SOS Mata Atlântica Foundation

Abstract: With endangered status and more than 8,000 endemic species, the Atlantic Forest is one of the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots. Less than 100,000 km 2 (about 7%) of the forest remains. In some areas of endemism, all that is left are immense archipelagos of tiny and widely separated forest fragments. In addition to habitat loss, other threats contributing to forest degradation include the harvesting of firewood, illegal logging, hunting, plant collecting, and invasion by alien species—all despite the legislation that exists for the forest's protection. More than 530 plants and animals occurring in the forest are now officially threatened, some at the biome level, some throughout Brazil, and some globally. Many species have not been recorded in any protected areas, indicating the need to rationalize and expand the parks system. Although conservation initiatives have increased in number and scale during the last two decades, they are still insufficient to guarantee the conservation of Atlantic Forest biodiversity. To avoid further deforestation and massive species loss in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, the challenge is to integrate the diverse regulations, public policies, new opportunities, and incentive mechanisms for forest protection and restoration and the various independent projects and programs carried out by governments and nongovernmental organizations into a single and comprehensive strategy for establishing networks of sustainable landscapes throughout the region.

Understanding the dynamics of native forest loss and gain is critical for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, especially in regions experiencing intense forest transformations. We quantified native forest cover dynamics on an annual basis from 1990 to 2017 in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Despite the relative stability of native forest cover during this period (~28 Mha), the ongoing loss of older native forests, mostly on flatter terrains, have been hidden by the increasing gain of younger native forest cover, mostly on marginal lands for mechanized agriculture. Changes in native forest cover and its spatial distribution increased forest isolation in 36.4% of the landscapes. The clearance of older forests associated with the recut of 27% of younger forests has resulted in a progressive rejuvenation of the native forest cover. We highlight the need to include native forest spatiotemporal dynamics into restoration programs to better estimate their expected benefits and unexpected problems.

Over the past 150 years, Brazil has played a pioneering role in developing environmental policies and pursuing forest conservation and ecological restoration of degraded ecosystems. In particular, the Brazilian Forest Act, first drafted in 1934, has been fundamental in reducing deforestation and engaging private land owners in forest restoration initiatives. At the time of writing (December 2010), however, a proposal for major revision of the Brazilian Forest Act is under intense debate in the National Assembly, and we are deeply concerned about the outcome. On the basis of the analysis of detailed vegetation and hydrographic maps, we estimate that the proposed changes may reduce the total amount of potential areas for restoration in the Atlantic Forest by approximately 6 million hectares. As a radically different policy model, we present the Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact (AFRP), which is a group of more than 160 members that represents one of the most important and ambitious ecological restoration programs in the world. The AFRP aims to restore 15 million hectares of degraded lands in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome by 2050 and increase the current forest cover of the biome from 17% to at least 30%. We argue that not only should Brazilian lawmakers refrain from revising the existing Forest Law, but also greatly step up investments in the science, business, and practice of ecological restoration throughout the country, including the Atlantic Forest. The AFRP provides a template that could be adapted to other forest biomes in Brazil and to other megadiversity countries around the world.

An increasingly asked question is 'can we confidently link bats with emerging viruses?'. No, or not yet, is the qualified answer based on the evidence available. Although more than 200 viruses - some of them deadly zoonotic viruses - have been isolated from or otherwise detected in bats, the supposed connections between bats, bat viruses and human diseases have been raised more on speculation than on evidence supporting their direct or indirect roles in the epidemiology of diseases (except for rabies). However, we are convinced that the evidence points in that direction and that at some point it will be proved that bats are competent hosts for at least a few zoonotic viruses. In this review, we cover aspects of bat biology, ecology and evolution that might be relevant in medical investigations and we provide a historical synthesis of some disease outbreaks causally linked to bats. We provide evolutionary-based hypotheses to tentatively explain the viral transmission route through mammalian intermediate hosts and to explain the geographic concentration of most outbreaks, but both are no more than speculations that still require formal assessment.

Achieving ambitious global restoration commitments is a huge challenge. The Atlantic Forest Restoration Pact, created in 2009 as a movement to restore 15 Mha of degraded/deforested lands by 2050, pledged 1 Mha towards the 2020 Bonn Challenge. We documented the restoration of an estimated 673,510–740,555 ha of native forests from 2011 to 2015 in the Atlantic Forest, and expect that a total of 1.35–1.48 Mha will be under recovery by 2020. The Pact is one of the first Brazilian restoration initiatives to monitor an international restoration commitment and to demonstrate that ambitious targets can be reached. Part of this success in large-scale restoration is related to three main Pact activities: (i) development of restoration governance, communication and articulation; (ii) promotion of strategies to influence public policies; and (iii) establishment of restoration monitoring systems. The experience and lessons learned by the Pact could inspire and inform other restoration initiatives worldwide.

ABSTRACT Large‐seeded plants are especially vulnerable to the loss of seed dispersers in small forest fragments. The palm Attalea humilis goes against this trend by reaching high abundances in small remnants. Productivity, seed dispersal and seed predation of A. humilis were investigated in two large (2400 and 3500 ha) and three small (19, 26 and 57 ha) Atlantic Forest fragments in southeastern Brazil. Palms in the small fragments produced more female inflorescences, resulting in a higher fruit production in these places. Seed dispersal rates were higher in the large fragments, where scatter hoarding was more frequent. Scolytine beetles were the main seed predators and damaged a larger number of seeds in small fragments, but predation by rodents and bruchine beetles was low irrespective of fragment size. As scolytines do not necessarily kill the seeds, low predation by bruchines and rodents, together with its own high productivity, allow A. humilis to be more abundant in small fragments despite the scarcity of its main dispersers. This increased abundance, by its turn, can increase competitive interactions between A. humilis and other plants in small fragments. Thus, abundance patterns of A. humilis are a good example of fragmentation affecting the balance of ecological interactions in a complex way, emphasizing the role of preserving ecological processes for conserving biodiversity in fragmented tropical landscapes. Abstract in Portuguese is available at http://www.blackwell‐synergy.com/loi/btp .

The number of wind turbines in operation in Brazil will triple in five years, raising concern for the conservation of Brazilian bats. We analyzed the status of bat species richness and occurrence in areas with high wind potential in Brazil. By crossing datasets on species records and wind potential we identified 21 hotspots and 226 data gap areas. Overall, 70% of the areas with the highest wind potential are data gaps, lacking elementary information about species presence. Current Environment Impact Assessments system for wind farms in Brazil has relaxed regulations and questionable effectiveness. Environmental agencies should require de facto Environment Impact Assessments in data gap areas, with technical rigor proportional to the investment under course. At least for bats, the Brazilian wind power sector must raise the bar, adopting a more rigorous licensing. Alliances to minimize bat mortality at wind farms are necessary and this goal should be pursued in Brazil.

Promoting diversity is core for ecological restoration. Restoration projects often quantify biological diversity as a measure of success, but generally overlook human diversity, including gender issues, which have not been sufficiently considered in restoration planning, implementation, and monitoring. Here, we justify the need to consider gender equality in ecological restoration and offer guidance on adopting gender‐responsive approaches. Gender equality should be considered both a driver and a measure of success and will play a central role to leverage the contributions of restoration to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and of women to its Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. We finally recommend that the International Principles and Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration are amended to include a gender‐responsive perspective in its recommendations.

Alternative methods to control invasive fodder grasses are necessary to reduce the use of herbicides in forest restoration, which has been carried out primarily in riparian zones. We sought to investigate if inter-row cultivation of crotalaria (Crotalaria breviflora DC) or pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata Duschene ex. Poir) with native tree species is an efficient strategy to control invasive fodder grasses in restoration plantings. We tested five treatments in a randomized block design, namely (1) control of brachiaria grass (Urochloa decumbens (Stapf.) Webster) with glyphosate in the implementation and post-planting grass control of the reforestation, (2 and 3) glyphosate use in the implementation and inter-row sowing of crotalaria (2) or pumpkin (3), and control of brachiaria by mowing in the post-planting phase, (4 and 5) mowing in the implementation and inter-row sowing of crotalaria (4) or pumpkin (5), and control of brachiaria by mowing in the post-planting phase. Post-planting grass control was carried out four and nine months after tree seedling planting. Throughout 13 months, we evaluated the percentage of ground cover by brachiaria grass, pumpkin production, and native tree seedling mortality, height and crown cover. The exclusive use of glyphosate, without inter-row sowing of pumpkin or crotalaria showed the most favorable results for controlling brachiaria grass and, consequently, for tree seedling development. Hence, inter-row cultivation of green manure or short-lived crop species is not enough to control invasive grasses in restoration plantings, and complementary weeding is necessary to reduce the highly competitive potential of C4 grasses for supporting native species seedlings growth.

Brazilian forests critical are for climate, water, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. The Atlantic Forest and the Amazon are among the most important tropical forests of the world but have different conservation status. The first is below its minimum threshold for biodiversity conservation while the Amazon is approaching its dieback threshold. Aiming to examine policy lessons from the Atlantic Forest which could be applied to the conservation of the Amazon, we first analysed the forest cover of basins of the Amazon compared to the reality of the Atlantic Forest. We found that regions of the Amazon already have forest cover similar to the Atlantic Forest and that 34% of them are below the dieback threshold. We propose policy lessons to avoid that the Amazon follow the same route of the Atlantic Forest and concluded that they need to be implemented urgently in a precautionary approach.

The Atlantic Forest is a global biodiversity hotspot and a significant provider of ecosystem services to 65% of the Brazilian population. Due to being highly threatened, it is protected by federal law 11,428/2006, which establishes forest use restrictions based on native vegetation successional stages in the Atlantic Forest, with more advanced stages receiving more protection. The classification parameters are established at the state level. However, the parameters employed to classify forest fragments in different successional stages are subjective and imprecise, negatively impacting environmental permitting and related offset policies. Here, we critically assessed the major limitations in applying the 11,428/2006 law and presented alternatives for establishing a more transparent, applicable, legally safe, and effective protocol for identifying the conservation value of forest fragments. We also highlight problems related to sampling, indicators, and methodologies and present guidelines for revising the parameters for applying the Atlantic Forest law and associated state-level resolutions. We suggest an inclusive two-step analysis based on vegetation structure, forest cover history, biodiversity, ecosystem services (social), and landscape indicators. By employing a more technological approach and transferring part of the assessment responsibility to the state-level environmental agencies instead of allowing self-declared reports by landowners, our proposal focuses on the potential for evaluating ecological integrity among different successional classes by forest types. As nearly 90% of the remaining Brazilian Atlantic Forest is located within private lands, improving this legal instrument is essential for protecting the vulnerable biodiversity of this unique and threatened biome.

• Forest restoration plantings have lower beta diversity than remnant forests. • Plantings are more floristically similar to one another than to regional forests. • Trees planted to restore the Atlantic Forest poorly represent local floras. One goal of ecological restoration is species conservation, so selecting tree species from local floras in restoration plantings is important to restore native species populations and avoid biotic homogenization. We evaluated if species planted to restore the Brazilian Atlantic Forest adequately represent the tree flora from local reference forests, comparing the tree seedlings selected for 1,073 restoration plantings with inventory data from 268 forest remnants, for three different Atlantic Forest types. We compared the floristic composition between plantings and remnants and calculated the Jaccard dissimilarity index to assess beta diversity among plantings, among remnants, and between plantings and remnants. Overall, plantings have lower beta diversity and higher nestedness than remnants. Furthermore, plantings form a single floristic group while remnants are split into three forest types. Plantings are more floristically similar to one another than to regional remnant forest types. Tree species selected for Atlantic Forest restoration poorly represent local floras, which could favor biotic homogenization. Incentivizing greater representation of local floras and threatened and endemic species is needed for forest restoration to facilitate biodiversity recovery at large spatial scales.

The small-scale fi shery at Praia dos Pescadores (Itanhaém, São Paulo, at 24º11’S - 46º47’W), was analyzed concerning
\nfi shing boats and gears. The fi shery occurs in coastal marine environment, inside an area of about 600 km2
\n and between 5 to
\n35 m depths. The fl eet is comprised 6,50 to 11 m long and 7,5 to 27 HP wooden, motor-powered or fi berglass boats. The main
\nfi shing gear is the gillnet (75% of the fi shing boats) and single bottom otter trawl (60%). The nets are manufactured with
\nnylon monofi lament (mesh sizes 70, 100, 110, 120 and 140 mm in bar measure). Seasonally-used gears include driftnets,
\ntrammel nets and large-sized gillnets (mesh 300 and 400 mm). The main species landed are of the teleost family Sciaenidae,namely leatherjacket, Oligoplites saliens, Brazilian mackerel, Scomberomorus brasiliensis, catfi shes, Genidens barbus,G. genidens and Cathorops spixii, and small sharks, Rhizoprionodon lalandii, R. porosus and Sphyrna lewini, while theotter trawl-targeted species is the sea bob shrimp, Xiphopenaeus kroyeri.

Strong evidence shows that exposure and engagement with the natural world not only improve human wellbeing but can also help promote environmentally friendly behaviors. Human-nature relationships are at the heart of global agendas promoted by international organizations including the World Health Organization's (WHO) "One Health" and the United Nations (UN) "Ocean Decade." These agendas demand collaborative multisector interdisciplinary efforts at local, national, and global levels. However, while global agendas highlight global goals for a sustainable world, developing science that directly addresses these agendas from design through to delivery and outputs does not come without its challenges. In this article, we present the outcomes of international meetings between researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers from the United Kingdom and Brazil. We propose a model for interdisciplinary work under such global agendas, particularly the interface between One Health and the UN Ocean Decade and identify three priority research areas closely linked to each other: human-nature connection, conservation-human behavior, and implementation strategies (bringing stakeholders together). We also discuss a number of recommendations for moving forward.

Dasyophthalma includes five species of medium-sized butterflies, all endemic from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. All known species are univoltine and are dayflying, differently from other Brassolini that are mostly crepuscular. In despite of recent advances little is known about their natural history. Three out of the five species are included in the Brazilian Red List of threatened fauna and are of conservation concern. The present study provides for the first time a phylogenetic assessment of all Dasyophthalma species based on a molecular approach based on three loci. Also, the taxonomic status of D. rusina delanira was revised based on molecular data. In addition, up-to-date distributional data and conservation aspects of the threatened species from the genus are presented and discussed. The molecular phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Dasyophthalma , with Dynastor darius as its sister-group, and, combined with a genetic divergence analysis, supported Dasyophthalma delanira stat. rest. as a valid name to species-level, sister-group to D. geraensis (and not a subspecies of D. rusina ). The geographical range (extent of occurrence and area of occupancy) for all five species are presented, showing that these are very restricted for D. delanira stat. rest. and D. geraensis , following the distributions of the high-altitude forests. As much biological information about the genus is lacking, the present study can serve as a starting point for future studies on Dasyophthalma , adding information that can be crucial for future conservation actions and essential to assure the future of the threatened species in this genus.

Camera traps became the main observational method of a myriad of species over large areas. Data sets from camera traps can be used to describe the patterns and monitor the occupancy, abundance, and richness of wildlife, essential information for conservation in times of rapid climate and land-cover changes. Habitat loss and poaching are responsible for historical population losses of mammals in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, especially for medium to large-sized species. Here we present a data set from camera trap surveys of medium to large-sized native mammals (>1 kg) across the Atlantic Forest. We compiled data from 5380 ground-level camera trap deployments in 3046 locations, from 2004 to 2020, resulting in 43,068 records of 58 species. These data add to existing data sets of mammals in the Atlantic Forest by including dates of camera operation needed for analyses dealing with imperfect detection. We also included, when available, information on important predictors of detection, namely the camera brand and model, use of bait, and obstruction of camera viewshed that can be measured from example pictures at each camera location. Besides its application in studies on the patterns and mechanisms behind occupancy, relative abundance, richness, and detection, the data set presented here can be used to study species' daily activity patterns, activity levels, and spatiotemporal interactions between species. Moreover, data can be used combined with other data sources in the multiple and expanding uses of integrated population modeling. An R script is available to view summaries of the data set. We expect that this data set will be used to advance the knowledge of mammal assemblages and to inform evidence-based solutions for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest. The data are not copyright restricted; please cite this paper when using the data.

Extreme weather has made 2023 virtually certain to be the warmest year on record, signaling unprecedented climate and biodiversity crises. Brazil, the world’s most biodiverse country, with two hotspots and complex social and economic layers, has experienced escalating environmental degradation over the past years. Alarming rates of native vegetation loss, wildfires, severe and prolonged droughts, and heatwaves have adversely impacted several Brazilian ecosystems and societies. Despite the country’s decisive role in global carbon neutrality, bridging the gap between Brazil’s discourse on the international stage and its concrete actions at home remains a significant challenge. This correspondence, a collective plea from scientists across various sectors, underscores the urgent imperative for national engagement and commitment to halt and mitigate these crises. We aim to catalyze a robust international public debate, influencing Brazilian decision-makers to chart a concrete sustainable pathway. Aligned with global initiatives, we emphasize the crucial interplay between national and international efforts in combating climate change and the conservation of biodiversity and socio-biodiversity.

This PhD Dissertation describes patterns of diversification of species of passerines that occur in the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest and that allowed making inferences on the processes that may have influenced the evolution of the organisms that live in these forests. We generated sequences of mitochondrial and nuclear genes to study the historical biogeography of these biomes. This work includes six chapters. In chapters 1 to 4 we analyzed Basileuterus leucoblepharus, Myrmotherula gularis, and the Synallaxis ruficapilla complex in order to depict the diversification within the Atlantic Forest. These studies revealed that late Pleistocene glacial cycles played an important role on the diversification of these taxa. Furthermore, tectonic activities in the Quaternary may have contributed for the diversification of the S. ruficapilla complex. In chapter 5 we analyzed the Thamnomanes caesius/T. schistogynus complex in order to infer about the diversification in the Amazon. The results of this study showed that both the recent origin of Amazonian rivers (Pliocene to Pleistocene) as glacial cycles could be responsible for the diversification of these organisms. In chapter 6 we analyzed the New World suboscines in order to depict the historical connection dynamics between the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest. Our results pointed to two distinct spatiotemporal pathways connecting these forests in the past: (1) older connections during the Miocene through southern South America dry diagonal; (2) younger connections during the Pliocene to Pleistocene through Cerrado and Caatinga in northeastern Brazil. The results of this PhD Dissertation allowed us to test the role of concurrent hypotheses of diversification in the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest.

Although researches on richness, composition and conservation of Atlantic rainforest’s herpetofauna have focused on large and protected areas, small fragments subject to human interference are important to maintain α-diversity, as they often constitute the only relictual areas with favorable habitats for those species within the cities. In this paper, we report the richness and composition of snakes from a small urbanized area in the Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), in the city of Salvador, state of Bahia, focusing on its conservation. We also propose hypotheses to explain the mechanisms that would facilitate the coexistence of these species, even in the face of an intense fragmentation process. The list of species here presented was based on the registers from the Museu de Zoologia of UFBA and the register book of the “Núcleo Regional de Ofiologia e Animais Peçonhentos da Bahia” (1987–2012). Based on the literature, each taxon was characterized with respect to habitat use, substrate, activity patterns and food habits. Nine species, belonging to the families Boidae (Boa constrictor) and Colubridae (Helicops leopardinus, Liophis almadensis, L. miliaris, L. taeniogaster, Oxyrhopus trigeminus, Philodryas olfersii, Sibynomorphus neuwiedi and Tantilla melanocephala), were registered. A comparative analysis of data from habitat and activity patterns of the species studied suggests that the coexistence of nine taxa in such fragment may be related to different combinations of substrate use and diet. Liophis almadensis (jararaquinha-false) and B. constrictor (python) showed higher relative abundance and were the only species recorded from 2010–2012, suggesting that part of the herpetofauna reported over the last 14 years may be locally extinct. This observation is even more critical because this period coincides with the suppression of almost all remaining fragments of Atlantic forest in the study area for university modernization and expansion.Additional key words: Bahia, conservation, local extinction, snakes, UFBA.

\n Tradicionalmente, os quilombolas do Vale do Ribeira, SP, possuem economia agrícola e extrativista baseada na mão-de-obra familiar. Porém, restrições de uso do solo, juntamente a outros fatores, tais como a expansão dos centros urbanos da proximidade, a intensificação da economia de mercado, o aumento de renda proveniente de trabalhos assalariados, devem estar ocasionando mudanças significativas no estilo de vida dos habitantes dessas comunidades. Este estudo parte da premissa que os padrões nutricionais e de atividades físicas das sociedades industrializadas ocasionam altas taxas de obesidade. Assim, o trabalho teve como hipótese principal que as alterações nos padrões nutricionais e regimes de atividade física dos indivíduos das comunidades quilombolas estudadas, ocasionadas principalmente pelas mudanças no sistema de subsistência nas últimas três décadas, estão resultando no aumento da incidência de pessoas com sobrepeso e obesidade. Para tanto, foram testadas três hipóteses secundárias: (1) a incidência de sobrepeso e obesidade é maior dentre os indivíduos das comunidades menos envolvidas com a agricultura de subsistência; (2) a incidência de sobrepeso e obesidade é maior nos indivíduos do sexo feminino nas comunidades que apresentam menor grau de envolvimento com a agricultura de subsistência; (3) a maior incidência de sobrepeso e obesidade está positivamente correlacionada à variáveis demográficas e socioeconômicas que indicam maior envolvimento com a economia de mercado e alterações dos padrões de subsistência. Desta forma, este trabalho se dividiu em duas etapas: (1) descrição e comparação da distribuição dos caracteres antropométricos a fim de verificar a existência de diferenças entre os sexos e entre comunidades; (2) identificação de grupos socioeconômicos/demográficos e comparação da distribuição de caracteres antropométricos entre os mesmos com o intuito de identificar correlações entre variáveis socioeconômicas/ demográficas e status nutricional. A análise dos resultados obtidos nos leva a concluir que há evidências de que as populações estudadas estejam atravessando um processo de transição nutricional, sendo que o segmento mais atingido dentre os adultos é o feminino. Ademais, parece não haver diferenças de estágios de transição entre as comunidades para o sexo feminino. Entretanto, foram observadas diferenças para alguns dos indicadores de sobrepeso e obesidade dentre o sexo masculino entre comunidades e grupos socioeconômicos/demográficos, sendo que as mesmas parecem estar correlacionadas negativamente ao grau de envolvimento com a agricultura de subsistência. Além disso, as alterações no estilo de vida sofridas por essas populações parecem estar impactando positivamente o padrão de crescimento de seus indivíduos.\n