How to enhance Atlantic Forest protection? Dealing with the shortcomings of successional stages classification

Author(s):Show less -

Resende, Angelica F. ; Gavioli, Felipe Rosafa ; Chaves, Rafael B. ; Metzger, Jean Paul ; Pinto, Luis Fernando Guedes ; Piffer, Pedro R. ; Krainovic, Pedro M. ; Fuza, Matheus S. ; Rodrigues, Ricardo R. ; Pinho, Marcelo ; Almeida, Catherine T. ; Almeida, Danilo R. A. ; Molin, Paulo G. ; Silva, Thiago S. F. ; Brancalion, Pedro H. S.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION; v. 22, n. 2, p. 11-pg., 2024-05-31.

Abstract

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. (c) 2024 Associa & ccedil;& atilde;o Brasileira de Ci & ecirc;ncia Ecol & oacute;gica e Conserva & ccedil;& atilde;o. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY -NC -ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ). (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/14605-0 - Monitoring São Paulo State restoration forests: application of remote sensing and deep learning to classify successional stages and subsidize public policies
• Grantee: Angelica Faria de Resende
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• FAPESP's process: 20/06694-8 - BIOTA SYNTHESIS - Nucleus of Analysis and Synthesis of Nature-Based Solutions
• Grantee: Jean Paul Walter Metzger
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Problem-Oriented Research Centers in São Paulo
• FAPESP's process: 19/24049-5 - Monitoring São Paulo State restoration forests: application of new remote sensing tools and subsidies for public policies
• Grantee: Angelica Faria de Resende
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 22/07712-5 - Operationalizing policies for forest landscape restoration and forest-based economy
• Grantee: Pedro Medrado Krainovic
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 20/06734-0 - Unravelling landscape drivers of forest recovery in a successional perspective
• Grantee: Catherine Torres de Almeida
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 21/11940-0 - Restoration of native vegetation in the Atlantic Forest through the strategic combination of mandatory measures and voluntary commitments - CCD-EMA
• Grantee: Paulo Guilherme Molin
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Science Centers for Development
• FAPESP's process: 18/18416-2 - Understanding restored forests for benefiting people and nature - NewFor
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Santin Brancalion
• Support Opportunities: BIOTA-FAPESP Program - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 23/00412-9 - The monetary potential of forest restoration
• Grantee: Pedro Medrado Krainovic
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor