Livestock activities in the Amanã Sustainable Development Reserve (RDSA) involve the production of cattle and buffalo in an extensive system, and are aimed at raising income and savings. As an expanding activity with high environmental impact potential, livestock is a focus of current discussion in this protected area. This study aimed to characterize livestock ranching activities and ranchers in the RDSA, highlighting key factors of production and management dynamics, as well as key impact indicators. For this purpose, we conducted semi-structured questionnaires with all 58 ranchers and geo-referenced their grazing areas. Areas of natural fields used as pasture were calculated through the use of satellite images. The main impact indicators identified for local livestock activity include: cultivated field growth, the increased use of várzea grasslands, and buffalo herd growth. To control the expansion of this activity, we suggest the development of regulations to guide herd management and the use of productive environments involved in ranching activities.
Food biodiversity is characterized by the diversity of foods that compose a local, regional, or national ecosystem. Brazil has 20% of all the planet’s biodiversity and the richest biomes in the world. Therefore, describing the participation of these foods in the Brazilian diet is relevant. Using a complex sample with data from 57,920 households collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics from 2017 to 2018, this study showed that, except for yerba mate, the availability of foods from Brazilian biodiversity is low, representing an average of 7.09g/per capita/day. Regarding biomes, the Caatinga had the highest availability of fruits (4.20g/per capita/day) while the Amazon had the highest availability of vegetables (1.52g/per capita/day). The results are unsatisfactory and lower than what is expected from a territory rich in biodiversity and a world-leading food system. A greater commitment is essential to promote actions that strengthen the consumption of these foods among Brazilians.
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