter to the declining rates of loss in Brazil. The results highlight the value of thematically consistent and spatially and temporally explicit information in tracking forest change.

A literature review of genetic studies on 3134 endangered or data deficient Brazilian plant species was performed using the Periodical Capes database, using, for each species, a combination of the binomial (without authorship) and the radical genet*. The search was only for articles, without publication year limitation. The search included relevant synonyms, based on information obtained from the National Flora Conservation Center (CNC Flora) website. Phylogenetic studies focusing on taxonomy or studies focusing on gene expression were excluded. A total of 14 463 articles were retrieved with this search strategy, but only 312 fit within the scope of the search. Results show that genetic studies for plants of all threat categories are lacking, with a very low average (0,09%) of genetic studies retrieved per species. The four threatened species with a higher number of studies are species of commercial interest. For 1931 species no article was retrieved. Given the high levels of biodiversity loss in Brazil, it is urgent to invest in the knowledge of the biology of threatened plant species, especially those which are the most neglected in genetic studies.