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Amazon Basin papers presented at Conservation Biology conference in Brazil Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology July 21, 2005 Below is a sampling of some of the Amazon Basin conservation-related papers submitted for the conference. All descriptions are excepts from the official "Book of Abstracts" from the meeting. Further lists of abstracts will be posted shortly. SOARES-FILHO, BRITALDO; Nepstad, Daniel; Curran, Lisa M.; Cerqueira, Gustavo; Garcia, Ricardo; Ramos, Claudia; Voll, Eliane; McDonald, Alice; Lefebvre, Paul. Centro de Sensoriamento Remoto; Centro de Desenvolvimento e Planejamento Regional, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Av. Antônio Carlos 6627, Belo Horizonte, 31270-901, MG, Brazil, britaldo((AT))csr.ufmg.br. The Amazon is entering an era of rapid change as new transportation corridors traverse the region, stimulating the expansion of logging and agricultural frontiers. The declining cost of transportation has important implications for biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, and the long-term prosperity of the Amazon society. To analyze this context, we have developed an empiricallybased, policy-sensitive model of deforestation for the Amazon basin. Model output for the worst-case (business-as-usual) scenario shows that, by 2050, projected deforestation trends will eliminate 40% of the current 5.4 million km2 of Amazon forests, releasing approximately 16 Pg (109 tons) of carbon to the atmosphere. Conversely, under a governance scenario, 4.5 million km2 of forest would remain in 2050, which is 83% of the current extent. Results from intermediate-case scenarios indicate that, although an expanded and enforced network of protected areas could avoid as much as one third of projected forest losses, other conservation measures are still required to maintain the ecological integrity of Amazon landscapes and watersheds. Current experiments in forest conservation on private properties, markets for ecosystem services, and agro-ecological zoning must be refined and implemented to achieve comprehensive conservation THE NEED FOR OFF-RESERVE MANAGEMENT IN THE AMAZON FLOODPLAINS. SILVA-JÚNIOR, URBANO L. WWF-Brasil, SHIS EQ-QL 6/8 Conj. E, Brasília, DF, 71620 Brazil, ulsilvajr((AT))yahoo.com.br. The natural resources management of Amazon floodplains implies a complex challenge at ecological, social, economic and institutional levels. The reserves establishment simplifies institutional level and promotes the pressure decrease over natural resources. But often this process implies the exclusion of some stakeholdersABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 from the area that may cause a pressure increase over the resources in the neighborhood. While the reserves are important and necessary instrument for floodplains conservation they cannot be the only one since the several activities which currently take place on varzeas (fishery, agriculture, forestry, cattle ranching, etc) are very important to the regional economy. Those activities when planned to be executed in an integrated fashion, are capable to take advantage from the whole ecological productivity potential, taking into account the interests of all stakeholders. This implies in a multiinstitutional or participatory approach for management. Beside the reserves establishment, as an important instrument for biodiversity conservation, it is necessary to develop strategies for offreserve management in order to promote the social and economic sustainability of the region. Those strategies are related to create institutional boundary conditions which promote cooperative solutions among stakeholders, accordingly the Nash-equilibrium in game theory EVAPOTRANSPIRATION IN FOREST AND PASTURE IN EASTERN AMAZONIA: EVALUATING SOIL MOISTURE RESTRICTION TO SURFACE CONDUCTANCE. SCHULER, AZENETH MARYSOL E.; Moraes, Jorge M.; Dunne, Thommas; Victoria, Reynaldo L. IPAM - Av. Nazaré, 669 - Belém, PA, 66035-170, Brazil, marysol((AT))ipam.org.br (AMES) CENA/ USP - Av. Centenário, 303 - Piracicaba, SP,13400-961, Brazil (JMM, RLV) Bren School Envir. Sci. & Manag./ UCSB - Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA (TD). This study evaluates the role of stomatal conductance and soil moisture to evapotranspiration (ET) estimates at two sites in Paragominas, Eastern Amazonia (2° 57' S latitude), one covered by pasture and other by forest. Evapotranspiration daily values were calculated using Penman-Monteith equation coupled to a water balance bucket model. Canopy conductance was estimated by a Jarvis-type model (gc=maxgmin, L*gsmaxf2(D) f3(T) f4(R) f5(q)), using stomatal conductance minimum and maximum values (gmin, gsmax), climate variables (R=radiation, T=temperature, D=specific humidity deficit) and soil moisture estimates (q) from the balance equation. In bucket model calibration, observed soil moisture values (TDR measurements) were compared to model estimates. Climate variables were not effective in model sensitivity analysis, since they do not vary meaningfully along the year. In the other hand, daily soil moisture showed a markedly seasonality due to precipitation and model responses were sensitive to soil parameter. Model simulations analysis showed that changes in effective soil depth affects total amount of plant available water, influencing stomatal conductance and ET. A deeper root zone available to water uptake causes higher conductance values and evapotranspiration. Hence, it is important to consider soil impeding layers constraining root zone depth, when modeling land use change effects on hydrological fluxes SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL AMAZONIAN WHITE-WATER FLOODPLAINS BASED ON TREE RING-DATA. SCHOENGART, JOCHEN. Max-Planck Institute for Limnology, INPA/Max-Planck Project, Av. André Araújo 2936, P.O. Box 478, 69011-970 Manaus/AM, Brazil, jschoen((AT))gwdg.de. The nutrient rich white-water floodplain forests along the Amazon River are endangered due to conversion into areas for agriculture and an expanding timber industry. In a reserve at the middle Solimões River the Institute Mamirauá develops in co-operation with the local inhabitants management plans for sustainable use of the natural resources and concepts for the protection of rare animal and plant species. One important part is the plan for sustainable forest management. This includes the investigation of growth behaviour of timber species by means of tree ring analysis. The modelled growth patterns show a high variation in diameter and volume increment. The model indicates an optimal period for logging between the peaks of current and mean volume increment. The cutting cycle in the reserve is presently limited to 25 years for all species. Our results shows that the cycles must be adapted specifically to avoid overexploitation of the slow growing and to allow economical use of faster growing tree species. The investigation can be used as a model for the estimation of sustainable wood growth in other tropical forest ecosystems EXISTING RESERVES IN BRAZILIAN VARZEA: BENEFITS & LIMITATIONS. SCARAMUZZA, CARLOS A. M.; Oviedo, Antonio; Albernaz, Ana Luisa; Pressey, Robert L. WWF-Brasil, SHIS EQ QL 6/8 conj E, Brasília, DF 71620-430, Brazil, +55 61 364-7467 scara((AT))wwf.org.br, (CAMS; AO). Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Av. Perimetral 1901, Belém, PA 66077-530, Brazil (ALA). Department of Environment and Conservation, PO Box 402 Armidale NSW 2350 Australia (RLP). We studied the protected area (PA) types present or potentially applicable to the Brazilian várzea. There are three basic groups of PA: sustainable use, strict use and indigenous reserves, each of wich can be subdivided into several categories. In a preliminary analysis of representativeness of PA in the várzea, we measured the coverage of 18 subecoregions by the 2003 federal PA system. This indicated an overall coverage of 11.9% by indigenous reserves, 5.7% by sustainable and 3.4% by strict use, with an unbalanced spatial distribution. We are analyzing both state and federal PAs in a different approach to evaluate representativeness using a set of environmental surrogates as features to be protected (e. g. longitudinal sub-regions, river confluences and barriers, upland- Varzea interactions, flood height categories, species distribution models). We are also reviewing the advantages and limitations of PA in terms of ease of management, socio-economic constraints, and biological effectiveness. Our special focus in on the six strict PAs, evaluating their implementation and importance for biodiversity conservation. The implementation of this kind of varzea PA is difficult due the easy access by water specially during the flood season, demanding higher targets for the conservation goals and focus on participatory management DEVELOPING A BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PLAN FOR THE VÁRZEA FLOODPLAINS OF THE MIDDLE AND LOWER AMAZON. PRESSEY, ROBERT L.; Albernaz, Ana Luisa; Scaramuzza, Carlos A. M.; Ridges, Malcolm J.; Watts, Matthew E. Department of Environment and Conservation, PO Box 402, Armidale, NSW 2350 Australia, bob.pressey((AT))environment.nsw.gov.au (RLP, MJR, MEW); Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Emilio Goeldi, Av. Perimetral 1901, Belém, PA 66077-530, Brazil (ALA); WWF Brazil, SHIS EQ QL 6/8 conj E, Brasília, DF 71620-430, Brasil (CAMS). We are developing a biodiversity conservation plan for the middle and lower várzea floodplains of the Solimões and Amazon. Several stages have been completed: (1) biological surveys to inform the delineation of environmental surrogates; (2) compilation of a spatial framework of environmental surrogates defined by the major factors determining species distributions; (3) design guidelines for protected areas; and (4) preliminary data analyses in decisionsupport software (C-Plan and Marxan) to inform decisions about size of planning units, targets, weightings for compactness, and cost surfaces to favour proximity to established protected areas and distance from deforestation and urban centres. We are ready to present the data sets and preliminary analyses to stakeholders, including local and regional experts who will recommend specific boundaries and configurations of new protected areas. With the experts, we will use the software to map and resolve options (irreplaceability values of planning units) for achieving targets and design preferences. This part of the planning exercise will use information from socio-economic studies and attempt to minimise con- flict between conservation management and extractive uses. After this design phase, the software systems will facilitate ongoing adjustments to conservation design. We expect these adjustments to be frequent during the protracted period of implementation A SPATIAL FRAMEWORK FOR CONSERVATION PLANNING IN THE VÁRZEA FLOODPLAINS OF THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON. PRESSEY, ROBERT L.; Albernaz, Ana Luisa; Scaramuzza, Carlos A. M. Department of Environment and Conservation, PO Box 402 Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia, bob.pressey((AT))environment.nsw.gov.au (RLP); Ciências da Terra e Ecologia, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Av. Perimetral 1901, Belém, PA 66077-530, Brazil (ALA); Ecologia da Paisagem, WWF Brazil, SHIS EQ QL 6/8 conj E, Brasília, DF 71620 Brazil (CAMS). Conservation planning for the várzea floodplains of the lower and middle Amazon will attempt to deal with biodiversity pattern and process. Biological data in the várzea are sparse and highly biased geographically and taxonomically. Therefore, to provide a consistent picture of biodiversity pattern, and based on advice from experts and a thorough review of the literature, we have developed a spatial framework of surrogates that reflect the major factors known to determine species distributions. The framework is a system of floodplain subdivisions based on major longitudinal zones, local variation in flood depths, structural vegetation units, river confluences, and areas influenced by small, lateral catchments. Three other fixed surrogates are intended to reflect the processes of species movements between the várzea and associated environments. These are the várzea "edge" or interface with terra firme, terra firme biogeographic subregions defined by river barriers, and lateral blackwater and clearwater tributaries. To these fixed sur-XIX Annual Meeting of the Society for Conservation Biology ABSTRACTS rogates, we added design recommendations for protected areas to promote the persistence of várzea processes. These deal with the persistence of space-demanding species, longitudinal movements of aquatic species, lateral movements between várzea and the river, and lateral movements between várzea and terra firme THE ROLE OF REFORESTED AREAS TO SMALL MAMMAL COMMUNITY IN AN AMAZONIAN RAIN FOREST, BRAZIL. Oliveira, Leonardo; MENDEL, SYLVIA; Fernandes, Geraldo; Castilho, Alexandre. Museu de Ciências Naturais - PUCMinas, Rua Dom José Gaspar 290, Coração Eucarístico, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30.535-610, Brazil, leonardoco((AT)) pucminas.br (LO); Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, MG, 30270 Brazil, gwilson((AT))mono.icb.ufmg.br (GF, SM); Mineração Rio do Norte S.A. Porto de Trombetas, PA, castilho((AT))mrn.com.br (AC). The Amazonian forest has been under intensive deforestation process and only under rare situations the deforested areas are restored. For the first time we compared the small mammals communities of reforested areas (decades 80 and 90) with that of primary forests, in Porto Trombetas, Pará, Brazil. From 2002 to 2004, six trapping sessions of eight nights each were conducted. Two live-traps were spaced at each 20m along transects with 10 and 25 trap stations in both reforested and primary forests, respectively. The richness and abundance of marsupials were higher in the reforested areas, while rodents dominated the community in the primary forest. The greatest abundance of small mammals was recorded in the reforested areas. Species composition and richness varied between the re forested areas (80's and primary forest = 7 species, 90's = 8 species). The dominance of marsupials in the reforested areas is probably related to their capacity to explore secondary forest. Although much work is called for, we argue that the elevated abundance of small mammals in reforested areas is related to the high productivity of these areas. Reforested areas with native species may provide conditions for the colonization and permanence of small mammals in the tropical rain forest DROUGHT, FIRE FEEDBACKS, AND SAVANNIZATION IN BRAZILIAN AMAZONIA. MOUTINHO, PAULO; Nepstad, Daniel; Alencar, Ane. Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, IPAM, Av. Nazaré 669, Av. Nazare 669, 66035-170 Belém, PA, Brazil (PM, DN, AA), moutinho((AT))ipam.org.br. The Woods Hole Research Center, WHRC P.O. Box 296,Woods Hole, MA 02543-0296, USA (DN), and Universidade Federal do Pará, UFPa, Campus Guamá, Belém, PA, Brazil (DN). Intense droughts in Amazonia may increase in the future through stronger El Ninõ episodes, global warming, and rainfall inhibition by deforestation, increasing fire frequency and intensity in the region. In 1998, for example, ca. 40,000 km2 of standing forest burned in the Amazon. In addition, three positive fire feedbacks can be identified that could intensify droughts in Amazonia: (1) fire releasing smoke into the atmosphere resulting in rainfall reduction, (2) fire increasing the susceptibility of forest to recurrent fires and (3) fire use to prepare cattle pasture burn accidentally productive agrosystem and forests systems around, discourage the land owners to invest in fire prevention. As a consequence of drought intensification and high frequency of fire occurrence in Amazonia, we are proposing that a significant part of Amazon forest would be susceptible to savannization process. Forests under high frequency of burn regime and located where the sources of grass seed are abundant (along the border of cattle pasture) could be more susceptible to savannization. Within this context of continuous intense droughts in Amazonia, and consequent savannization, the preservation of Amazon forest and its high species diversity would be under risk claiming for a redefinition of biological conservation strategic for the region LONG-TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH ON FIRE ECOLOGY: LESSONS LEARNED FOR CERRADO CONSERVATION. MIRANDA, HELOISA S.; Sato, Margarete N.; Andrade, Saulo M.A.; Arakawa, Henrique B. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade de Brasília, Brasília, DF, 70.910-900, Brazil, hmiranda((AT))unb.br. Fire is a common feature in the Cerrado ecosystem. Changes in the vegetation structure caused by a high frequency fire regime (2 years interval) in the middle of the dry season were investigated for cerrado sensu stricto (C) (a savanna woodland) and for campo sujo (CS) (an open savanna) vegetation at the Reserva Ecológica do IBGE, Brasília, Brazil. In 1992, when the project started, the vegetation of both areas was protected from fire for 18 years. In 2004, in both areas, 63% of the woody individuals (diameter > 5 cm at 30 cm height) had suffered top kill or died, resulting in a loss of aboveground biomass of 8.0 t/ha in the C area and 0.8 t/ha in the CS. No change was observed in the biomass of the herbaceous layer after the six prescribed fires. Considering that the biomass of the herbaceous layer is fully recovered 2 years after a fire and that the mortality rates at the C area (55.6%) and at the CS area (33.6%)ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 indicate that the time needed for recovery of the vegetation structure and the carbon lost by the woody layer will be greater in the C area than in the CS MULTI-SCALE ANALYSES OF INUNDATION AND WETLAND VEGETATION IN THE FLOODPLAINS OF THE AMAZON BASIN. MELACK, JOHN; Hess, Laura; Mertes, Leal; Novo, Evlyn; Costa, Maycira; Forsberg, Bruce. Institute for Computational Earth System Science, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA USA, melack((AT))lifesci.ucsb.edu; INPE, Sao Jose dos Campos, SP, Brazil; INPA, Manaus, AM, Brazil. Active and passive microwave remote sensing analyses were applied to define an Amazon wetlands mask and to identify inundation/ vegetation states in the lowland basin. Hydrologic subregions, similar with respect to inundation periodicity, were delineated using long-term stage and precipitation datasets and radar mosaics. Multi-temporal analyses focus on the Cabaliana, Mamiraua, and Curuai reaches of the main stem floodplain and the upper Negro floodplain and adjacent interfluvial wetlands. Remote sensing results were validated with high-resolution digital videography and field surveys, and compared to classifications derived from optical remote sensingg. The inundation and vegetation patterns were incorporatd into regional investigations of fish communities, biogeochemical processes and macrophyte productivity AMAZON TRANSFORMATIONS: CHANGING CONCEPTIONS OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST AND ITS DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL. MCGRATH, DAVID; Moutinho, Paulo; Nepstad, Daniel. NAEA, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA 66.075-900, dmcgrath((AT))amazon.com.br (DM); Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, SCLN 210, Bl C, 211, Brasília, DF, 70.862, Brazil, moutinho((AT))ipam.org.br (PM); Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, MA 02540, USA, dnepstad((AT))whrc.org (DN). Conceptions of Amazon forest ecology and development potential have undergone a number of transformations over the last two centuries. Early 19th century scientist explorers, struck by the exuberance of the vegetation, emphasized the great fertility of the soils and region's great development potential. By the mid 20th century this view had been replaced by one that emphasized the low fertility of the soils and the region's limited potential for development. In this view, forests were almost closed systems in which nutrient and water budgets were largely independent of the soil. The high diversity of tropical forests was the result of the functional specialization of each species, adaptations that increased the ef- ficiency of nutrient cycling. By the end of the century all three elements of this model were being questioned. Hydrological studies showed that forests consumed water and nutrients from up to 20m of soil, while studies of successional processes indicated that there is considerable redundancy in niche specialization. Finally, the expansion of mechanized soybean production into the Amazon forest challenges the idea that Amazon soils are incapable of sustaining intensive agricultural. This new conception of Amazon ecology and development potential requires a comparable transformation in approaches to Amazon conservation AMAZONIAN WETLANDS: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE, ONGOING RESEARCH, AND RESEARCH NEEDS. JUNK, WOLFGANG J.; Piedade, Maria Teresa F. Max-PlanckABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 2005 Institute for Limnology, Tropical Ecology Group, P.O. Box 165, 24302 Ploen, Germany, wjj((AT))mpil-ploen.mpg.de (WJJ); INPAINPA/ Max-Planck Project, Av. André Araújo 2936, P.O. Box 478, 69011-970 Manaus/AM, Brazil, maitepp((AT))inpa.gov.br (MTFP). Occupation of the Amazon basin by Europeans started in the 17th century, but only since about 1970 has the Brazilian government given priority to connect the Amazon basin to the industrialized southern part of the country. This new policy required scientific research on the natural resources of the area. Wetlands cover about 20% of the Amazon basin. Inland fishery, fertile floodplain soils, and hydroelectric energy offer a large potential for economic development. Although the Amazon River floodplain belongs to the best studied tropical river floodplains in the world, studies in other amazonian wetland areas suffer from lack of inventory and classi- fication. Accelerated economic development is not accompanied by wetland research. Insufficient knowledge about distributio n, size, structure and function of many wetlands leads to increasing degradation and loss of biodiversity. The low number of scientists working in the area and lack of funding require close cooperation in problem-oriented multidisciplinary projects (scientific clustering) to optimize scientific outcome. Intensive, long-term cooperation and scientific exchange with institutions from southern Brazil and from abroad is recommended to improve the scientific infrastructure in Amazonian institutions, to accelerate the transfer of new scientific methods and technology, and to intensify the training program for local human resources ECOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING OF THE VÁRZEA. JUNK, WOLFGANG J. Max-Planck-Institute of Limnolgy, Tropical Ecology Working Group, August-Thienemann Str. 2, 24306 Ploen, Germany, wjj((AT))mpil-ploen.mpg.de (WJJ). The large whitewater rivers of the Amazon region, such as the Amazon, Madeira, Purús, Juruá and Japurá Rivers transport large amounts of nutrient rich sediments from the Andes and the pre- Andean region to the Atlantic Ocean. They form extended floodplains along their middle and lower courses, which become every year flooded to a depth of up to 15m, and are locally called Várzea. The flood pulse is rather predictable, because he follows the pattern of dry and rainy season, and has a very strong impact on life history traits of plants and animals. Predictability favours also the development of anatomical, morphological and physiological adaptations to periodic flooding and drought and results in the occurrence of a high number of endemic species. Furthermore, the flood pulse profoundly influences nutrient cycles, primary and secondary production, and decomposition of organic matter. He drives the exchange of organisms, nutrients and organic carbon between the river channel, the floodplain and the connected upland. The hydraulic energy of the river leads to high habitat diversity because it results in small-scale pattern of sediments of different grain size and the formation of different geomorphological units, such as lakes, channels, backwaters, mud flats, sand bars and levees. This favours community diversity and species diversity FOREST MANAGEMENT IN AMAZÔNIA: SOME LEARNED LESSONS. HUMMEL, ANTÔNIO CARLOS. Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis, Diretoria de Florestas, SCEN - Trecho 2, Edifício Sede IBAMA, 70.818-900 Brasília, DF, Brazil, antonio. hummel((AT))ibama.gov.br. The timber resources use in Amazonia, initiated in the Varzeas flooded forests due to exploitation and transport easiness, has not been done in a sustainable way, because of deforestation (licensed or not) as well as the great timber extraction without forest management. The absence of public policies stimulating forest management is a reality, while there is a set of support instruments to farming and cattle ranching. Besides the land tenure conflicts, the lack of efficient, feasible and transparent tools for the forest activities control and monitoring are a challenge for those who has the responsibility for forestry regulation. It is presented here a set of important learned lessons for the timber forest management consolidation. They are lessons about the partnership establishment, the community involvement with forest management, the need of technical support framework, and the dependence of state government's awareness and commitment. It is also discussed the requirement of a great effort of political articulation, including the preparation of solid arguments about the social, environmental and economical importance of tropical forests for the sustainable development to support the decision makers HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AND CONSERVATION PLANNING IN AMAZONIAN PLANTS. HOPKINS, MICHAEL; Filer, Denis; Martins-da-Silva, Regina. Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, Belém, Pará, Brazil and University of Oxford, UK. Sound conservation planning should be based on good knowledge of species distributions. For Amazonian plants this knowledge is inadequate due to inadequate collection density and coverage. Models suggest that many rare species have yet to be collected. Modeling of species distributions could help, but inadequate georeferencing of historical collections makes modeling of actual distributions difficult. Comparative accuracy of scaling of environmental variables and biological data is essential. In this paper we illustrate a two step georeferencing system for Amazonian plants, using images form various sources: herbarium sheets, literature and notebooks. Using the data-base system BRAHMS, the rough estimate of location can be more accurately plotted using various types of images of maps. The consequences of differences in species distribution modeling using different scales (using GARP) are illustrated DYNAMICS OF THE OCCUPATION OF AMAZON FLOODPLAINS. HOMMA, ALFREDO KINGO OYAMA. Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Tavessa Eneás Pinheiro, s/n, Bairro Marco, CEP 66095-100 Belém, Pará, Brasil, homma((AT))cpatu.embrapa.br. The pre-Colombian population that inhabited the floodplains, estimated in 950 thousand natives, was sustainable. The European occupation, starting with the foundation of Belém (1616), promoted the use and the destruction of the natural resources, forming cycles: cocoa, rubber, rosewood, jute, wood, fishes, livestock, açaí fruit. The rivers allowed the penetration and the consolidation of the Brazilian nationality, the improvement of the navigation and, more recently, the interconnection with the upland and serving as drainage for ores and soy, industrialized products from the Manaus, generation of energy, hydro ways. In spite of the relativity of the "floodplain civilization" in relation to the "upland civilization", the growth of cities as Iquitos, Manaus, Belém, Santarém, of the tourist flow, the deforestation in the headwaters and margins, in the neighboring countries and in the savannas, the release of the urban and industrial dejects, gold fields, extraction of petroleum, fishing pressure, public insecurity, they constitute future risks, as source of water and of biodiversity. Even the management activities can represent risks if spread in wide scale in the floodplains. The problems of the floodplain are not independent, being connected with national problems, justifying the formation of a condominium of the countries of the Amazon basin INFLUENCE OF FOREST FRAGMENTATION ON DIASPORE RAIN IN THE BRAZILIAN ATLANTIC FOREST. FREITAS, CÍNTIA GOMES; Leal, Inara R. Departamento de Botânica, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, 50.670-901, Brazil, cintuca((AT)) hotmail.com. In this study we relate landscape variables such as the area, shape, and isolation of forest fragments with species richness, diversity as well as biomass and abundance of diaspores. We worked on nine forest fragments in Usina Serra Grande, Alagoas, Brazil, from 2003, September to 2004, October. We collected 21.985 diaspores from 190 morphspecies. The richest family was Papilionaceae, Euphorbiaceae and Sapindaceae with 7, 5 and 5 species respectively. The majority of identified seeds are classified at "small" or "medium" sized class, with a pioneer regeneration strategy, and a zoocoric dispersal mode. There is a continuous production of fruits that peaks at the beginning of dry season and wet season. The regression analysis between the landscape variables cited and the diaspores collected were not significant, except for biomass and the distance to the diaspore source area (F= 7.2845; p= 0.0298), which can be related with the capacity of animals to cross the matrix carrying large seeds. The lack of significance in the analysis could be due to (1) the supra-annual fructification of some shade-tolerant species, (2) the diaspore source area heterogeneity, and (3) the high diversity reached in fragments immediately after a disturb ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF HYDROELECTRIC DAMS IN THE AMAZON. FEARNSIDE, PHILIP M. National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), C.P. 478 Manaus, Amazonas, 69.011-970, Brazil (pmfearn((AT))inpa.gov.br). Hydroelectric reservoirs destroy the terrestrial ecosystems they replace and radically aquatic ecosystems. Dams block migration of fish and turtles and retain sediments that would otherwise be deposited in floodplains. The water released from the turbines has little or no oxygen, making downstream river stretches inhospitable for many fish species. The change in flooding regime affects downstream floodplains. Many Amazonian dams have very large vertical drawdowns, thereby exposing vast areas of land at low water. Soft vegetation grows rapidly in the drawdown zone, only to decompose under anaerobic conditions on the bottom of the reservoir when the water level subsequently rises. This p rovides a permanent source of methane, with a significant impact on global warming. A smaller source of renewable carbon comes from macrophytes growing in the reservoir. In the first years after reservoir filling, substantial carbon inputs come from non-renewable sources such as labile soil C stocks. The non-renewable stocks also generate CO2, especially through above-water decay of forest biomass. Total impact is substantial: the Belo Monte/Altamira (Babaquara) complex would have an annual average net release of CO2-equivalent carbon over the first ten years that is larger than the current emission of the city of São Paulo.ABSTRACTS Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, July 200 THREATS TO THE VÁRZEA FROM ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE ITS BOUNDARIES. FEARNSIDE, PHILIP M. National Institute for Research in the Amazon (INPA), C.P. 478 Manaus, Amazonas, 69.011-970, Brazil (pmfearn((AT))inpa.gov.br). Várzeas (Amazonian floodplain) can be severely affected by alterations in terra firme (upland) areas in the watersheds that feed them. Várzeas and other wetland ecosystems depend heavily on the annual pulse of water and sediments, and any alteration of this cycle has severe consequences. One alteration that is rapidly proceeding is deforestation, with attendant increases in peak runoff and decreases in flow between rainfall events, as well as increases in sedimentation. Hydroelectric dams are another major change, decreasing the amplitude and changing the timing of streamflow downstream of the dams. Long-range plans for dam construction total 79 dams in Brazil's "Legal Amazon" region, blocking all Amazon tributaries except those in flat terrain in the extreme western part of the region. Dams retain sediments that would otherwise be deposited in floodplains. The water released from the turbines has little or no oxygen, making downstream river stretches inhospitable for many fish species. Hydroelectric reservoirs create artificial floodplain ecosystems. The scale of planned hydroelectric development in Amazonia makes this significant as a factor in global change, as well as having great local effects. All projected dams in Brazilian Amazonia flood a total of 10 million hectares, an area larger than Portugal PIAGAÇU-PURUS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESERVE: CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT OF THE BIODIVERSITY OF THE PURUS RIVER LANDSCAPE. DEUS, CLÁUDIA; Da Silveira, Ronis. Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biologia Aquática, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM 69060-001, Brazil, claudias((AT)) inpa.gov.br (CPD). Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, UFAM, Manaus, AM 69000-000, Brazil (RS). The Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve was created in August 2003 by the Government of the State of Amazonas. This reserve is on the lower Purus river. It covers a total area of 1,008 km² (about 626 mi²) of which 40% of it is periodically flooded and the remainder consists of terra firme. The Purus river has a high biological value and for this reason it is very important in terms of conservation. The region has a large biodiversity due to its vast complexity of environments, providing habitats for the development of different species of mammals, birds, turtles, fish, amphibians and reptiles in general. The Reserve area was originally in a conservation unit of the Environmental Protection Area type. However, the State Government did not set up any development program for the region. This resulted in conflicts between inhabitants and external explorers, both indians and non-indians, and other social problems. The human population is estimated to be between about 5,000 inhabitants, who survive by means of agriculture as well as the exploitation of resources such as fish, Brazil nuts (Bertholettia excelsa), timber and non-timber products and hunting wild animals. Preliminary results will be showed THE CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS OF HABITAT AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL ALTERATIONS IN SMALL LOWLAND AMAZONIAN STREAMS CAUSED BY DEFORESTATION. Deegan, Linda A.; NEILL, CHRISTOPHER; Krusche, Alex V.; Ballester, M. V. R.; Gessner, Alaide; Victoria, Reynaldo L.; Haupert, Christie L. The Ecosystems Center, MBL, 7 MBL St., Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA, cneill((AT))mbl.edu, (LAD, CN, CLH). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Centenário 303, CEP 13416-000, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil (AVK, MVB, RV). Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Dept. de Hidrobiologia, Caixa Postal 676 CEP 13565 São Carlos, SP, Brazil (AG). We investigated how clearing of tropical forest for pasture in Rondônia influenced stream flow characteristics, benthic habitat, dissolved oxygen and nutrient concentrations, and diversity of aquatic invertebrates and fishes. Replacement of forest by pasture increased transient water storage and increased the relative proportion of benthic habitats dominated by grass and organic matter, leading to an increase in respiration rates and a decrease in dissolved oxygen. Solute and stable isotopic tracer experiments showed that nitrogen moves very long distances in small forest streams. In contrast, riparian grasses retain large amounts of nitrogen in pasture streams and low oxygen prevents nitrate formation. The net result is greater nitrogen retention in pasture streams compared with forest streams. This alters downstream nutrient movement and may influence aquatic primary production in larger rivers. Deforestation results in declines in both invertebrate and fish numbers and div ersity. Crustacea, Ephemeroptera and Odonata dominated the invertebrates in forest streams while Coleoptera and Chironimidae dominated in pasture streams. Fish species diversity was reduced from approximately 35 to 2 species. The magnitude of the changes in physical and chemical conditions that follow forest clearing suggests that deforestation may be dramatically altering habitat quality over many thousands of kilometers of stream channels EFFECTS OF LARGE-SCALE CHANGES IN LAND COVER ON THE DISCHARGE OF THE TOCANTINS RIVER, SOUTHEASTERN AMAZONIA. COSTA, MARCOS HEIL. Departamento de Engenharia Agricola, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil, mhcosta((AT))ufv.br. Studies that relate changes in land cover with changes in river discharge at the small scale (~1 km2) are abundant. These studies generally indicate that deforestation causes an increase in the annual mean discharge. However, previous studies that evaluated the effects of changes in land cover in larger river basins (> 100 km2) usually have not found similar relationships. Here we analyze a 50-year time series of discharge from the Tocantins River at Porto Naçional (175,360 km2), as well as precipitation over the drainage area during a period where substantial changes in land cover occurred in the basin (1949-1998). The analysis indicates that while precipitation over the basin is not statistically different between the periods 1949-1968 and 1979-1998, the annual mean and wet season discharge are about 25% and 28% (respectively) greater in the second period, when agriculture had increased from 30% to 49% of the basin. Further analyses present additional evidence that the change in vegetation cover altered the hydrology of the region MAMMALS POPULATION RECOVERY IN PRIVATE RIPARIAN RESERVES IN MATO GROSSO. CARVALHO JR, OSWALDO; Nepstad, Daniel. IPAM-Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia Av Nazaré, 669 Belém, Pará, Brasil 66035-170 (oswaldo((AT))ipam.org.br); Woods Hole Research Center, P.O. Box 296, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA (DCN). Private riparian forests reserves (PRR) are important to protect headwaters, aquatic resources and forests connection with strong implications in conservation. In northeastern of Mato Grosso state, Brazil, with a fast and high deforestation rates pushed by agriculture and cattle ranching these reserves will be important to maintain local biodiversity. To understand the role of large mammals on the functioning and restoration of these areas, firstly we are sampling species composition and abundance and comparing with adjacent terra firme forest (TFF). At PRR, Tapirus terrestris (tapir) and Agouti paca (paca) were the most abundance species, while at TFF were Cebus apella (capuchin monkey) and Tayassu pecari (white lipped peccary). Although the abundance of species was different between PRR and TFF, the composition was quite similar showing a potential of these areas to maintain local biodiversity CURRENT STATUS OF THE CONSERVATION UNITS IN THE BRAZILIAN MID-NORTH: MARANHÃO STATE. OLIVEIRA, T. G. DE. Depto. Biologia, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão / Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, R. Quaresmeiras, Qd-8 No. 14 65076-270 São Luís, MA, Brazil, tadeu4((AT))yahoo.com. Located in a transitional area where the major biomes of northern, central and northeastern Brazil converge, the state of Maranhão presents a series of peculiarities. The area is also under a series of impacting factors, which, in turn, puts the state's conservation units (CU's) in a position of utmost importance in maintaining the local biodiversity. The present paper intends to make an overview of the current situation and conservation status of the conservation units found in Maranhão. An analysis of the impacting factors of the total protection conservation units in the state: Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Gurupi Biological Reserve, Mirador State Park and Bacanga State Park was performed. Impacting factors were placed in 15 categories. Their intensity was considered as high, medium, low, or inexistent/not applicable. From the 15 identified threats, inadequate management, hunting pressure and human encroachment were the most impacting, followed by natural resources use and deforestation/logging. Bacanga was the mostly impacted, followed by Gurupi and Mirador. All the CU's, but Bacanga, showed a high importance for conservation, whether by the occurrence of rare/threatened/endemic species, by their size and unique conditions, or both. The status of Maranhão's CU' s was considered extremely precarious THE AMAZON REGION PROTECTED AREAS (ARPA) PROGRAM: CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES. WEIGAND JR., RONALDO. Ministério do Meio Ambiente, CRS 514, Bloco B, Loja 69, Asa Sul, Brasília, DF, Brazil, ronaldo.weigand((AT))mma.gov.br. The Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Program is one of the largest efforts to create protected areas of tropical forest in the the world's history. The Brazilian government is implementing the Program in Partnership with the World Bank/GEF, WWF, KfW, GTZ, Brazilian Biodiversity Fund and local government and non-government organizations. The first two years of ARPA have been used to structure the Program and make it operational. ARPA presents an institutional arrangement that offers both challenges and opportunities, because of its hybrid (government and nongovernment) nature. In the third year, ARPA has deepened its strategic focus, based on the choice of protected areas and evaluation of the PA system in order to increase its biodiversity representativeness, on enhanced participation of the stakeholders, and on decetralization and capacity building of the state institutions and their non-government partners. Several advisory groups contribute to enhance these strategies. With 80 million dollars to spend in the next three years, as ARPA becomes fully operational, the Brazilian government and its partners intend to change the history of conservation in the Amazon PRIORITY AREAS FOR NEW PERMANENT PLOTS IN THE BRAZILIAN AMAZON. VALLE, DENIS; Vidal, Edson; van Eldik, Tim; Silva, Versides Sebastião de Moraes; Reis, Quésia. IMAZON, Ananindeua, Pará, 67113-820, Brazil, drvalle((AT)) imazon.org.br (DV, EV). Ecoflorestal, Belém, Pará, 66063 Brazil (TVE). UFMT, Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, 78060-900, Brazil (VSMS). IBAMA, Manaus, Amazonas, 69075-830, Brazil (QR). Sustainable forest management (SFM) has being proposed as an alternative to avoid forest cover loss in the Amazon. Permanent sample plot (PSP) information is essential for SFM. The objective of this article is to determine the priority areas for new PSP in the Brazilian Amazon region. PSPs from Embrapa (Acre, Amazônia Oriental e Ocidental), UFMT, UFAM, Imazon, INPA and Precious Woods Group, participants of the Ministry of the Environment's Inter-Institutional Working Group on Forest Monitoring in the Brazilian Amazon, were evaluated. Brazilian Amazon area was stratified according to climate, soil and vegetation type and a priority area of 700 mil km2 to be sampled was defined, including the following regions and potential partners: northwest of Mato- Grosso, west of Acre (Resex Alto Juruá and Alto Tarauacá), center of Amazonas (Resex Baixo and Médio Juruá, Rio Jutaí, Auati- Paraná, Flona Tefé, RDS Mamirauá and Amanã), southwest and northwest of Pará (Flona Altamira, Itaituba I and II) and northwest of Rondônia (Floresta Estadual Rio Vermelho). The strategic location of PSP is very important to generate reliable information which in turn is essential for a greater sustainability of forest management WILDFIRE IN THE AMAZON'S TRANSITIONAL FOREST: IMMEDIATE IMPACTS AND POSITIVE FEEDBACKS. BALCH, JENNIFER K.; Nepstad, Daniel; Curran, Lisa M.; de Carvalho Jr., Oswaldo; Azevedo-Ramos, Claudia; Brando, Paulo. Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 370 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA, (jennifer. balch((AT))yale.edu) (JKB, LMC). Woods Hole Research Center, P.O. Box 296,Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA (DCN). Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, Av. Nazaré 669, 66035-170, Belém, Brazil (DCN, OC, CA, PMB). The Amazon's transitional forest extends along the southern edge of the basin, concurrent with an explosive frontier pushed by big agriculture and cattle ranching. With increasing ignition sources and a conducive climate, escaped fires frequently sweep through this transitional forest. We describe the fire behavior and the immediate damage and tree mortality from one square kilometer of burned forest in Mato Grosso, Brazil - one of the largest experimental fires in the tropics. In addition to direct damage these low intensity, creeping understory fires open up the forest to future fires through positive feedbacks. We look at these feedbacks by quantifying the consequent increase in fuel loads through mortality and leaf shedding, structural opening of the canopy, and resulting changes in understory microclimate. Predictions of more severe climatic shifts and the economic pressure to transform this forest make understanding how fire influences this ecosystem key to its preservation . Society for Conservation Biology - Brasilia 2005 News index | RSS | News Feed Advertisements: Organic Apparel from Patagonia | Insect-repelling clothing |
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