Effectiveness of the global protected area network in representing species diversity

The Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, announced in September 2003 that the global network of protected areas now covers 11.5% of the planet's land surface. This surpasses the 10% target proposed a decade earlier, at the Caracas Congress, for 9 out of 14 major terrestrial biomes. Such uniform targets based on percentage of area have become deeply embedded into national and international conservation planning. Although politically expedient, the scientific basis and conservation value of these targets have been questioned. In practice, however, little is known of how to set appropriate targets, or of the extent to which the current global protected area network fulfils its goal of protecting biodiversity. Here, we combine five global data sets on the distribution of species and protected areas to provide the first global gap analysis assessing the effectiveness of protected areas in representing species diversity. We show that the global network is far from complete, and demonstrate the inadequacy of uniform—that is, 'one size fits all'—conservation targets

Mam\uedferos do Parque Florestal Estadual do Rio Doce, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Durante um período de 29 meses consecutivos foram realizados inventários de mamíferos em habitais de floresta nativa e exótica, além de área de campo, todos situados no Parque Florestal Estadual do Rio Doce, localizado na região ocidental da Mata Atlântica no estado de Minas Gerais. Foram registradas para o Parque um total de 60 espécies de mamíferos, distribuídas por 9 ordens, 24 famílias e 49 gêneros. De um esforço total de 64.300 armadilhas-noite, foram realizados 2.129 capturas de pequenos mamíferos não-voadores pertencentes a 20 espécies. Foram também capturadas 14 espécies de quirópteros, representando 12 gêneros e 4 famílias. Em 300 Km de censos diurnos repetidos nas áreas de mata nativa foram registradas 12 espécies de mamíferos de médio e grande porte, além de 14 outras observadas através de meios diversos. Estes dados reforçam a idéia que a mastofauna da Mata Atlântica é bastante diversa. O Parque Estadual Florestal do Rio Doce deve ser considerado como uma das principais áreas para a conservação de fauna desta região e sua proteção deve ser priorizada

Comportamento e composi\ue7\ue3o de um grupo de Callithrix jacchus Erxleben (Primates, Callitrichidae) na mata de Dois Irm\ue3os, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil

<abstract language="eng">The objective of this study was to determine the size and composition of a group of wild Callithrix jacchus Erxleben, 1777, a small neotropical primate from the North East Brazil. The study was carried out in Dois Irmãos Forest, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, in an area of 6ha where this social group of marmosets had its home range. A graded transects system was cut to provide the access and moving during the observation period. To provide an individual identification for the members of the marmosets group and to achieve the objective of this study, two captures were made, with a six month interval between them in a 50x50m² area at the nuclear range of the group's area. The animals were realeased after a maximum period of 24h after traping. We made, during the whole study period, direct observations of the social group which wasn't limited only to count and identification of the marmosets, but expanded in consideration on the ecology and behavior of the Callithrix jacchus group. The results show us that the size and composition of the study group was similar to others descriptions for the Callitrichidae. The group composition suffered a 30% "turnover" in a six month interval, and the adults particulary, had a big frequency of change. One pair of infants was seen in December 1986 - in the middle of the dry season - and another infant appeared in the study group in 1987, just after the end of the wet season. Some dietary items were fruits, leaf buds and also exudate from the trunks and branchs of some tree's species. Intergroup agonistic interactions were recorded during February 1987

Comparação fitossociológica entre duas amostragens numa área de clareira em anos consecutivos, Estação Biológica de Caratinga, MG Phytosociology comparing between two gaps in the Caratinga Biologic Station, Minas Gerais State

A Estação Biológica de Caratinga encontra-se dentro do domínio Atlântico, sob um clima sazonal com uma estação úmida e quente (outubro-março) e outra seca e fria (abril-setembro). O solo é do tipo Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo álico. A clareira em estudo localiza-se em topo de morro, possuindo pequenas árvores esparsas, grande quantidade de "touceiras" mortas de Pteridium aquilinum, plantas herbáceas, jovens e plântulas de espécies arbóreas. Esta área foi alterada por fogo e plantio de café há pouco mais de 30 anos. Foram amostrados 500 m² mapeando-se e anotando-se altura e circunferência de todos os indivíduos. Realizaram-se 2 amostragens com o mesmo método, a primeira em outubro de 1989 e a segunda em outubro de 1990. Verificou-se pouca variação na densidade (657 e 668 indivíduos, respectivamente) e na composição em espécies. Mabea fistulifera (maior densidade em ambas as amostragens), Bauhinia fusco-nervis, Inga sp e uma espécie não identificada de gramínea tiveram a densidade aumentada, enquanto Pteridium aquilinum (a segunda de maior densidade), Ferdinandusa cf. ruggeoides e Vismia sp, tiveram-na reduzida. A presença de "touceiras" mortas de P. aquilinum, de indivíduos jovens de espécie arbóreas comuns às matas ao redor e a existência de áreas vizinhas ocupadas exclusivamente por populações de P. aquilinum sugerem que a clareira em estudo encontra-se em estágio intermediário entre o declínio da população de P. aquilinum e a ocupação da área pelas espécies de mata.<br>The Estação Biológica de Caratinga is located in the Atlantic dominium, The climate is seasonal with a humid hot season (October-March) and a dry cold season (April-September). The soil is alic Yelowish-Red Latosol. The gap studied is located on the top of a hill, where there are small scattered trees, a large amount of dead bunches of Pteridium aquilinum, herbs, and saplings of tree species. The position of each individual was mapped, and its height and circunference were recorded in a plot of 500m2. Two samples were made by the same method, the first in October 1989, and the second in October 1990. A small variation in density (657 to 668 individuals, respectively) as well as in the composition of the species was verified. Mabea fistulifera (the specie with the highest density in both samples), Bauhinia fusco-nervis, Mikania sp. and a non-identified species of Gramineae increased in density, while Pteridium aquilinum (the second highest density), Ferdinandusa cf. rudgeoides e Vis mia sp. decreased in density. The presence of dead bunches of P. aquilinum, saplings of the species common to the sorrounding forests and the existence of P. aquilinum populations nearby all suggest that the gaps are in an intermediate stage between the decline of the population of P. aquilinum and the occupation of the area by the species od the forest

Frugivoria em morcegos (Mammalia, Chiroptera) no Parque Estadual Intervales, sudeste do Brasil

<abstract language="eng">This study was carried out at the Intervales State Park, an Atlantic Rain Forest area in Southeastern Brazil. Bats were monthly mist netted over a full year, and fecal samples were collected for dietary analysis. The seeds found in each sample were identified in the laboratory under a stereoscopic microscope by comparison with seeds taken from ripe fruits collected in the study area. Three hundred and seventy one bats were collected, of which 316 (85.2%) were frugivorous. The total number of fecal samples with seeds and/or pulp was 121. Sturnira lilium (E. Geoffroy, 1810) was the most abundant species in the study area (n = 157 captures) and Solanaceae fruits accounted for 78.5% of the fecal samples with seeds (n = 56). Artibeus fimbriatus Gray, 1838 (n = 21 samples) fed mostly on Cecropiaceae (38%) and Moraceae fruits (24%), and Artibeus lituratus (Olfers, 1818) (n = 7 samples) on Cecropiaceae (57%) and Moraceae (29%). Carollia perspicillata (Linnaeus, 1758) (n = 16 samples) fed mostly on Piperaceae fruits (56,3%), but Solanaceae (31,3%) and Rosaceae seeds (12,5%) were also found in feces. Overall, seeds found in bat feces belong to eight plant families: Solanaceae (n = 67 samples); Cecropiaceae (n = 14); Piperaceae (n = 14); Moraceae (n = 8); Rosaceae (n = 3); Cucurbitaceae (n = 3); Cluseaceae (n = 1), and Araceae (n = 1). The close association of different bat species with fruits of certain plant families and genus may be related to a possible mechanism of resource partitioning that shapes the structure of the community