Notícias
Serra da Concórdia, Mestre Álvaro and Anavilhanas publish their lists in the Catalog of Plants in Brazil's Protected Areas
The Catalog of Plants in Brazil's Protected Areas received a new addition in September with the publication of three lists of plant species: the Serra da Concórdia State Park (PESC), the Mestre Álvaro Environmental Protection Area (APAMA) and the Anavilhanas National Park (PNA). In total, the catalog has 31 published lists.
The Catalog of Plants from Brazil's Conservation Units provides images and data from the Reflora Virtual Herbarium and Jabot systems of samples of the species listed, as well as other information about each unit and banks of photographs taken in the field. It is also possible to check the species' degree of threat assigned by the National Center for Flora Conservation (CNCFlora/JBRJ).
The use of online herbarium databases to compile lists of plants in Brazil's protected areas is a promising tool for expanding knowledge about the flora present in the country's protected areas. Dealing with volumes of data and filtering out records unrelated to the park's area is a challenge - says Isabela Maciel Waga, conservation analyst at the Center for Strategies for the Conservation of Endangered Flora (NuEC/CNCFlora/JBRJ), pointing out that the PESC list initially found 13,672 records, which supported the list with its 231 species of vascular plants.
List of Plant Species in the Serra da Concórdia State Park (PESC)
A total of 231 species have been cataloged, representing 75 botanical families of angiosperms and ferns and lycophytes. Among them, ten are classified as endangered, with three in the Endangered (EN) category and seven in the Vulnerable (VU) category. The species Senegalia parviceps (Speg.) Seigler & Ebinger was also identified, categorized as Insufficient Data (DD).
Created in 2002 and expanded in 2016, the PESC covers around 5,952 hectares in the municipalities of Valença and Barra do Piraí, in the Médio Paraíba region of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Originally characterized by deforestation for coffee plantations and pastures in the 19th century, the area underwent secondary succession after agricultural activities were abandoned. Today, the PESC is the largest protected portion of the Serra da Concórdia, and is part of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, a priority area for conservation. The predominant vegetation type is montane seasonal semi-deciduous forest.
The list was compiled with the help of several researchers and was made possible thanks to the collection efforts in the UC, especially M. Verdi, C. Baez and others involved in the Floristic Inventory in State UCs Project - CNCFlora/JBRJ and SEAS-RJ. Previous collections by M.L.C.V Spolidoro and H.C. Lima, before the creation of the PESC, also contributed. All the samples were deposited in the RB Herbarium of the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden. The list was also compiled with the help of Hemily Oliveira Marques, a recipient of a Faperj Young Talents scholarship from the JBRJ Socio-Environmental Responsibility Center, in a scientific initiation project under the guidance of NuEC/CNCFlora/JBRJ.
Marcio Verdi, project coordinator at NuEC/CNCFlora/JBRJ, points out that this work is aligned with the PAN Flora Endemic RJ, contributing to the management of conservation units by Inea and SEAS-RJ.
This publication of the list is related to the PAN action under our responsibility, as well as being a step forward in the collection efforts we have made during the Floristic Inventory Project in State Conservation Units - concludes Verdi.
Access the information and the List of plant species of the Serra da Concórdia State Park.
List of vascular plants in Anavilhanas National Park (PNA)
Around 2,300 samples belonging to 614 species of vascular plants were collected in the PNA, of which 590 are angiosperms, one gymnosperm and 23 ferns and lycophytes. Located on the lower Rio Negro, in the state of Amazonas, the PNA is a federal conservation unit covering around 350,000 hectares, created in 1981, initially as an ecological station, and transformed into a national park in 2008, with the aim of preserving the Anavilhanas river archipelago as well as its various forest formations, especially the igapó forests that cover a large part of the archipelago.
This is the first publication in the catalog that lists an area with a large representation of igapó, vegetation that is very vulnerable to hydrological changes, such as those resulting from the construction of hydroelectric dams. In addition to conservation, the PNA aims to stimulate the production of knowledge through scientific research, and to value the conservation of the Amazon based on environmental education and sustainable tourism.
Gabriel Marcusso, first author of the list, says that "producing lists and carrying out fieldwork in the Amazon is a huge challenge, even in areas close to the state capital. The lack of collections, taxonomic literature on Amazonian plants and the difficulty of access mean that the difficulties are great."
However, according to him, "we were able to present this list, which is still a very preliminary version of the floristic diversity that exists there, with the help of various taxonomists who collaborated with the identifications".
With regard to the knowledge deficit, Gabriel Marcusso points out that "one example is the expedition carried out in October 2022, as part of the Practical Botanical Taxonomy course at the National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), which led to the collection of more than 300 samples, with more than 70 new records for the park, as well as expanding the distribution of some species, including two that are threatened with extinction, such as Lorostemon coelhoi Paula (Clusiaceae) and Paloue induta Sandwith (Fabaceae)". For the researcher, new collections in the PNA's terra firme forests should be the target of future sampling efforts, given that the largest portion of the Amazon's floristic diversity is found in this type of vegetation.
Access information and the List of plant species in the Anavilhanas National Park.
List of the Mestre Álvaro Environmental Protection Area (APAMA)
The catalog presents the list of angiosperms in the APAMA Flora, made up of 553 species, which represents an addition of 129 species to the list of angiosperms in this area, published in 2022. Among the species recorded in APAMA, 31 are listed as endangered in the Red Book of the Flora of Brazil or in the List of Endangered Species of Espírito Santo, and 10 are endemic to the state of Espírito Santo.
APAMA is a conservation unit in the metropolitan region of Vitória, located in the municipality of Serra, Espírito Santo, covering an area of 3,470 hectares and four kilometers from the municipality's headquarters. Mestre Álvaro is the largest and most representative natural monument in Serra. At 833 meters high, it is considered one of the highest coastal elevations on the Brazilian coast.
The native vegetation is hillside Atlantic Forest and is home to rich and diverse fauna, with rare and endangered species. Its springs and streams are contributors to the Jacaraípe and Santa Maria da Vitória river basins. The APA Mestre Álvaro is part of the Duas Bocas - Mestre Álvaro Ecological Corridor, and contributes directly to maintaining forest cover, which is fundamental for the effective conservation of soil, water resources and species of fauna and flora.
APAMA was created by State Law No. 3,075 in 1976 as a biological reserve and forest park and, in 1991, its management category was changed to an environmental protection area by State Law No. 4,507. It currently has an administrative headquarters located in the public area attached to the Municipal Botanical Garden, at the foot of Mount Mestre Álvaro, with the aim of expanding socio-economic and environmental actions to preserve and conserve the environment.
Access information and the List of the Mestre Álvaro Environmental Protection Area