Populations of large frugivores are declining in tropical rainforests with potential consequences for carbon storage and climate.

Forest fragmentation creates forest edges, and the effect of those edges increases as the size of forest fragments decreases. Edge effects include changes to microclimatic conditions at the forest edge, which affect vegetation structure. No previous studies have directly tested the relationship between microclimate and vegetation structure (for instance, basal area, trees mean height, dead trees and damage trees) at the edge of forest fragments in the Atlantic Forest domain. We tested the following three hypotheses: (i) the microclimatic conditions differ between the edge and the interior of the forest, (ii) the forest structure differs between the edge and the interior of the forest and (iii) changes to microclimatic conditions at the forest edge negatively affect vegetation structure at the edges. Our results demonstrate that edge habitats are significantly more susceptible to strong winds, lower humidity and higher air temperatures than forest interiors. The Communicated by Jefferson Prado, Pedro V. Eisenlohr and Ary T. de Oliveira-Filho.Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (microclimate may be considered the principal factor that explains the difference between the vegetation structure of the forest edge and the forest interior. Our results suggest that even large forest fragments in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest may be impacted by negative edge effects.

The objective of our work was to verify the value of the vegetation corridor in the conservation of small mammals in fragmented tropical landscapes, using a model system in the southeastern Minas Gerais. We evaluated and compared the composition and structure of small mammals in a vegetation corridor, forest fragments and a coffee matrix. A total of 15 species were recorded, and the highest species richness was observed in the vegetation corridor (13 species), followed by the forest fragments (10) and the coffee matrix (6). The absolute abundance was similar between the vegetation corridor and fragments (F = 22.94; p = 0.064), and the greatest differences occurred between the vegetation corridor and the matrix (F = 22.94; p = 0.001) and the forest fragments and the matrix (F = 22.94; p = 0.007). Six species showed significant habitat preference possibly related to the sensitivity of the species to the forest disturbance. Marmosops incanus was the species most sensitive to disturbance; Akodon montensis, Cerradomys subflavus, Gracilinanus microtarsus and Rhipidomys sp. displayed little sensitivity to disturbance, with a high relative abundance in the vegetation corridor. Calomys sp. was the species least affected by habitat disturbance, displaying a high relative abundance in the coffee matrix. Although the vegetation corridors are narrow (4 m width), our results support the hypothesis in which they work as a forest extension, share most species with the forest fragment and support species richness and abundance closer to forest fragments than to the coffee matrix. Our work highlights the importance and cost-effectiveness of these corridors to biodiversity management in the fragmented Atlantic Forest landscapes and at the regional level.

<p>The essential role of education in addressing the causes and consequences of anthropogenic climate change is increasingly being recognised at an international level.</p><p>The Office for Climate Education (OCE) develops Climate Change Education (CCE) resources that support teachers and education systems in developed and developing countries to mainstream climate change education in their respective contexts. The OCE organises capacity building/professional development workshops worldwide for educators. It has also initiated and coordinates a large network of stakeholders to scale up their actions towards climate change resilience.</p><p>Drawing upon the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, the OCE has produced a set of educational resources and tools for students to understand climate change in the context of the ocean and the cryosphere. These cover the scientific and societal dimensions, at local and global levels, while developing students’ reasoning abilities and guiding them to take action (mitigation and/or adaptation) in their schools or communities. These resources include:</p><ol><li>Ready-to-use <strong>teacher handbook</strong> that (i) target students from the last years of primary school to the end of lower-secondary school (aged 9 to 15), (ii) include scientific and pedagogical overviews, lesson plans, activities and worksheets, (iii) are interdisciplinary, covering topics in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and physical education, (iv) promote active pedagogies: inquiry-based science education, role-play, debate, project-based learning.</li> <li><strong>Summaries for teachers</strong> of two IPCC Special Reports (“Ocean and Cryosphere in a changing climate” and “Global Warming of 1.5°C”). They are presented together with a selection of related activities and exercises that can be implemented in the classroom.</li> <li>A set of <strong>10 videos</strong> where experts speak about a specific issue related to the ocean or the cryosphere, in the context of climate change. These videos can be used either to initiate or to conclude a discussion with students on their specific topic: urban heat islands, glaciers, ocean acidification, tropical cyclones, marine energy, sea ice melt, thermohaline circulation, El Niño, mangroves, sea level rise.</li> <li>A set of <strong>4 multimedia activities</strong> offering students the possibility of working interactively in different topics related to climate change: sea level rise, food webs, carbon footprints and mitigation/adaptation solutions.</li> <li>A set of <strong>3 resources for teacher trainers</strong>, offering turnkey training protocols on the topics “greenhouse effect” and “ocean”, as well as a methodology for producing locally-relevant education projects.</li> </ol>

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Com o objetivo de caracterizar os consumidores de produtos de origem animal (POA) na cidade de Lavras, Minas Gerais conforme suas percepções em relação ao serviço de inspeção de POA e conceitos sobre segurança dos alimentos foi elaborado um formulário de entrevista com questões objetivas e dissertativas referentes à condição social, grau de escolaridade, conhecimento da importância do serviço de inspeção e de possíveis doenças veiculadas por POA. Os locais de aplicação das entrevistas foram selecionados por amostragem aleatória simples entre os supermercados de maior representatividade no município. Utilizou-se uma amostra de 101 consumidores, que foram abordados aleatoriamente, de ambos os sexos e com idade superior a 18 anos de idade. Os resultados foram obtidos através de uma análise descritiva dos dados coletados. Foi observado um desconhecimento a respeito do serviço de inspeção de POA (76%), assim como da atuação do Médico Veterinário na preservação da saúde de tais consumidores (85%). Embora 92% dos entrevistados demonstrem um conhecimento referente às possíveis doenças transmitidas por alimentos de origem duvidosa, quando foram questionados em relação às vantagens em consumir um produto de origem animal inspecionado, 23% afirmaram não saber sobre tais vantagens, ou relacionaram com a qualidade do produto (28%) e segurança dos alimentos (36%). Como qualidade do produto, os consumidores entendem como sendo aqueles alimentos dentro do prazo de validade, não sendo comercializados deteriorados, podendo assim oferecer algum risco a sua saúde. Em relação à segurança dos alimentos eles alegaram como sendo a garantia de uma adequada procedência destes produtos certificados. Diante desta realidade se faz necessário um trabalho de conscientização junto aos consumidores, enfatizando a importância da certificação sanitária e as possíveis doenças de caráter zoonótico transmissíveis por POA. APOIO: CNPq e FAPEMIG

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