THE TRADE OF PINHÃO (Araucaria angustifolia SEED) IN MINAS GERAIS: A STIMULUS FOR CONSERVATION?

The knowledge of the production and marketing chains of pinhão is centered in the Mixed Ombrophilous Forest region, in southern Brazil. This study aimed to evaluate the pinhão production and marketing chains in a region of ecological tension (Seasonal Semideciduous Forest) and verify the pinhão trade effectiveness as a tool for araucaria conservation. This research was based on a statistical survey on pinhão extraction and trade, made available by governmental institutions. To identify establishments operating in the trade of pinhão in Minas Gerais (Brazil), structured interviews and a literature review of the legislation associated with the trade of forest products were conducted, establishing the relationship between the trade and conservation of araucaria. The results showed that Minas Gerais is the third-largest national producer of pinhão, accounting for 13.9% of production, and receiving the lowest remuneration for the extracted product. There is a predominance of a short marketing chain, in which producers or retailers negotiate with the consumer, resulting in greater profits for those involved in this process, who benefit from the lack of specific regulations and inspections in the extraction and trade of pinhão, leading to a predatory activity, which does not contribute to the preservation of araucaria. However, the use of appropriate instruments may make feasible the conservation of this species, combining its potential for use in forest restoration projects with the income from the commercialization of its seeds, thus developing an effective tool for the conservation of araucaria in rural properties in Minas Gerais

Análise do atendimento ao Código Florestal e a regularização ambiental por unidades de bacias hidrográficas

Following the enactment of the New Forest Code (CF), Law no. 12.651/2012, one of the greatest challenges, still to be implemented, is to address conflicts of use of rural properties in order to regularize and maintain them. Studies that present diagnoses on anthropic interventions, in disagreement with legislation, are of paramount importance for the development of preventive and corrective actions. Thus, the objective of this study was to map, quantify and characterize the areas located in the Sub Basin GD2 ‘Vertentes of Rio Grande’, in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in order to evaluate the compliance with the current legislation and indicate which areas should be recomposed or compensated, as a means to assist the public power when adopting mitigating and conservationist measures. The division of the analysis region into ottobacias was used to create basic areas to individually analyze the compliance with the Forest Code. Five classes of soil occupation were mapped: Native Vegetation (20.75%), Reforestation (4.29%), Water mass (0.4%), Urban Area (1.35%) and Anthropogenic Area, 19%). The results showed that the studied area is in agreement with the legislation, since there is enough native vegetation to compensate Legal Reserve of all the properties. However, only 36.15% of the 30 meters of Permanent Preservation Area of watercourses are covered with native vegetation, demonstrating that there are areas that can be regularized by the Environmental Regularization Program, which may further compound the "surplus" of within the Sub Basin. The analysis of the 22 ottobacias showed the regions that contribute with the total native vegetation of the Sub Basin, indicating the priority areas for recovery and the areas with greater potential for the incentive of the application of Quotas of Environmental Reserves. In general, this proposal will contribute to mitigate the impacts generated by Law 12.651/12 on the reduction of protected areas.Após a sanção do Novo Código Florestal (CF), Lei nº 12.651/2012, um dos maiores desafios, ainda a ser implementado, consiste em sanar conflitos de usos das propriedades rurais para regularizá-las e mantê-las sustentáveis. Estudos que apresentem diagnósticos sobre intervenções antrópicas, em desacordo com a legislação, tornam-se de suma importância para o desenvolvimento de ações preventivas e corretivas. Assim, objetivou-se com o presente estudo mapear, quantificar e caracterizar as áreas localizadas na Sub-bacia GD2 Vertentes do Rio Grande, no Estado de Minas Gerais, Brasil, a fim de avaliar o cumprimento da legislação vigente e indicar quais áreas devem ser recompostas ou compensadas, como meio de auxiliar o poder público quando da adoção de medidas mitigadoras e conservacionistas. Utilizou-se a divisão da região de análise em ottobacias com o intuito de criar áreas básicas para analisar, individualmente, o atendimento ao Código Florestal. Foram mapeadas 5 classes de ocupação do solo: Vegetação Nativa (20,75%), Reflorestamentos (4,29%), Massa d’água (0,4%), Área Urbana (1,35%) e Área Antropogênica (73,19%). Os resultados apontaram que a área estudada encontra-se em acordo com a legislação, visto que existe vegetação nativa suficiente para compensação de Reserva Legal de todos os imóveis. No entanto, apenas 36,15% dos 30 metros de Área de Preservação Permanente de cursos d’água estão cobertos com vegetação nativa, demonstrando que existem áreas passíveis de regularização pelo Programa de Regularização Ambiental, que poderão compor ainda mais o superavit de vegetação dentro da sub-bacia. A análise das 22 ottobacias mostrou as regiões que contribuem com o total de vegetação nativa da sub-bacia, indicando as áreas prioritárias para recuperação e as áreas com maior potencial para o incentivo da aplicação de Cotas de Reservas Ambientais. De forma geral, esta proposta contribuirá para amenizar os impactos gerados pela Lei 12.651/12 quanto à redução das áreas protegidas

IMPEDIMENTOS E MOTIVAÇÕES DA DESCENTRALIZAÇÃO DO LICENCIAMENTO AMBIENTAL EM MINAS GERAIS

 The CONAMA Resolution No. 237/1997 allowed environmental licensing to be no more than a national and state commitment, to be also municipal responsibility. However, some diffi culties are still faced in order for municipalization to happen. This work aimed to analyze the impediments and motivations of the environmental legislation decentralization in the largest municipalities in the Minas Gerais state, exploring the evolution of this process in Brazil. The methodology used is a qualitative approach and literature review to diagnose the current scenario of environmental licensing decentralization in Minas Gerais and Brazil. It was concluded that environmental licensing in the Minas Gerais municipalities has been developing, but are still lagged in relation to other regions of the country. Perhaps because the state is in the identifi cation and accreditation phase of the municipalities to assume the competence for licensing. In general, municipalities portrayed more motivation for municipalization than impediments.A resolução CONAMA n° 237/1997, permitiu que o licenciamento ambiental deixasse de ser apenas compromisso nacional e estadual para ser, também, responsabilidade municipal. Porém, algumas dificuldades ainda são enfrentadas para que a municipalização aconteça. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar os impedimentos e motivações da descentralização da legislação ambiental nos maiores municípios do estado de Minas Gerais, explorando a evolução desse processo no Brasil. A metodologia empregada constitui-se de uma abordagem qualitativa e revisão de literatura a fim de diagnosticar o cenário atual da descentralização do licenciamento ambiental em Minas Gerais e no Brasil. Concluiu-se que o licenciamento ambiental nos municípios de Minas Gerais vem se desenvolvendo, mas ainda encontram-se defasados em relação a outras regiões do país. De modo geral, os municípios retrataram mais motivações para a municipalização do que impedimentos

A certificação florestal traz benefícios para as empresas Brasileiras? / Does forest certification benefit Brazilian companies?

Este trabalho caracterizou o tipo de mercado, tamanho e segmento de atuação das empresas detentoras do selo Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) 100% no Brasil e avaliou a percepção dos gestores dessas empresas sobre os benefícios advindos da certificação florestal. Tal estudo se justifica pelo caráter voluntário do programa que propõe a garantia de que uma floresta é manejada de forma a contemplar os aspectos econômicos e socioambientais. Foram realizadas entrevistas com os gestores de povoamentos florestais com certificados de manejo florestal de todas as empresas disponíveis na plataforma do FSC, com FSC 100% certificada, durante três semanas, para avaliar a percepção dos mesmos sobre o programa. Os resultados foram tabulados, agrupados de acordo com o tipo de mercado, tamanho e segmento de atuação, para em seguida serem submetidos ao teste de Kruskal-Wallis. Das 110 empresas disponíveis na plataforma do FSC, 92 (84%) manifestaram resposta. Foram encontradas evidências de que o programa FSC traz benefícios para o setor privado, como acesso a mercados internacionais, melhoria no treinamento dos funcionários, impacto positivo na imagem da empresa, entre outros. Contudo, ainda não se recebe o pagamento de preços premium, a maioria das comunidades locais se mostra indiferente aos produtores com certificados, e grande parte dos consumidores brasileiros não reconhece o selo FSC. Conclui-se que existem benefícios para as empresas certificadas, mas que os alcances pretendidos na sua instituição não são totalmente atingidos. Novas pesquisas são necessárias para estudar os efeitos de alternativas que permitam ao programa atingir todo seu potencial positivo, sendo propostas como alternativas a maior educação ambiental e publicidade da marca FSC

Compensação ambiental derivada de empreendimentos de significativo impacto ambiental: uma análise histórica e funcional na esfera federal / Environmental compensation derived from enterprises of significant environmental impact: a historical and functional analysis in the federal area

Com alterações significativas no meio ambiente realizadas pelas ações humanas é recorrente os danos ambientais. Buscando alternativas viáveis que conduzissem a minimização desses danos, o Estado brasileiro regulamentou medidas e leis, dentre essas a Compensação Ambiental (CA), instituída pela Lei Federal nº 9.985/2000. A CA constitui como um importante instrumento para a preservação e conservação do meio ambiente, no entanto, sofreu constantes modificações e ainda enfrenta problemas envolvendo, principalmente, o cálculo do valor da prestação pecuniária. Com vista ao entendimento da CA decorrente de empreendimentos causadores de significativo impacto ambiental, em âmbito federal, o presente trabalho abordou as leis e normas que a regem por meio de resgate e análise de documentações relevantes. Foi observado que muito já foi aprimorado, em termos de definição de critérios e normas para assegurar a aplicação da legislação. Contudo, não é o suficiente para garantir a aplicabilidade segura e fidedigna da Compensação Ambiental, sendo necessário novas melhorias, como desassociar da base de cálculo os custos da implantação; destituir o teto fixado para o grau de impacto e determinar as possibilidades para execução do recurso

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear un derstanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5–7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8–11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world’s most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepre sented in biodiversity databases.13–15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may elim inate pieces of the Amazon’s biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological com munities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple or ganism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region’s vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most ne glected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lostinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Pervasive gaps in Amazonian ecological research

Biodiversity loss is one of the main challenges of our time,1,2 and attempts to address it require a clear understanding of how ecological communities respond to environmental change across time and space.3,4 While the increasing availability of global databases on ecological communities has advanced our knowledge of biodiversity sensitivity to environmental changes,5,6,7 vast areas of the tropics remain understudied.8,9,10,11 In the American tropics, Amazonia stands out as the world's most diverse rainforest and the primary source of Neotropical biodiversity,12 but it remains among the least known forests in America and is often underrepresented in biodiversity databases.13,14,15 To worsen this situation, human-induced modifications16,17 may eliminate pieces of the Amazon's biodiversity puzzle before we can use them to understand how ecological communities are responding. To increase generalization and applicability of biodiversity knowledge,18,19 it is thus crucial to reduce biases in ecological research, particularly in regions projected to face the most pronounced environmental changes. We integrate ecological community metadata of 7,694 sampling sites for multiple organism groups in a machine learning model framework to map the research probability across the Brazilian Amazonia, while identifying the region's vulnerability to environmental change. 15%–18% of the most neglected areas in ecological research are expected to experience severe climate or land use changes by 2050. This means that unless we take immediate action, we will not be able to establish their current status, much less monitor how it is changing and what is being lost

ATLANTIC EPIPHYTES: a data set of vascular and non-vascular epiphyte plants and lichens from the Atlantic Forest

Epiphytes are hyper-diverse and one of the frequently undervalued life forms in plant surveys and biodiversity inventories. Epiphytes of the Atlantic Forest, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world, have high endemism and radiated recently in the Pliocene. We aimed to (1) compile an extensive Atlantic Forest data set on vascular, non-vascular plants (including hemiepiphytes), and lichen epiphyte species occurrence and abundance; (2) describe the epiphyte distribution in the Atlantic Forest, in order to indicate future sampling efforts. Our work presents the first epiphyte data set with information on abundance and occurrence of epiphyte phorophyte species. All data compiled here come from three main sources provided by the authors: published sources (comprising peer-reviewed articles, books, and theses), unpublished data, and herbarium data. We compiled a data set composed of 2,095 species, from 89,270 holo/hemiepiphyte records, in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, recorded from 1824 to early 2018. Most of the records were from qualitative data (occurrence only, 88%), well distributed throughout the Atlantic Forest. For quantitative records, the most common sampling method was individual trees (71%), followed by plot sampling (19%), and transect sampling (10%). Angiosperms (81%) were the most frequently registered group, and Bromeliaceae and Orchidaceae were the families with the greatest number of records (27,272 and 21,945, respectively). Ferns and Lycophytes presented fewer records than Angiosperms, and Polypodiaceae were the most recorded family, and more concentrated in the Southern and Southeastern regions. Data on non-vascular plants and lichens were scarce, with a few disjunct records concentrated in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Forest. For all non-vascular plant records, Lejeuneaceae, a family of liverworts, was the most recorded family. We hope that our effort to organize scattered epiphyte data help advance the knowledge of epiphyte ecology, as well as our understanding of macroecological and biogeographical patterns in the Atlantic Forest. No copyright restrictions are associated with the data set. Please cite this Ecology Data Paper if the data are used in publication and teaching events. © 2019 The Authors. Ecology © 2019 The Ecological Society of Americ