Consequences of suppressing natural vegetation in drainage areas for freshwater ecosystem conservation: considerations on the new "Brazilian forest code"

Abstract

The input of particulate and dissolved organic matter (POM and DOM, respectively) from terrestrial ecosystem drainage basins is an important energy and nutrient source in limnic food chains. Studies indicated that semi-deciduous seasonal forests located in drainage areas in Brazil have the potential to produce 7.5 -10.3 Mg ha −1 /year of POM. The global increase in vegetation destruction, such as forests, threatens this allochthonous resource and can have significant impacts on river and lake communities and food chains. Therefore, it is critical that exploitation and occupation protocols are updated to protect the transition areas between terrestrial and limnic ecosystems. This review highlights the existing knowledge of these ecosystem interactions and proposes responsible sustainable methods for converting the vegetation in drainage basins. This was based on Brazilian ecosystem data and the new "Brazilian Forest Code. " This study also considers the importance of including flood tracks in permanently protected areas to improve Brazilian legislation and protect hydric resources.

Importance of nutrients, organic matter and light availability on epilimnetic metabolic rates in a mesotrophic tropical lake

“…While <8% of the pristine Brazilian Atlantic forest remains (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, da Fonseca, & Kent, ), several important freshwater ecosystems in this biome are under threats by human‐mediated changes in land use, mainly related to deforestation and changes in the frequency and intensity of precipitation events (Roland et al., ; Soares‐Filho et al., ). Land use transformation and the disruption of biogeochemical cycles may change inputs of dissolved nutrients and organic matter into the lake (M. Pinheiro, Carvalho, Arruda, & Guilherme, ; Vitousek, Mooney, Lubchenco, & Melillo, ), consequently affecting biogeochemical processes such as gross primary production (GPP), community respiration ( R ) and the balance of these two, the net community production (NCP = GPP– R ), which are commonly referred to as lake metabolism (Hanson, Bade, Carpenter, & Kratz, ; Solomon et al., ; Staehr et al., ). Furthermore, lake metabolism is believed to be a good sentinel of climate changes.…”

The negative influences of the new brazilian forest code on the conservation of riparian forests

“…In other words, the degradation of forests exists, and rural landowners cannot be held liable for these environmental damages. As anticipated by several scientists, before the implementation of the new Brazilian Forest Code in 2012 (for instance Casatti 2010;Marques et al 2010;Toledo et al 2010), and as evidenced by several subsequent studies (Pinheiro et al 2015;Azevedo et al 2017;Roriz et al 2017; and this paper), the new Forest Code increased deforestation and weakened the biodiversity conservation of the Brazilian forests. Case studies like this one carried out by our team are very important, as they inform the society about the urgency of improving the current Brazilian Forest Code, materialized under Federal Law 12651/2012.…”

Implicações ambientais do novo código florestal brasileiro

“…Desconsiderando essas áreas, percebe-se que a maior parte das áreas irregulares é de pastagem para fins de uso na pecuária, mesmo não sendo a principal atividade econômica da sub-bacia. Essa atividade causa a deterioração das matas ciliares, que são essenciais, pois contribuem na conservação dos vales fluviais e na mitigação da erosão (PINHEIRO et al, 2015), além de servirem como corredores ecológicos entre os fragmentos florestais. A deterioração dos fragmentos florestais leva a diversos problemas ambientas e biológicos, como dificuldade de dispersão de espécies e perda da diversidade genética, além de causar impacto nos serviços ecossistêmicos, que são responsáveis…”