The effectiveness of protected areas and indigenous lands in representing threatened plant species in Brazil

Bruno R Ribeiro,Gustavo Martinelli,Rafael Loyola,Eline Martins

doi:10.1590/2175-7860201869404

Bruno R Ribeiro, Gustavo Martinelli + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201869404

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Abstract

Abstract Brazil is signatory of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which provides guidelines and directions to existing national policies. This strategy aims to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity through the achievement of 16 outcome-based targets set for 2020. One of these targets (target 7) states that at least 75% of known threatened plant species should be preserved in situ. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of the Brazilian current network of protected areas (PAs) and indigenous lands (ILs) in representing all known threatened plant species. We found that the number of species represented inside PAs and ILs varied according to data type. When using occurrence records, we found that 699 (33%) threatened plant species lie completely outside PAs (and/or ILs) and that 1,405 species (67%) have at least one record inside at least one PA (and/or IL). The number of species unrepresented decreased when we considered polygons of distribution. In this case, only 219 (10%) are supposedly unprotected. Although Brazil is almost reaching GSPC Target 7 in terms of absolute numbers, the government still needs to allocate resources for properly managing and improving the conservation status of its imperiled flora and expand the network of PAs.

Highlights

Plants are the backbone of life on Earth and are a source of food, timber, medicine, and a wide range of goods and services such as pure water, erosion control, and climate regulation; which are essential for human wellbeing (Kier et al 2005; Corlett 2016)
The Atlantic rainforest harbored the highest number of threatened plant species in Brazil (n = 1,507) only ~11% of its extent is covered by protected areas (PAs) and indigenous lands (ILs) (Pacheco et al 2018)
We found that the number of species occurring inside and outside PAs varied according to the type of distribution data used to do the analysis

Summary

Introduction

Plants are the backbone of life on Earth and are a source of food, timber, medicine, and a wide range of goods and services such as pure water, erosion control, and climate regulation; which are essential for human wellbeing (Kier et al 2005; Corlett 2016). Flora conservation is still a big challenge to be faced in megadiverse countries. As signatory of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Brazil has committed to protect 75% of its known threatened plant species inside the country’s PAs. As signatory of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Brazil has committed to protect 75% of its known threatened plant species inside the country’s PAs This goal relates to target 7 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), a program agreed at the CBD meeting in Nagoya in 2010 (Convention on Biological Diversity 2016a). The GSPC aims to halt the continuing loss of plant diversity through the achievement of 16 outcome-based targets set for 2020 (Convention on Biological Diversity 2016a). 66% of South Africa and 44% of Spain threatened plant species have at least one population occurring in PAs (Convention on Biological Diversity 2016b; Muñoz-Rodríguez et al 2016)

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