Spatial Risk of Exposure to Pesticides for Mammals in Agricultural Landscapes of the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest

• Grant number: 24/22943-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Grantee: Érica Fernanda Gonçalves Gomes de Sá
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto (FFCLRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Agriculture is one of the major drivers of global biodiversity loss, intensified by pesticide pollution. Contaminants can spread across agricultural landscapes, resulting in the exposure of non-target organisms. In addition, landscape characteristics can influence how organisms explore and are exposed to contaminants in different environments. In this context, medium and large-sized mammals (> 1 kg) are particularly vulnerable due to their large home ranges and high mobility, making them exposed to multiple sources of contamination in various landscape arrangements. This proposal aims to estimate the spatial risk of pesticide exposure for mammals in Brazilian agricultural systems of sugarcane, eucalyptus, and pasture at two scales: regional, in the Cerrado, and Biome, in the Atlantic Forest. Specifically, the objectives are: (1) to investigate the role of landscape characteristics (composition and configuration) in the spatial risk of exposure; (2) to evaluate how the intrinsic characteristics of mammals (species and/or groups) influence exposure risk relative to landscape; and (3) to develop exposure risk maps (exposure hotspots) to guide conservation efforts in strategic areas. Multi-species occupancy models will be used to assess mammal occurrence in the investigated scenarios. This interdisciplinary proposal, in partnership with researchers and conservationists, will provide novel insights on the spatial risk of pesticide exposure and expand knowledge of its impacts on non-target organisms, contributing to public initiatives such as National Action Plans for Species Conservation of the ICMBio and assessments of the environmental impact of agriculture on Brazilian biodiversity.