The consequences of Brazil’s lack of transport planning is written in the blood of sparrows

The medium-sized cities of Brazil are those with populations of between 100,000 and 500,000 inhabitants. These cities are growing rapidly, and are characterized by poor urban planning, a loss of biodiversity and decreasing health prospects for residents. Historically, urbanization in Brazil has been associated with incentives to increase the use of private vehicles for local transport. The air pollution resulting from this “car dependency” has been quantified in some major cities in Brazil, such as the megacity of São Paulo. In this paper, we demonstrate through a bioindication study carried out in the Brazilian city of Rondonópolis, that atmospheric pollution resulting from vehicular emissions is also a measurable reality for medium-sized cities. Most Brazilian cities lack air quality measurement equipment, and we used an inexpensive and easy to apply bioindication assay to measure air pollution, and this approach could be easily implemented in those cities and beyond

Tapanuli orangutan endangered by Sumatran hydropower scheme

The Tapanuli orangutan survives today in less than 1,200 km of rainforest in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, in an area known as Batang Toru, where it was scientifically discovered in 1997. Teeming with endangered fauna and flora, the Batang Toru forest has been partially felled and fragmented and parts of the remainder allocated to agriculture, mining, hydropower and geothermal-energy production. The Tapanuli orangutan is estimated to number just 767 individuals, divided among three subpopulations. Its total remaining habitat 10 is merely a tenth the size of Sydney, Australia

Community in a “Conflict System”: A Case Study of Facilitating Conflict in Nature Conservation

Forest conservation has long faced conflicts between traditionally-living indigenous peoples and other more modern stakeholders. Often such conflicts are rooted in differences between the perceived interests of indigenous peoples and other stakeholders, or in ineffective negotiations due to a power-disparity between involved stakeholders. Thus far conservationists have tried to overcome such conflicts by creating different types of collaborative management systems with indigenous peoples. Although co-management appears a good solution to guide all stakeholders towards a conservation target, in practice few such arrangements have proven successful. The co-management model offers a greater potential for success when it is approached as a conflict-prone system. This paper presents a methodology for aligning the interests of different stakeholders during the creation of a co-management system in Suriname. Using the Model for the Analysis of Potential Conflict in Development (MAPCID), we demonstrate that timely identification of conflict and balancing of power made the system preemptive and adaptive, two factors essential to the successful creation of the South Suriname Conservation Corridor

Yellow fever threatens Atlantic Forest primates

Emerging infectious diseases were cited as a cause of population decline of wild nonhuman primates (NHPs) by A. Estrada and collaborators in their review “Impending extinction crisis of the world’s primates” (Science Advances, 18 January, e1600946). Concurrent with the publication of this review, an epidemic of jungle yellow fever (YF) in the Atlantic Forest region of southeastern Brazil is affecting humans and NHPs alike, challenging health and wildlife conservation authorities and professionals. From December 2016 to 18 May 2017, YF has killed 264 people (42 additional deaths are under investigation) and caused, at least, 5,000 NHP deaths (1). Our field estimates sum many thousands of NHP deaths. Humans have access to an effective vaccine and about 85% of infected unvaccinated people are asymptomatic or develop a mild form of YF (2). Despite this resistance, there are 758 confirmed human cases and a further 622 cases under investigation, about 63% of them in regions of recommended vaccination prior to the current epidemic.Fil: Bicca Marques, Julio Cesar. Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio Grande Do Sul. Facultad de Biociencias; BrasilFil: Calegaro Marques, Claudia. Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio Grande Do Sul. Facultad de Biociencias; BrasilFil: Rylands, Anthony. Conservation International; Estados UnidosFil: Strier, Karen B.. University of Wisconsin; Estados UnidosFil: Mittermeier, Russel. Conservation International; Estados UnidosFil: De Almeida, Marco Antonio. Secretaria Estadual da Saúde do Rio Grande do Sul; BrasilFil: De Castro, Paulo Henrique. Centro Nacional de Primatas; BrasilFil: Chaves, Oscar M.. Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio Grande Do Sul. Facultad de Biociencias; BrasilFil: Ferraz, Luis P.. Associação Mico leão dourado; BrasilFil: Fortes, Vanessa B.. Universidade Federal de Santa Maria; BrasilFil: Hirano, Zelinda M. B.. Fundação Universidade Regional de Blumenau; BrasilFil: Jerusalinsky, Leandro. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa E Conservação de Primatas B; BrasilFil: Kowalewski, Miguel Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia". Estación Biológica de Usos Múltiples (Sede Corrientes); ArgentinaFil: Martins, Wadney P.. Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros; BrasilFil: De Melo, Fabiano. Universidade Federal de Goiás; BrasilFil: Mendes, Sergio L.. Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; BrasilFil: Neves, Leonardo G.. Instituto Uiraçu; BrasilFil: Passos,Fernando C.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Port Carvalho, Marcio. Instituto Florestal, Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ribeiro, Soraya. Secretaria Municipal de Meio Ambiente e Sustentabilidad; BrasilFil: Romano, Alessandro. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: Ruiz Miranda, Carlos. Universidade Estadual Do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro; BrasilFil: Dos Santos, Elisandro O.. Zoológico Municipal de canoas; BrasilFil: De Souza Jr, Julio Cesar. Centro de Pesquisas Biológicas de Indaial; BrasilFil: Teixeira, Danilo S.. Universidade do Brasília; Brasi