Regeneration of the Atlantic forest in an urban protected area of São Paulo, Brazil: a historical and palynological approach

Abstract

We performed pollen analyses based on a geochronological scale and historical records in core samples from Lago das Garcas Lake in the Fontes do Ipiranga State Park Biological Reserve, in the municipality of Sao Paulo, Brazil, to evaluate the natural regeneration processes of the Atlantic Forest in an urban area. The stratigraphy of the pollen assemblies showed temporal variations corroborating historical data on anthropogenic interventions in the region, demonstrating the interrelation of richness and the occurrence of sedimented palynomorphs according to the natural successional stages of the vegetation and anthropogenically modified environmental conditions. By integrating palynological, lithological, and geochronological results with historical references we gained a better understanding of the biological evidence for vegetation succession that could be used in recovery programs of degraded urban areas containing Atlantic Forest remnants.