scholarly journals Effectiveness of Arguments Used in the Creation of Protected Areas of Sustainable Use in Brazil: A Case Study from the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariane Roque ◽  
José Ferreira Neto ◽  
André Faria ◽  
Fernanda Ferreira ◽  
Thais Teixeira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Empirical Reality ◽  
The Creation

Studies on the effectiveness of the discourse motivating the creation of protected areas (PAs) and their empirical reality are scarce. The lack of knowledge in this area affects programs and policies on the maintenance and creation of protected areas. Thus, we investigated this matter using the case study of the Nascente Geraizeiras Sustainable Development Reserve (NGSDR) in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The reserve comprises a transition area between Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, two critical biomes in the world of biodiversity and the only two hotspots in Brazil. Changes in land use were identified over a period of 30 years, from 1987 to 2017, based on a compilation of the arguments associated with the creation of the PA, geographic information system (GIS) techniques, remote sensing (RS) data, and landscape ecology indices. Seven types of land use were identified using Random Forest classifier R software: native forest, silviculture, pasture, bare soil, rocky outcrop, watercourses, and agriculture. The overall mean accuracy of the classification was 90% for all five periods. The results demonstrated that the creation of protected areas is supported by contexts of land use still based on traditional. The case study showed the discourse served as a fundamental strategy in the beginning of the mobilization that culminated in the creation of the NGSDR, in the containment of forestry, in an increase in native forest areas, and in reduced fragmentation, leading to an improvement in the conservation status of the landscape. The present study encourages future researchers to apply the evaluated approach and demonstrates its potential in assessing the formulation of programs and policies on protected areas worldwide, providing valid indicators for the improvement of ecosystem services.

scholarly journals ANALYZING TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL TRENDS IN MANAGEMENT PLANS OF FEDERAL PROTECTED AREAS IN BRAZIL

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (04) ◽  
pp. 846-854
Author(s):  
Alessandro Ribeiro Morais ◽  
◽  
Mariana Nascimento Siqueira ◽  
Roniel Freitas-Oliveira ◽  
Daniel Brito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Group A ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Group B

Protected areas are the most frequently used tool for the mitigation of threats to biodiversity. However, without effective management, the creation of new protected areas may be ineffective. In Brazil, protected areas must have both a governing body (consultative or deliberative council) and an official management plan. Here, we analyzed general trends and patterns in the approval of the management plans for Brazilian federal protected areas. We considered all federal protected areas, and compiled data on (i) the year the area was created, (ii) the type of protected area (integral protection vs. sustainable use), (iii) year its management plan was approved, (iv) year in which the management plan was revised after its approval, (v) total area (in hectares), and (vi) the biome in which the area is located. We stablished three groups of protected area: 1) Group A: protected areas created prior to 1979, 2) Group B: protected areas created between 1979 and 1999, and 3) Group C: protected areas created between 2000 to the present time. Finally, we tested whether time for the approval of the management plan suffered a simultaneous effect of the type of biome and type of categories of protected area (strictly protected vs. sustainable use areas). We found 211 (63.17% of the 334) protected areas with management plan. On average, the time taken for the creation and approval of a management plan far exceeds the deadlines (5 yrs.) defined under current Brazilian law. All Brazilian biomes are poorly covered by protected areas with effective management plans, with the highest and lowest value observed in the Pantanal (100%) and Caatinga (46.42%), respectively. Our results suggest that the effectiveness of many federal protected areas in Brazil can be reduced considerably by the lack of a management plan, with deleterious consequences for the country’s principal conservation strategies.

scholarly journals A simple method for assessing preliminary conservation status of plants at a national level: a case study using the ferns of El Salvador

Oryx ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-528
Author(s):  
Sandra Knapp ◽  
Jorge Monterrosa Salomón
Keyword(s):  
El Salvador ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
National Level ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Conservation Concern ◽  
Forest Habitats

AbstractAssessments of conservation status are usually carried out on a global scale but national priorities often necessitate a more focused approach. Using a typology of rarity first articulated in the early 1980s by Deborah Rabinowitz, coupled with presence/absence from protected areas, preliminary conservation status at the national level was assessed for 397 species of ferns and fern allies from El Salvador in Central America. Of these, 43 lacked sufficient data, 175 were considered not of conservation concern, 106 were considered to be at risk and 73 to be threatened. The majority of the threatened species were from cloud or montane forest habitats but aquatics and species restricted to pine–oak forests are also rare and occur outside protected areas. The utility of this simple methodology is discussed and the importance of field studies by local experts with local knowledge emphasized.

scholarly journals MAMÍFEROS DE MÉDIO E GRANDE PORTE NA ÁREA DE PROTEÇÃO AMBIENTAL MUNICIPAL DO RIO VERMELHO EM SANTA CATARINA, SUL DO BRASIL

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. 722-737
Author(s):  
Marcelo Hübel ◽  
◽  
Izar Aximoff ◽  
Antonio Carlos de Freitas ◽  
Clarissa Rosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Camera Traps ◽  
Lepus Europaeus ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Large Mammals ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Santa Catarina ◽  
Santa Catarina State

MEDIUM AND LARGE MAMMALS IN RIO VERMELHO MUNICIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AREA, SANTA CATARINA, SOUTHERN BRAZIL: Most studies on medium and large mammals in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are carried out in areas under full protection (as parks and biological reserves). Considering the continuing threats that the forest remnants are suffering, it is essential to carry out mammal surveys in protected areas for sustainable use. In order to evaluate the species richness and the relative frequency of medium and large mammals in the área de proteção ambiental municipal do Rio Vermelho – APARV (northern Santa Catarina state), methodologies of direct visualization and camera traps were used. The study was conducted from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2019. In Santa Catarina state, there is only one study which sampling effort is comparable to the present one (7300 night-trap). Thirty-three native mammal species and two alien species (Canis familiaris and Lepus europaeus) were found. The species accumulation curve tended to stabilize at the beginning of the third year. Three species were responsible for more than half of the photographic records (Cerdocyon thous, Eira barbara and Procyon cancrivorus). In total, 33.3% of the species are classified in some category of threat, and three of these species are among the less recorded in Santa Catarina state (Tayassu pecari, Tapirus terrestris and Mazama nana). Our survey added 18 new occurrences to the APARV management plan. Only two of the 18 mammal surveys carried out previously in the Santa Catarina state recorded more species than our study. This is the second survey which was carried out in protected areas for sustainable use in Santa Catarina state. Our study contributes to the important knowledge that can be used in conservation measures. In this way, the APARV plays a fundamental role for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest mammals, constituting an important area favoring the population movements of mammals.

Comparison of microbial processing of Brachiaria brizantha, a C4 invasive species and a rainforest species in tropical streams of the Atlantic Forest of south-eastern Brazil

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 1397 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Figueiredo ◽  
F. G. Augusto ◽  
L. D. Coletta ◽  
P. J. Duarte-Neto ◽  
E. A. Mazzi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Riparian Vegetation ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
First Order ◽  
Breakdown Rates ◽  
C3 Species

The breakdown of allochthonous organic matter is considered to be the main source of energy and nutrients for the majority of first-order streams. Thus, land-use change and riparian vegetation, such as deforestation and conversion of native forest to pasture lands, will lead to unwanted changes of the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems due to the disturbance of organic-matter supply. The C4 grasses, extensively used as forage in tropical regions, are poorly studied as important sources of allochthonous material because they are usually considered as a poor source of nutrients. Because the effects of land-use change on ecosystem functions are not fully known, we aimed to evaluate how such changes in riparian vegetation can affect nutrient cycling by means of measuring the decomposition rate of an abundant native C3 species and an exotic C4 grass species in first-order streams of the Atlantic Forest. Our results showed that C4 detritus decomposed faster than did C3 detritus, despite its lower nutrient concentration. This was likely to be due to the lower lignin concentration of the C4 species than the native C3 species. Lignin also influenced nutrient-loss dynamics of the C3 species, because it can interact with other cellular constituents and prevent the decomposition of most labile compounds. Our results supported the observation that the replacement of riparian vegetation alters breakdown rates and nutrient distributions, which may disrupt aquatic food webs.

scholarly journals Assessing the efficiency of protected areas to represent biodiversity: a small island case study

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTA VERGÍLIO ◽  
CATARINA FONSECA ◽  
HELENA CALADO ◽  
PAULO A.V. BORGES ◽  
RUI BENTO ELIAS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Planning ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Small Island ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Current Conservation ◽  
Distribution Modelling ◽  
Spatial Conservation Planning ◽  
Species Groups

SUMMARYProtected areas (PAs) have been selected using either subjective or objective criteria applied to an extremely limited subset of biodiversity. Improved availability of species distribution data, better statistical tools to predict species distributions and algorithms to optimize spatial conservation planning allow many impediments to be overcome, particularly on small islands. This study analyses whether 219 species are adequately protected by PAs on Pico Island (the Azores, Portugal), and if they are as efficient as possible, maximizing species protection while minimizing costs. We performed distribution modelling of species’ potential distributions, proposed individual conservation targets (considering the context of each species in the archipelago and their current conservation status) to determine the efficiency of current PAs in meeting such targets and identify alternative or complementary areas relevant for conservation. Results showed that current PAs do not cover all taxa, leaving out important areas for conservation. We demonstrate that by using optimization algorithms it is possible to include most species groups in spatial conservation planning in the Azores with the current resources. With increasing availability of data and methods, this approach could be readily extended to other islands and regions with high endemism levels.

scholarly journals Local Perception in Forest Landscape Restoration Planning: A Case Study From the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Maioli ◽  
Lara M. Monteiro ◽  
Fernanda Tubenchlak ◽  
Isabelle S. Pepe ◽  
Yuri B. de Carvalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Participatory Approach ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
Forest Landscape ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Forest ◽  
Landscape Restoration ◽  
Forest Landscape Restoration ◽  
Local Stakeholders

Understanding local stakeholders' perception and their relation with the landscape and its natural resources is an important step for successfully implementing Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR). Here, we present a case study on FLR in the context of a global biodiversity hotspot—the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, using a participatory approach to include local stakeholders' knowledge and perception of the landscape into project planning. We analyzed the land use and cover, and organized a workshop with focus group methodology associated with maps and other visual representations to assess local perceptions of economic activities, production chains and their impacts on the landscape and ecosystem services. The study area encompasses seven municipalities mainly covered by native vegetation and pastures. Despite pastureland being the prominent land use in the region, they are not engaged in associations, most do not live in the region, and few participated in the workshop. Most participants were small and medium-scale landowners involved in agricultural activities who demonstrated a detailed knowledge of the territory, a disposition toward combining conservation with production practices, and a positive perception regarding ecotourism, agroecological approaches, water, and soil conservation. The participatory approach proved effective to complement the initial assessment while revealing novel aspects of the landscape and the landowners, helping test our hypotheses and adjust the engaging narratives for future FLR activities planning in the region, including environmental law compliance. More studies associating social and natural science, including participatory methods and local communities' perception, are needed to fully comprehend the drivers of stakeholders' engagement. This case study provides useful insights for other researchers and practitioners to design more effective plans for future land management.

Can siting algorithms assist in prioritizing for conservation in a densely populated and land use allocated country? – Israel as a case study

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilad Weil ◽  
Noam Levin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Master Plans ◽  
Spatial Properties ◽  
Planning Framework ◽  
Planning Approach ◽  
Regional Land

Over the years, Israel's centralized national planning framework and the intense competition on the limited available land played a crucial factor in designing the spatial distribution of the protected areas in Israel. When examining the spatial properties of the protected areas, it was found that they do not adequately represent the variety of the ecosystems in Israel. According to the systematic conservation planning approach, we aimed to examine how optimization algorithms (e.g., MARXAN) would inform us on high priority areas for conservation. We created proxies for anthropogenic disturbance, and for the susceptibility of designating new protected areas subject to existing national and regional land use master plans. Our conservation targets were defined on the basis of the spatial distribution of 461 endangered vertebrate and plant species (red species), as well as by defining and mapping 21 main ecosystems. The results highlight the limited options of significantly improving the representativeness provided by the existing protected areas, due to the diminishing availability of open areas, which may be available to be designated as protected areas. However, the results also emphasize the conservation potential of agricultural land, as well as the need for preserving small and fragmented rare habitats.

scholarly journals SITUACIÓN DEL USO DE LA TIERRA EN LA DISTRIBUCIÓN DE CINCO ESPECIES DE MURCIÉLAGOS DE LA FAMILIA EMBALLONURIDAE EN HONDURAS, CENTROAMÉRICA

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 13
Author(s):  
David Josué Mejía Quintanilla ◽  
Bernal Rodríguez-Herrera ◽  
Manuel Spinola-Parallada ◽  
Juan Pablo Suazo-Euceda Suazo-Euceda ◽  
Leonel Marineros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Distribution Maps ◽  
Consequent Reduction ◽  
Productive Systems ◽  
High Level

ResumenA lo largo de las últimas décadas, los bosques en Centroamérica han sufrido grandes cambios en los usos de la tierra, así como la reducción de los diferentes tipos de bosques. Los efectos de esta reducción, sumado a estos cambios, podrían ser una fuerte amenaza para la diversidad de murciélagos, puesto que estos animales se especializan en cazar o buscar alimento en ambientes específicos. Dado que hay conocimiento limitado sobre la situación actual de riesgo o estado de conservación de los murciélagos de Honduras y en especial, de los murciélagos insectívoros, se evaluaron las potenciales amenazas generadas por los cambios de uso de la tierra y la consecuente reducción en las áreas naturales, tomando en cuenta cinco especies de murciélagos de la Familia Emballonuridae. Además se cuantificó el área bajo protección en los que se localizaron los embalonúridos y se determinaron los vacíos de conservación para cada una de las especies. Para esto se utilizaron los mapas de distribución de las especies y las capas de uso de la tierra 2001 y 2009 con lo que se lograron visualizar las tendencias del cambio de uso de la tierra entre ambos periodos. Los vacíos de conservación se determinaron usando las capas de áreas protegidas y microcuencas declaradas hasta el 2015 y se traslaparon con la distribución de las cinco especies de murciélagos. Los resultados del análisis del cambio en el uso de la tierra muestran una predominancia de los sistemas productivos humanos en todas las distribuciones de las diferentes especies de murciélagos, por lo cual el efecto potencial del cambio de uso de la tierra es alto. Por otro lado, las especies registran una baja proporción dentro de áreas bajo protección. La mayoría de las especies enfrentan cambios de uso de la tierra bastante marcados y bajos niveles de protección, especialmente las que se distribuyen en bosque seco y bosque de pino.Palabras clave: Gremios, Chiroptera, forrajeo, Saccopteryx, Peropteryx, Balantiopteryx.AbstractForests in Central America have suffered land use changes in the past decades, as well as a decrease in its size. The effects of this reduction, added to these changes, could represent a threat for bat diversity since these animals specialize in hunting or foraging in specific environments. Since there is scarce knowledge of the current situation or conservation status of bats in Honduras, specially of insectivorous bats, we assessed potential threats of land use change and the consequent reduction of natural areas regarding five species of bats belonging to the Emballonuridae family. We also quantified protected areas where Emballonuridae bats were located and defined conservation gaps for each species. To do this, we used species distribution maps and land use layers of 2001 and 2009, where we could visualize land use change tendency between both periods. Conservation gaps were defined using protected areas and micro-watersheds layers declared until 2015, which were overlapped with the distribution of the five bats species. The results of the analysis of land use change show a predominance of productive systems in the distribution of the different bat species, therefore land use change effect is potentially high. Also, species occurrence is low under protected areas. Most of the species confront a high level of land use change and low levels of protection, especially those that inhabit dry forest and pine forest.Key words: Guild, Chiroptera, forage, Saccopteryx, Peropteryx, Balanptioteryx.

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