Brazilian Conservation Units Research Articles

Records of endangered felines in conservation units in the Brazilian Pampa

The Brazilian Pampa biome is an environment formed by grasslands, shrubs, and riparian forests, home to several endemic species. These are being increasingly threatened by the replacement of their native areas by other types of land use, including agriculture and urbanization. To obtain comprehensive records of the native fauna, camera traps were installed in two protected areas, the Ibirapuitã Biological Reserve and the Espinilho State Park. In this way, it was possible to detect diverse populations of two native cats, the margay (Leopardus wiedii) and the Geoffroy’s cat (Leopardus geoffroyi), as well as the first record of the elusive Pampa’s cat (Leopardus munoai) in Brazilian conservation units, highlighting the critical importance of these unique habitats for biodiversity conservation and ecological research.

Conservation gaps for Brazilian bats, limited protection across conservation units and the importance of the indigenous lands.

In Brazil, there is 13% of the world's bat diversity, is the second most diverse group of mammals, playing a crucial role in providing ecosystem services that benefit humans. However, anthropogenic disturbances exacerbate processes of species extinction, shifts in geographic distributions, and phenological changes, despite efforts to safeguard biodiversity through the creation of Conservation Units and Indigenous Lands. Moreover, gaps in taxonomic knowledge and challenges related to species distribution hinder the effective implementation of conservation strategies in protected areas. This study assesses the contribution of Brazilian Conservation Units (both Full Protection and Sustainable Use) and Indigenous Lands to the conservation of bat species and their ecosystem services. It also presents maps illustrating species richness by trophic guilds and threat classification according to IUCN, including species listed as Data Deficient. The findings reveal low percentages of potential bat distribution areas within these protected regions, especially for insectivorous, nectarivorous, and frugivorous bats in the Cerrado biome, which are classified as Near Threatened. Additionally, the highest bat species richness was observed in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes.

Indigenous lands and conservation units slow down non-GHG climate change in the Cerrado-Amazon ecotone

Preserving tropical forests by avoiding deforestation and forest degradation is essential for maintaining ecosystem services. Brazilian Conservation Units (CUs) and Indigenous Lands (ILs) have effectively prevented deforestation and supported climate regulation. However, these protected areas face increasing threats from forest fires and droughts across the Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This study assesses how disturbances affect climate regulating factors (surface temperature (LST), evapotranspiration (ET), and albedo) in Mato Grosso state, among different land uses (CUs, ILs, and multiple-use areas - MUs). To do so, we analyzed satellite data collected between 2001 and 2020. Results showed that MUs (outside protected areas) had lower ET (∼10%), higher daytime LST (∼1.5 °C), and higher albedo (∼10%) than CUs and ILs in both biomes in 2001. Over the study period, MUs experienced a greater increase in LST (Amazon: ∼1.4 °C; Cerrado: ∼1.1 °C) and albedo (Amazon: ∼6%; Cerrado: ∼3%) compared to protected areas, regardless of the biome. In contrast, ILs and CUs showed smaller mean changes in LST (∼0.2 °C), ET (∼1.3%), and albedo (∼1.3%). These changes were associated with native vegetation loss, forest fires, and water stress. Our results highlight the important role of protected areas in maintaining climate stability, with higher ET, lower LST, and lower albedo than other land uses. However, the long-term preservation of these services within protected areas depends on interventions in surrounding regions, particularly in the Amazon. Protecting and restoring these natural ecosystems is key for safeguarding ecosystem services and climate regulation in tropical regions.

The importance of Brazilian Conservation Units for the diversity of gall-inducing insects: a study on gall-inducing insect richness in the Chapada Diamantina National Park, state of Bahia, Brazil.

Conservation Units (CUs) tend to have a high richness of herbivorous insects, including gall-inducing insects. Despite this, gall surveys carried out in these environments are punctual and some units have never had their galls investigated, such as the Chapada Diamantina National Park, Bahia (Chapada Diamantina Parna). Aiming to reduce this gap and contribute to future studies in CUs, this study aimed to survey the galls of the Chapada Diamantina Parna, Lençóis, as well as to investigate trends in research on galls in CUs in Brazil. For that, collections were carried out on monthly trips for one year. Published gall surveys were compiled. A total of 107 morphotypes induced in 88 host species were recorded. Most galls are formed in leaves, globoid in shape, green in color, and induced by Cecidomyiidae. This park has a relatively high richness of galls compared to other CUs, demonstrating its importance in the conservation of gall-inducing insects. The results also revealed that the number of surveys has been increasing over the years and that the Southeast concentrates the largest number of studies, a region that also gathers the largest number of specialists, demonstrating a geographic bias in the data.

Risk of forest fires occurrence on a transition island Amazon-Cerrado: Where to act?

A lack of proper planning in terms of fire prevention in protected areas can have several ecological and socioeconomic implications. This study aimed to investigate the necessity and feasibility of implementing fire management efforts in fire-prone Brazilian conservation unit on Bananal Island. Specifically, this study entailed a comprehensive study of pattens underlying the occurrence of forest fires (FFs) on Bananal Island using geotechnical tools, meteorological variables, and occurrence records. Fuzzy logic was applied to develop a forest fire risk zoning based on the following variables: land use and occupation, altitude, slope, relief orientation, air and land surface temperatures, precipitation, and proximity to heat zones. To analyze the patterns of FFs, fire occurrence records and meteorological variables between 2010 and 2020 were used. The validation of the model was conducted based on fire risk classes and burned areas between 2010 and 2019. The results showed that 3.61%, 16.41%, 33.65%, 30.17%, and 16.17% of the area was at very low risk, low risk, moderate risk, high risk, and very high risk, respectively, with respect to fire occurrence. Of the fire occurrences, 92% occurred in clear fields (native pastures); furthermore, 75.9% of these fires were arsons. The results of this study will allow managers of Ilha do Bananal to develop fire management plans that involve the well-directed use of resources, specifically the appropriate channeling of resources to the neediest areas. This means acting directly in areas with the highest risks and in surrounding sensitive regions, such as gallery forests. Additionally, our results justify the investment in education campaigns, as most fires result from vandalism. Finally, we conclude that the approach outlined in this study will not only improve fire prevention efforts on Bananal Island but can also be applied in other areas.

Persistent organic pollutant patterns in seabirds from marine protected areas in the tropical Atlantic Ocean

Persistent organic pollutants were investigated in the blood of living seabirds (Pterodroma arminjoniana, Onychoprion fuscatus, Sula dactylatra, Anous minutus, Anous stolidus and Sula leucogaster) from two Brazilian Conservation Units - Trindade Island and São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago. ∑PCBs (0.55 to 55.09 ng/g wet weight (ww), ∑DDTs (0.01 to 17.36 ng/g ww) and Mirex (0.01 to 5.53 ng/g ww) were predominant in all samples. Trindade petrel Pterodroma arminjoniana presented higher values than other seabirds, which is potentially related to diet and migratory behavior. Fluctuations in the trophic ecology data, through carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, warn of temporal variation in diet and foraging and highlight the importance of using a nondestructive matrix to allow long-term monitoring of POP contamination in seabirds from Brazilian Conservation Units. In addition, the data will fill the gaps in the POP baselines for seabirds from the tropical Atlantic Ocean.

Recategorization of Conservation Units in Brazil: A systematic literature review

The Brazilian National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) has a wide spectrum of conservationist strategies, so that often the choice of a protected area typology is not adequate to the proposed conservation objectives. The recategorization of a Conservation Unit (CU) is a legal and widely used procedure to resolve conflicts of interest that exist even before the SNUC implementation. This research carried out a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) with the objective of identifying the methods applied in recategorizations and factors that led to the occurrence of this phenomenon in Brazilian CUs. Three bibliographic databases (Research gate, PubMed and Repositório UFSC) were searched, in addition to Google Scholar, obtaining total number of 1,068 articles. The results indicate increase in the number of publications on the theme in the last three years, and that there are twenty methods used in CU recategorization processes in Brazil. A variation of instruments used for recategorization was also identified, and it was found that in most cases, more than one instrument is used, with the implementation of a decree or law being the most used. Several factors are also responsible for recategorization, being territorial conflicts and their overlapping on traditional communities the most relevant.

The Uruguay River: A Permeable Border in South America

The Uruguay River basin in South America has held a social, cultural, environmental, and economic relevance for many centuries. The river flows for about 2,000 km, linked to an important remnant of native forest, the Selva Misionera in Argentina, and to a Brazilian conservation unit for biodiversity, the Turvo State Park. The Uruguay River is fed by several other important rivers, forming a basin region in which thousands of people live and work. The history of the Uruguay River is intensively linked to the permeable borders between Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay where different social groups circulated in diverse historical time periods. Forests along the river played a very important role with emphasis on the extraction and trade of yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis, Saint-Hilaire), a forest product widely consumed in southern America, and also the timber extraction from native forests, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. As a result, a profound socio-environmental transformation took place with the reconstruction of regional landscapes shaped by the Uruguay River basin.

The Geodiversity of Brazil: Quantification, Distribution, and Implications for Conservation Areas

Research related to geodiversity aim at valuing abiotic aspects as inseparable components of natural heritage and, thus, as well as biodiversity, must be understood and valued through the ordering of their use and geoconservation. Geodiversity studies are developed based on several approaches, from the broadest ones, which contemplate the measurement of abiotic elements fully, to those that assess geoheritage through geodiversity values. The present research follows the broader approach of evaluating and analysing the entire geodiversity, applying the measurement of abiotic elements without their valuation, and spatialising areas with a greater and lesser density of the selected elements related in this research lithology, relief, and soil. For this purpose, bases produced by systematic surveys of Brazilian research institutions were used. As a result, the mapping of the subindexes obtained pointing from the division into 5 classes, the areas which present greater and lesser diversity of each element, as well as the synthesis map for the indexes of geodiversity elements in Brazil, considering the three elements selected for this mapping. The analysis of the indexes’ spatialisation was carried out from a descriptive and genetic perspective, aiming to explain the causes of the distribution of the abiotic elements in the Brazilian territory, providing subindexes for studies in the scope of environmental services, nature, and territory conservation planning. A spatial analysis was also carried out between the Geodiversity Index Map and the Brazilian conservation units and the areas where geopark projects are being developed.

Genetic diversity and population structure of natural populations of the endangered grass Paspalum rawitscheri (Parodi) Chase ex G.H. Rua & Valls (Paspaleae, Poaceae)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity and population structure of natural subpopulations of Paspalum rawitscheri (Parodi) Chase ex G.H. Rua & Valls using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers. Four natural subpopulations from State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, were evaluated, using six ISSR primers. A total of 131 fragments were amplified, 34 of which were polymorphic. The genetic diversity (h) for the subpopulations was considered low, with values ranging from 0.130 to 0.217. The Vacaria subpopulation presented the lowest diversity among populations. The Shannon (I) diversity indices were also low, with values ranging from 0.187 to 0.334, with the Vacaria subpopulation also presenting the lowest values. The molecular variance (AMOVA) analysis showed, in general, the highest variation occurred within subpopulations rather than between subpopulations. The Bayesian Inference analysis separated the individuals into four genetic clusters, mixing individuals from different municipalities in the clusters. The results indicate that the species has low genetic diversity and low population structure, requiring conservation plans. Ex situ conservation becomes a necessary effort, since populations of this species are found in grasslands remnants affected by fires and implantation of crops, and is not present in any protected area of the Brazilian Conservation Units system.

Desafios no âmbito do planejamento e da difusão de iniciativas de turismo sustentável em uma Unidade de Conservação brasileira

O presente artigo tem como propósito analisar os desafios do planejamento e implantação de iniciativas de turismo sustentável em uma Unidade de Conservação (UC) brasileira: o Parque Natural Municipal do Açude da Concórdia (PaNaMAC). Foram conduzidas quatro entrevistas com atores institucionais da UC, ao passo que também se realizou a coleta de comentários publicados na página do TripAdvisor, na internet, por visitantes que estiveram no PaNaMAC. Os dados foram sistematizados com o uso do software Iramuteq e submetidos à análise de conteúdo. Percebeu-se que o PaNaMAC tem potencial para iniciativas de turismo sustentável, principalmente em função de seus ativos ambientais. Os turistas percebem o local como um atrativo em que é possível a prática de atividades conectadas com a perspectiva do turismo sustentável. Porém constatou-se que o poder público é um dos principais causadores dos empecilhos para a difusão do turismo sustentável no parque.

Relação de comunidades do entorno com as unidades de conservação

Este estudo buscou apresentar e caracterizar aspectos de um levantamento de publicações do Catálogo de Teses e Dissertações da Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), defendidas entre 2013 a 2019, que abordaram a relação de comunidades do entorno com Unidades de Conservação (UC) brasileiras. O corpus documental constituiu-se de 14 publicações, o qual foi analisado quanti-qualitativamente a partir de descritores gerais e específicos. As regiões sul e sudeste são as que mais investigam em nível stricto sensu a temática, especialmente em Programas de Pós-Graduação de Ecologia. Grande parte dos trabalhos contemplou UC de proteção integral da Mata Atlântica. A técnica de entrevistas com moradores locais tem predominado nessa produção. A educação ambiental permeou a maioria das publicações. Os resultados contribuem para o maior incentivo de estudos educativos e informativos sobre as características das UC e o consequente envolvimento da população na responsabilidade pelo processo de conservação e fiscalização das áreas.

SEMANTIC SEGMENTATION OF BRAZILIAN SAVANNA VEGETATION USING HIGH SPATIAL RESOLUTION SATELLITE DATA AND U-NET

Abstract. Large-scale mapping of the Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado) vegetation using remote sensing images is still a challenge due to the high spatial variability and spectral similarity of the different characteristic vegetation types (physiognomies). In this paper, we report on semantic segmentation of the three major groups of physiognomies in the Cerrado biome (Grasslands, Savannas and Forests) using a fully convolutional neural network approach. The study area, which covers a Brazilian conservation unit, was divided into three regions to enable testing the approach in regions that were not used in the training phase. A WorldView-2 image was used in cross validation experiments, in which the average overall accuracy achieved with the pixel-wise classifications was 87.0%. The F-1 score values obtained with the approach for the classes Grassland, Savanna and Forest were of 0.81, 0.90 and 0.88, respectively. Visual assessment of the semantic segmentation outcomes was also performed and confirmed the quality of the results. It was observed that the confusion among classes occurs mainly in transition areas, where there are adjacent physiognomies if a scale of increasing density is considered, which agrees with previous studies on natural vegetation mapping for the Cerrado biome.

Serviços Ecossistêmicos da Geodiversidade: Avaliação e Propostas de Valoração em Locais de Interesse Geológico do Parque Nacional de Ubajara, Ceará, Brasil

A superexploração do capital natural pela sociedade atual consolida uma crise ambiental global. Diversas abordagens, dentre as quais a dos Serviços Ecossistêmicos, foram formuladas visando frear a degradação e fomentar medidas de conservação ambiental. Nesse contexto, esse trabalho analisa os bens e os serviços ecossistêmicos prestados por elementos da geodiversidade nos locais de interesse geológico (LIG) do Parque Nacional de Ubajara, Ceará, Brasil. A metodologia parte do inventário de LIGs, da avaliação quanti-qualitativa e da proposição de estratégias de valoração em âmbito local. Foram inventariados onze LIGs de relevância nacional que prestam diversos serviços ecossistêmicos. As propostas de valoração têm como alicerce a relação com os agentes econômicos e sociais locais, sendo passíveis de replicação em diferentes unidades de conservação brasileiras.

Geotourism and Soil Quality on Trails Within Conservation Units in South-East Brazil

Geotourism is a growing activity in Brazil, mainly in Conservation Units, where trails are used by both visitors and local people to access geotourist attractions. The use of these trails can have negative impacts when there is inadequate planning and management. This research investigated two geotourist trails: Caixa D’Aco natural pool trail in Serra da Bocaina National Park (Rio de Janeiro State) and Agua Branca waterfall trail in Serra do Mar State Park (Sao Paulo State). Geodiversity values were assessed at both geosites, adopting the methods of Gray (2004, 2013). Soil quality analysis was also conducted, with physico-chemical analyses of soils from 0 to 10 cm depth. The dominant soil texture on Caixa D’Aco natural pool trail is sandy clay loam, and on Agua Branca trail, all samples were coarse sandy loams. Soils on Caixa D’Aco natural pool trail were compact, with a mean bulk density of 1.41 g/cm3, whereas on Agua Branca trail, the mean value was 1.19 g/cm3. The geodiversity values at both sites were similar, except for supporting services, where Caixa D’Aco natural pool had a medium value, whereas Agua Branca waterfall had a high value. This paper stresses the importance of geoconservation studies in publicizing the geoheritage of Brazilian Conservation Units.

Protected Areas in Brazil and Aichi Target 11: National Achievements

Brazil is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Therefore, it has commitments to safeguard part of its territory. Considering the achievement of Aichi Target 11, this article aims to show the results of quantitative research of protected areas in Brazil, a developing country, with emphasis on the state of Ceara. The paper highlights the quantity of Conservation Units, a type of Brazilian protected area. It describes two analyses. First, considering a secondary database, the study concentrated on the situation and progress of the Brazilian Conservation Units in achieving Target 11. Then, regarding to meet Target 11, it examined Conservation Units in the State of Ceara. Nowadays, Brazil has 2,309 Conservation Units, including Integral Protection Group and Sustainable Use Group. The results of this research indicate that Brazil has 18.60% of terrestrial protected area and 26.45% of marine protected area. Therefore, they are sufficient to meet Target 11. Data shows percentage above the target, even in 2018, two years before the deadline. The state of Ceara has 116 Conservation Units with 326.61 Km2 of protected area. It is 21.92% of all Ceara’s geographical extension which contributes for the empowerment of Brazilian commitments regarding the national plans and also the Convention on Biological Diversity, even though, it represents only 5% of total number of Brazilian Conservation Units.

The role and the precariousness of volunteer work in Brazilian protected areas

This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence patterns and role of volunteering in Brazilian protected areas in facing the scenarios of reduced public funds for conservation. Thus, we analyzed volunteer work documents in 210 Brazilian conservation units and carried out a meta-analysis on the proposed objectives, activities offered, the prerequisites for participation and the provisions offered to volunteers. Parks have the highest demand for volunteers (i.e. the type of protected area where volunteers are needed the most to perform volunteer work), as well as for the objectives, activities and prerequisites. Volunteering is motivated by objectives associated with providing practical experience, but in activities associated with public use, visitation and infrastructure. The desired profile is associated with adults with advanced education who have experience in the environmental sciences, and there is no incentive for participation by local resident. The provisions offered to volunteers are mainly related to work execution itself, such as accommodation, food and transportation, despite the relatively low supply of training courses and personal protective equipment. We argue that volunteer actions are being encouraged to meet both the need for professionals and the reduced public funds allocated to conservation. In this sense, this incentive has motivated volunteer precariousness, since the ideal volunteer activity motives are distorted, as well as the services rendered. Knowledge of this process is important to assist in planning public policies and initiatives for conservation, as well as in models for restructuring voluntary action that can achieve both the objectives of volunteer action (i.e. inclusion of the surrounding community and society in the conservation), as well as to contribute to advances in the ecology and in the effectiveness of natural area conservation.

ASSOCIATIONS IN PROTECTED AREAS: RESTRICTIONS AND POSSIBILITIES IN THE EXPERIENCE OF TOURIST GUIDES IN CATIMBAU, PERNAMBUCO

Abstract The aim of the current study is to analyze the organizational dynamics established by the Association of Tourist Guides and for the Development of Catimbau National Park (AGTURC - Associação de Guias do Turismo e do Desenvolvimento do Parque Nacional do Catimbau) as a way to structure the tourist activity in the park, which is located in Pernambuco State. This perspective is set in discussions about the changes the countryside has faced due to new territorial dynamics that have resulted from the idea of environmental conservation and enhancement of the country area, and the consequent implementation of protected natural areas. The abandonment by the public power, the poor logistics infrastructure of the association, in addition to the bad management of scarce resources in the herein presented case, among other reasons, have favored internal disputes over visitors among the AGTURC members, thus motivating, for instance, the noncompliance with the agreements defined by the group. These aspects reveal the tourism-related difficulties and tensions experienced in Brazilian Conservation Units.

Long-term rainfall trends in Serra da Mantiqueira Environmental Protection Area, southeast Brazil

The Serra da Mantiqueira Environmental Protection Area (SMEPA) is one of the most important and unique Brazilian conservation units of the Atlantic Forest biome, located in the eponymous relief unit. Although the environmental and water resources relevance of the SMEPA is widely known, it lacks specific studies about the hydrologic behavior of the region. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the rainfall behavior over the SMEPA, by detecting monotonic trends of total annual and seasonal rainfalls. The study was performed by applying the Mann–Kendall test to 37 years series from 23 rainfall stations located within and around the SMEPA. No trends were detected in total annual and spring seasonal rainfall. Few stations (one during summer, two during autumn and two during winter) presented statistically significant trends, indicating that there is no regional trend over the SMEPA region. The isolated significant trends detected suggest the existence of sites with distinct rainfall behavior in the mesoscale.

An assessment of Brazilian conservation units – a second look

This is a second overview of the Brazilian conservation unit system for mid-2010. It updates author et al, 2009. It examines six dimensions of federal and state protected areas – age, numbers, types of units, absolute and average sizes, distribution by states and biomes, and degree of compliance with CBD-inspired goals. Major findings: (i) the system maintained a rapid growth rate; (ii) national parks and national forests are the most prominent units; (iii) distribution of units by region and biome remains unbalanced; (iv) state units grew remarkably over the last five years; (v) state units are biased towards sustainable use; (vi) sustainable use units grew more than fully protected units; (vii) Amazonia remains the most extensively protected biome; and (viii) quantitative goals of biome protection are closer to being reached. In 2010 Brazil held the fourth position globally in protected areas; it created the largest number of units between 2000 and 2010; it has the largest combined area of protected tropical formations. However, several regions and biomes remain under protected.