Journal Information

Most often read

10124
Fundão tailings dam failures: the environment tragedy of the largest technological disaster of Brazilian mining in global context
Flávio Fonseca do Carmo, Luciana Hiromi Yoshino Kamino, Rogério Tobias Junior, Iara Christina de Campos, Felipe Fonseca do Carmo, Guilherme Silvino, Kenedy Junio da Silva Xavier de Castro, Mateus Leite Mauro, ... Carlos Eduardo Ferreira Pinto
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:145-51
10124
Highlights

  • The collapse of the Fundão dam was the major environmental disaster of the world mining industry.

  • We identify with high resolution satellite images the ecosystems and cultural heritage damage.

  • Contrary to post-disaster expectations, there was a setback in environmental legal planning.

Open access
8882
Understanding Brazil’s catastrophic fires: Causes, consequences and policy needed to prevent future tragedies
Vânia R. Pivello, Ima Vieira, Alexander V. Christianini, Danilo Bandini Ribeiro, Luciana da Silva Menezes, Christian Niel Berlinck, Felipe P.L. Melo, José Antonio Marengo, ... Gerhard E. Overbeck
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2021;19:233-55
8882
Highlights

  • Fire incidence in Brazil increased in 2019−2020, with unprecedented magnitude in the Pantanal.

  • Fire effects vary according to the evolutionary history of the affected ecosystem.

  • A drier climate and land use changes increase the risk of wildfires throughout Brazil.

  • Poor governance further exacerbates the risk and damage of wildfires.

  • Fire policies must be improved by collaboration among different sectors of the society.

Open access
7237
The South Brazilian grasslands – A South American tallgrass prairie? Parallels and implications of fire dependency
G.E. Overbeck, J.D. Scasta, F.F. Furquim, I.I. Boldrini, J.R. Weir
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:24-30
7237
Highlights

  • South Brazilian and North American tallgrass grasslands show botanical similarity.

  • Fire appears to have a similar ecological role in both regions.

  • Fire as ecological process and conservation tool is undervalued in Brazil.

  • Brazilian grassland conservation might benefit from North American experiences.

  • Comparative ecological studies will improve our understanding of grassland ecology.

Open access
7190
Sustainability of Jaborandi in the eastern Brazilian Amazon
Cecilio Frois Caldeira, Tereza Cristina Giannini, Silvio Junio Ramos, Santelmo Vasconcelos, Simone Kuster Mitre, Jakeline Prata de Assis Pires, Gracialda Costa Ferreira, Selma Ohashi, ... Antonio Eduardo Furtini Neto
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:161-71
7190
Highlights

  • Pilocarpus microphyllus is the main source of the medicament for glaucoma treatment.

  • Absence of sustainable management increases the risk of extinction of the species.

  • We review our understanding of P. microphyllus and propose conservation strategies.

  • New potential areas of natural occurrence of P. microphyllus are proposed.

  • Well synchronized vegetative and reproductive patterns in field growing plants.

Open access
7056
Dismantling Brazil's science threatens global biodiversity heritage
G. Wilson Fernandes, Mariana M. Vale, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Mercedes M.C. Bustamante, Carlos E.V. Grelle, Helena Godoy Bergallo, William E. Magnusson, Alberto Akama, ... Valério D. Pillar
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:239-43
7056
Highlights

  • Robust information on biodiversity patterns and trends is important for public policies for nature conservation and sustainable development.

  • Current Brazilian policy of cuts in science puts research programs and long term monitoring of biodiversity at risk.

  • Reduced spending will have long-term negative impacts on capacity building in science and technology.

  • Cuts will reduce Brazil's capability to predict, mitigate negative impacts of, and adapt to global environmental changes.

  • Cuts will result in less effective and efficient conservation strategies, threatening ecosystem services and human well-being, and in failure to reach the National Targets for Biodiversity 2011–2020.

Open access
6797
Rewilding South America: Ten key questions
Meredith Root-Bernstein, Mauro Galetti, Richard J. Ladle
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:271-81
6797
Highlights

  • Rewilding is more than species (re-)introductions.

  • Rewilding also produces ecological restoration and social impacts.

  • South American projects can develop contextually appropriate rewilding approaches.

  • There are many opportunities to study and implement rewilding in South America.

Open access
6598
Threats for bird population restoration: A systematic review
Guilherme Fernando Gomes Destro, Paulo De Marco, Levi Carina Terribile
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:68-73
6598
Highlights

  • The largest number of restoration attempts was performed in New Zealand.

  • The most frequent species were Grus americana and Notiomystis cincta.

  • Thirteen drivers were pointed out by researchers and practitioners.

  • Considering only environmental causes, predation was the most remarkable driver.

Open access
6583
Deforestation control in the Brazilian Amazon: A conservation struggle being lost as agreements and regulations are subverted and bypassed
William D. Carvalho, Karen Mustin, Renato R. Hilário, Ivan M. Vasconcelos, Vivianne Eilers, Philip M. Fearnside
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2019;17:122-30
6583
Highlights

  • Brazil's regulations governing deforestation and logging are often circumvented.

  • Agreements with soy and beef companies are important but need strengthening.

  • Effectiveness of commodity agreements is diminished by laundering and leakage.

  • Timber harvest and transportation permits are open to widespread fraud.

  • Ways exist to reduce circumvention of commodity agreements and regulations.

Open access
6567
Hunting in Brazil: What are the options?
Chiara Bragagnolo, Gabriela M. Gama, Felipe A.S. Vieira, João Vitor Campos-Silva, Enrico Bernard, Ana C.M. Malhado, Ricardo A. Correia, Paul Jepson, ... Richard J. Ladle
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2019;17:71-9
6567
Highlights

  • Hunting is banned in Brazil.

  • Illegal hunting in Brazil is widespread and cultural embedded.

  • Data about wildlife, habitat distribution and motivations for hunting are lacking.

  • Main factors driving non-compliance are analyzed and discussed.

  • Policy options to deal with hunting in the future are proposed.

Open access
6430
Rewilding ecological communities and rewiring ecological networks
Mathias Mistretta Pires
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:257-65
6430
Highlights

  • Rewilding envisages restoring ecosystem functions by counteracting defaunation.

  • Interactions affect the fate of introduced individuals and community responses.

  • Network models help predicting how an introduced species integrates the food web.

  • Networks can help predicting and monitoring community-level outcomes.

  • Feasibility and risk analyses of rewilding can benefit from a network approach.

Open access
6403
Why Brazil needs its Legal Reserves
Jean Paul Metzger, Mercedes M.C. Bustamante, Joice Ferreira, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes, Felipe Librán-Embid, Valério D. Pillar, Paula R. Prist, Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues, ... 407 scientist signatories (including 391 PhD researchers from 79 Brazilian research institutions)
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2019;17:91-103
6403
Highlights

  • Legal Reserves represent almost one third of all remaining native vegetation in Brazil.

  • There is no solid argument, evidence or theory that support that Legal Reserve extinction will favor Brazil development.

  • The extinction of Legal Reserves will lead to a huge increase in native vegetation loss, with blatant negative consequences on biodiversity and ecosystem services provision.

  • Legal Reserves are a key-component for effective and less expensive nature-based solutions.

  • Legal Reserves should be considered as assets for the development of Brazil rather than liabilities.

Open access
6270
Restoring Brazil's road margins could help the country offset its CO2 emissions and comply with the Bonn and Paris Agreements
G.W. Fernandes, A. Banhos, N.P.U. Barbosa, M. Barbosa, H.G. Bergallo, C.G. Loureiro, G.E. Overbeck, R. Solar, ... M.M. Vale
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:105-12
6270
Highlights

  • The restoration of usually degraded roadsides is proposed.

  • Thousands of hectares are readily available for restoration in Brazil.

  • This corresponds to US$ 26.5 billion in the carbon market.

  • The restoration of these wasted public lands can stimulate ecological restoration.

Open access
6133
Introducing digital cameras to monitor plant phenology in the tropics: applications for conservation
Bruna Alberton, Ricardo da S. Torres, Leonardo F. Cancian, Bruno D. Borges, Jurandy Almeida, Greice C. Mariano, Jefersson dos Santos, Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:82-90
6133
Highlights

  • Leaf phenology monitoring using digital cameras in tropical vegetation.

  • Digital images can track temporal changes in the vegetation structure.

  • Phenocams are potential tools for conservation biology.

  • Phenocams for tropical phenology monitoring are a promising research field in Brazil.

Open access
5827
Minimum costs to conserve 80% of the Brazilian Amazon
José Maria Cardoso da Silva, Luís Claudio Fernandes Barbosa, Julie Topf, Ima Célia G. Vieira, Fabio R. Scarano
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2022;20:216-22
5827
Highlights

  • Conserving ∼80% of the Brazilian Amazon is still feasible

  • Conservation areas are essential for a new regional development model

  • The cost of establishing.1.3 million km2 of new conservation areas is USD 1.0–1.6 billion

  • The annual cost of 3.5 million km2 of conservation areas is USD 1.7–2.8 billion

  • A new ambitious, decentralized, and agile fund mechanism is required

Open access
5714
A network of monitoring networks for evaluating biodiversity conservation effectiveness in Brazilian protected areas
Fabio de Oliveira Roque, Marcio Uehara-Prado, Francisco Valente-Neto, Jose Manuel Ochoa Quintero, Katia Torres Ribeiro, Marlucia Bonifacio Martins, Marcelo Gonçalves de Lima, Franco L. Souza, ... William E. Magnusson
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:177-85
5714
Highlights

  • Monitoring is a challenge for assessing targets for biodiversity agendas.

  • Biomonitoring systems can be linked in a network structure.

  • Biomonitoring initiatives in Brazil usually lack a clear conceptual framework.

  • The Network of Networks approach can promote the articulation of biomonitoring iniciatives.

Open access
5675
New perspectives in ecology and conservation
Jean Paul Metzger, Rafael Loyola, José Alexandre Felizola Diniz-Filho, Valério D. Pillar
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:1-2
5675
Open access
5598
Ecosystems as infrastructure
José Maria Cardoso da Silva, Emily Wheeler
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2017;15:32-5
5598
Highlights

  • The concept of ecosystems as infrastructure is reviewed.

  • The terms green, ecological, natural, and blue have been used in the literature.

  • Green infrastructure is the most commonly used name.

  • A more inclusive concept for green infrastructure is proposed.

  • Design principles for green infrastructure at all spatial scales are suggested.

Open access
5561
Brazil's Native Vegetation Protection Law threatens to collapse pond functions
Daniel Grasel, Roger Paulo Mormul, Reinaldo Luiz Bozelli, Sidinei Magela Thomaz, João André Jarenkow
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:234-7
5561
Highlights

  • Pond systems provide essential and unique landscape functions.

  • Unsustainable policies threaten to collapse pond functions in Brazil.

  • Emergency measures are necessary to prevent pond extirpation.

  • Brazil needs a national policy for wetland conservation.

Open access
5446
From hotspot to hopespot: An opportunity for the Brazilian Atlantic Forest
C.L. Rezende, F.R. Scarano, E.D. Assad, C.A. Joly, J.P. Metzger, B.B.N. Strassburg, M. Tabarelli, G.A. Fonseca, R.A. Mittermeier
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2018;16:208-14
5446
Highlights

  • High-resolution remote sensing data reveals 28%, or 32 million hectares (Mha), of native vegetation cover in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

  • There are 7.2Mha of degraded riparian areas, of which 5.2Mha at least must be restored before 2038 by landowners for legislation compliance.

  • Restoring this existing legal debt could increase native vegetation cover in the biome up to 35%.

Open access
5408
Assessing the SARS-CoV-2 threat to wildlife: Potential risk to a broad range of mammals
Fernando Martínez-Hernández, Ana Belem Isaak-Delgado, Jorge Alberto Alfonso-Toledo, Claudia Irais Muñoz-García, Guiehdani Villalobos, Nidia Aréchiga-Ceballos, Emilio Rendón-Franco
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. 2020;18:223-34
5408
Highlights

  • Primate, carnivores and cetacean are more prone to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

  • Mutations of viral spike protein can produce virus variants favoring the spillover.

  • We suggest prioritizing monitoring efforts on susceptible species here mentioned.

Open access
Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation