Where ecosystems, people and health meet: academic traditons and emerging fields for research and practice

Human-driven environmental change has brought attention to the importance of ecosystems in sustaining human health and well-being. There are various schools of thought and fields of inquiry and action that seek to understand health in relation to linked social and ecological phenomena. We describe 18 such fields and outline common elements and incongruities among them. They converge around the application of systems thinking and crossing disciplinary boundaries, while differences are found in methodologies, research foci and problem framing. Although fields encourage sustainable and equitable pathways for health promotion, depoliticized and ahistorical approaches continue to be standard practice. Future research calls for a deeper commitment to examining ourselves as political actors, making space for conversations around power dynamics, and (re)centering participants in research methodologies.As mudanças ambientais antrópicas despertaram a atenção para a importância dos ecossistemas como fundamentais para sustentar a saúde e o bem-estar humanos. Várias escolas de pensamento e campos de atuação em pesquisa e ação buscam compreender a saúde e os fenômenos sociais e ecológicos associados. Apresentamos 18 desses campos de atuação destacando seus elementos comuns e divergências. Eles convergem em torno do cruzamento de fronteiras disciplinares e na aplicação do pensamento sistêmico, enquanto as principais diferenças são encontradas nas metodologias, nos enfoques de pesquisa e no enquadramento dos problemas. Embora os campos busquem promover a saúde pelos caminhos sustentáveis e equitativos, as abordagens despolitizadas e a-históricas continuam sendo parte da prática padrão. Pesquisas futuras requerem um compromisso maior na avaliação das nossas próprias condutas como atores políticos e na promoção de novos espaços de discussões sobre a dinâmica de poder, a fim de (re)centralizar os participantes nas metodologias de pesquisa

Amphibians of Serra das Torres Natural Monument: a reservoir of biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract The Brazilian Atlantic Forest holds a major part of the country’s amphibian species richness and high rates of endemism. In this study, we conducted surveys using the Rapid Assessment (RA) method to sample the amphibian fauna of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (MONAST), an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil. We sampled actively with a 6-10-person team to collect standard samples from 09:00 to 12:00 hours for the daytime period, and from 18:00 to 22:00 hours for the crepuscular/nighttime period, with a total of approximately 1,320 hours of sampling effort. We supplemented these data with 720 hours of passive sampling, using pitfall traps with drift fences (30 bucket-days). We recorded 54 amphibian species (two gymnophionans and 52 anurans), and the species richness estimated by the Bootstrap method indicates that a slightly larger number of species (n = 60) may occur in the study area. The most speciose family was Hylidae (n = 21), followed by Brachycephalidae (n = 8). Overall, 25% of the species (n = 13) were recorded only once (singletons) and 15% (n = 8) only twice (doubletons). Most amphibians recorded in this study (71%, n = 37 species) were restricted to the Atlantic Forest biome, two species (Euparkerella robusta and Luetkenotyphlus fredi) are endemic to the Espírito Santo state, and one of them, the leaf litter species E. robusta, is endemic to the MONAST. Euparkerella robusta is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is classified as Critically Endangered in the Espírito Santo State red list, while L. fredi has yet to be evaluated due to its recent description. Thoropa lutzi is currently listed as Endangered (EN) by both the IUCN and in the State list. Nine species are listed as Data Deficient (DD) and populations of 13 species are considered to be declining by the IUCN. We extend the geographical distribution of two anuran species (Hylodes babax and Phasmahyla lisbella) and fill an important gap in the distribution of Siphonops hardyi. Amphibians associated with the forest floor represented 42% of the species richness from MONAST, and 43% of these species inhabit the leaf litter exclusively. Our study revealed that Serra das Torres preserves a considerable diversity of Atlantic Forest amphibians, which reinforces the need for the conservation of this forest remnant.</jats:p

Reptiles of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument: using the Rapid Assessment method to fill a knowledge gap in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract: Data on the composition of local reptile assemblages in several Brazilian ecosystems can still be considered relatively restricted in scope in most cases. In this study, we conducted surveys in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument, located in the municipalities of Atílio Vivacqua, Muqui, and Mimoso do Sul, using the Rapid Assessments method (RAP) during 30 days in the rainy season of 2018. We sampled actively for approximately 1320 hours with a 6-10 person crew, supplemented by 720 hours of passive sampling (30 bucket-days) using pitfall traps with drift fences. We recorded 34 reptile species during our sampling method (2 amphisbaenid, 11 lizards, and 21 snakes) and an occasional encounter, after the end of sampling, that added a chelonian species to the list, Hydromedusa maximiliani, totaling 35 reptile species. The Dipsadidae was the family with the greatest snake species richness and, the Gymnophtalmidae had the greatest lizard species richness. The species richness recorded in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (Ntotal = 35) represents ca. 27% of all reptile species found in the state of Espírito Santo (N = 130). The most abundant lizard species was Leposoma scincoides followed by Ecpleopus gaudichaudii and, the most abundant snake species was Bothrops jararaca being markedly higher than that recorded in similar studies. Twenty-seven percent of the reptile species recorded in our study are endemic to the Atlantic Forest and 30% (N = 10) have been recorded less than five times previously in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Our study reinforces the need for the conservation of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument because of its importance as a reservoir of a considerable portion of the reptile biodiversity of Espírito Santo state, and of the Atlantic Forest biome as a whole.</jats:p

Amphibians of Serra das Torres Natural Monument: a reservoir of biodiversity in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract The Brazilian Atlantic Forest holds a major part of the country’s amphibian species richness and high rates of endemism. In this study, we conducted surveys using the Rapid Assessment (RA) method to sample the amphibian fauna of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (MONAST), an Atlantic Forest remnant in southeastern Brazil. We sampled actively with a 6-10-person team to collect standard samples from 09:00 to 12:00 hours for the daytime period, and from 18:00 to 22:00 hours for the crepuscular/nighttime period, with a total of approximately 1,320 hours of sampling effort. We supplemented these data with 720 hours of passive sampling, using pitfall traps with drift fences (30 bucket-days). We recorded 54 amphibian species (two gymnophionans and 52 anurans), and the species richness estimated by the Bootstrap method indicates that a slightly larger number of species (n = 60) may occur in the study area. The most speciose family was Hylidae (n = 21), followed by Brachycephalidae (n = 8). Overall, 25% of the species (n = 13) were recorded only once (singletons) and 15% (n = 8) only twice (doubletons). Most amphibians recorded in this study (71%, n = 37 species) were restricted to the Atlantic Forest biome, two species (Euparkerella robusta and Luetkenotyphlus fredi) are endemic to the Espírito Santo state, and one of them, the leaf litter species E. robusta, is endemic to the MONAST. Euparkerella robusta is currently listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and is classified as Critically Endangered in the Espírito Santo State red list, while L. fredi has yet to be evaluated due to its recent description. Thoropa lutzi is currently listed as Endangered (EN) by both the IUCN and in the State list. Nine species are listed as Data Deficient (DD) and populations of 13 species are considered to be declining by the IUCN. We extend the geographical distribution of two anuran species (Hylodes babax and Phasmahyla lisbella) and fill an important gap in the distribution of Siphonops hardyi. Amphibians associated with the forest floor represented 42% of the species richness from MONAST, and 43% of these species inhabit the leaf litter exclusively. Our study revealed that Serra das Torres preserves a considerable diversity of Atlantic Forest amphibians, which reinforces the need for the conservation of this forest remnant.</div

Reptiles of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument: using the Rapid Assessment method to fill a knowledge gap in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

Abstract: Data on the composition of local reptile assemblages in several Brazilian ecosystems can still be considered relatively restricted in scope in most cases. In this study, we conducted surveys in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument, located in the municipalities of Atílio Vivacqua, Muqui, and Mimoso do Sul, using the Rapid Assessments method (RAP) during 30 days in the rainy season of 2018. We sampled actively for approximately 1320 hours with a 6-10 person crew, supplemented by 720 hours of passive sampling (30 bucket-days) using pitfall traps with drift fences. We recorded 34 reptile species during our sampling method (2 amphisbaenid, 11 lizards, and 21 snakes) and an occasional encounter, after the end of sampling, that added a chelonian species to the list, Hydromedusa maximiliani, totaling 35 reptile species. The Dipsadidae was the family with the greatest snake species richness and, the Gymnophtalmidae had the greatest lizard species richness. The species richness recorded in the Serra das Torres Natural Monument (Ntotal = 35) represents ca. 27% of all reptile species found in the state of Espírito Santo (N = 130). The most abundant lizard species was Leposoma scincoides followed by Ecpleopus gaudichaudii and, the most abundant snake species was Bothrops jararaca being markedly higher than that recorded in similar studies. Twenty-seven percent of the reptile species recorded in our study are endemic to the Atlantic Forest and 30% (N = 10) have been recorded less than five times previously in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. Our study reinforces the need for the conservation of the Serra das Torres Natural Monument because of its importance as a reservoir of a considerable portion of the reptile biodiversity of Espírito Santo state, and of the Atlantic Forest biome as a whole.</div

Benchmarking na avaliação de impacto ambiental: o sistema mineiro frente às melhores práticas internacionais

In Brazil, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environmental Licensing are considered instruments of the National Environmental Policy. Supported by CONAMA Resolution n° 237/1997, each Brazilian state has its own system for implementing these instruments. Due to the differences among the procedures adopted in each state and the existence of critical of its use, this study aims to determine how the EIA system established in Minas Gerais has been developing in the face of international best practices. For this, the information was obtained through the literature review, process analysis and interviews with key actors. Among the positive points of the Minas Gerais system are: the decentralization of the licensing process, the proximity between the technical of environmental agency and entrepreneur and participative decision to be taken by the State Environmental Council. As for weaknesses, they concentrate on the generalization of the scope of the studies, no population participation, consideration of project alternatives, no assessment of cumulative impacts and the type of corrective licensing. Once identified system weaknesses become necessary actions aimed at improving its performance

Policies Integration and environmental governance: the case of rural environmental licensing in Brazil

Tratamos da coordenação horizontal de políticas, a partir do estudo da relação entre o desmatamento nos assentamentos de reforma agrária e o licenciamento Ambiental Rural. São identificados falhas técnicas, administrativas, de integração e coordenação na implementação do instrumento. A eficácia contra o desmatamento está em ações coordenadas e integrações políticas, institucionais, técnicas e estruturais de diversos setores.We focus on cross-sectoral policy coordination, based on the study of the relationships between deforestation in land settlement projects and rural environmental licensing. We identified technical and administrative failures, lack of integration and coordination in the implementation of the licensing policies. Efficient initiatives to reduce deforestation involve coordinated and integrated multidimensional actions across various political sectors