Conservation in Brazil needs to include non‐forest ecosystems

Overbeck, Gerhard E.; Vélez‐Martin, Eduardo; Scarano, Fábio Rúbio; Lewinsohn, Thomas M.; Fonseca, Carlos Roberto; Meyer, Sebastian T.; Müller, Sandra Cristina; Ceotto, Paula; Dadalt, Letícia Piccinini; Durigan, Giselda; Ganade, Gislene; Goßner, Martin M.; Guadagnin, Demétrio Luís; Lorenzen, Katrin; Jacobi, Claudia Maria; Weisser, Wolfgang W.; Pillar, Valério D.

doi:10.1111/ddi.12380

Cited by 343 publications

(241 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

204

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These declines are partly explained by a lack in effective state regulations for Cerrado conservation [38]. Under the current Forest Code, all private properties must retain at least 20% of their native vegetation for sustainable use, but this law is not well enforced [39]. The uncontrolled transition from the Cerrado to agriculture and urbanization is encouraged by the government, because it is an economically useful way to develop the interior of Brazil [16].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Remote Sensing and Random Forest to Assess the Conservation Status of Critical Cerrado Habitats in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Reynolds

Wesson

Desbiez

et al. 2016

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Brazil's Cerrado is a highly diverse ecosystem and it provides critical habitat for many species. Cerrado habitats have suffered significant degradation and decline over the past decades due to expansion of cash crops and livestock farming across South America. Approximately 1,800,000 km 2 of the Cerrado remain in Brazil, but detailed maps and conservation assessments of the Cerrado are lacking. We developed a land cover classification for the Cerrado, focusing on the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, which may also be used to map critical habitat for endangered species. We used a Random Forest algorithm to perform a supervised classification on a set of Landsat 8 images. To determine habitat fragmentation for the Cerrado, we used Fragstats. A habitat connectivity analysis was performed using Linkage Mapper. Our final classification had an overall accuracy of 88%. Our classification produced higher accuracies (72%) in predicting Cerrado than existing government maps. We found that remaining Cerrado habitats were severely fragmented. Four potential corridors were identified in the southwest of Mato Grosso do Sul, where large Cerrado patches are located. Only two large patches remain in Mato Grosso do Sul: one within the Kadiwéu Indian Reserve, and one near the southeastern edge of the Pantanal-dominated landscape. These results are alarming for rare species requiring larger tracts of habitat such as the giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus).

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Remote Sensing and Random Forest to Assess the Conservation Status of Critical Cerrado Habitats in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Reynolds

Wesson

Desbiez

et al. 2016

Land

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Despite the presence of large forest biomes in the country, grasslands, savannas, shrublands and open woodlands cover large extensions of land in at least four of the six Brazilian biomes. These environments hold a unique biodiversity, but are highly neglected concerning conservation policies and protection when compared to forest ecosystems (Overbeck et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First standardized inventory of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the natural grasslands of Paraná: New records for Southern Brazil

Franco

Feitosa

2018

Pap. Avulsos Zool.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Despite the large number of studies investigating ant diversity in Brazilian biomes, no ant-related studies have been carried out in Campos Gerais, a grassland physiognomy in Paraná state. The present study is the first inventory of the ant fauna in one of the few conservation units protecting the Campos Gerais landscape, the Guartelá State Park (PEG). Sixty samples were collected from different habitats within PEG using pitfall traps. Qualitative samples of leaf litter were collected from forest fragments and submitted to Winkler extractors. In addition, manual qualitative sampling was carried out in the various physiognomies within the PEG. A total of 163 species was collected and sorted into 43 genera and nine subfamilies. Five genera and 28 species were recorded for the first time in the state of Paraná. Out of these, 17 species were also recorded for the first time in the Southern Region of Brazil and two were recorded for the first time to the country. The significant species richness in the PEG and the high number of new records is a strong sign of this ecosystem's potential to reveal taxonomic novelties. These results suggest that PEG, and the Campos Gerais as a whole, should be the target of greater conservation efforts to preserve native remnants.

show abstract

“…Non-forest ecosystems, as grasslands, savannas, shrublands and open woodlands, cover large extensions of land in four of the six Brazilian biomes (Overbeck et al, 2015). Such ecosystems host high levels of unique biodiversity that provisions ecosystem services but are severely neglected concerning conservation policies and protection when compared to forest ecosystems (Andrade et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground-Dwelling and Vegetation Ant Fauna in Southern Brazilian Grasslands

Dröse¹,

Podgaiski²,

Cavalleri³

et al. 2017

Sociobiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-forest ecosystems, as natural grasslands from Southern Brazil, are still neglected in conservation policies. Measuring their biodiversity is one of the main steps to generate management strategies for these habitats. This study aims to (i) describe grassland ant richness and composition in Rio Grande do Sul state, and (ii) compare ant communities sampled on the ground and in grassland vegetation, adding to our knowledge of habitat use patterns and vegetation associated species. Six sites were sampled, three belonging to the Pampa biome and three in highland region from the Atlantic Forest biome. Ant fauna was collected once per year in summer during four years in each site with pitfalls traps and sweeping nets. Overall, 29,812 ant individuals were sampled belonging to eight subfamilies, 30 genera e 106 species. The grasslands of Pampa accumulated 91 species and 45 exclusive species, while highland grasslands summed up 61 species and only 15 exclusive species. Species composition differs between biomes as well as between sampling methods. Ant communities sampled from vegetation represented a clear subset of the fauna sampled with pitfall traps, and indication analysis showed only two species associated with this stratum: Myrmelachista gallicola and Pseudomyrmex nr. flavidulus. This study highlights the importance of Southern Brazilian grasslands and the need for specific conservation strategies for the natural grasslands from each biome.

show abstract

Conservation in Brazil needs to include non‐forest ecosystems

Cited by 343 publications

References 18 publications

Using Remote Sensing and Random Forest to Assess the Conservation Status of Critical Cerrado Habitats in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Using Remote Sensing and Random Forest to Assess the Conservation Status of Critical Cerrado Habitats in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

First standardized inventory of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the natural grasslands of Paraná: New records for Southern Brazil

Ground-Dwelling and Vegetation Ant Fauna in Southern Brazilian Grasslands

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About