Search

Maintaining connectivity in landscapes where natural ecosystems are quickly replaced by human land-uses is a challenge. To reduce the effects of habitat loss, ecological corridors have been proposed as a relevant tool for landscape planning. We aimed to develop a spatial model to identify and prioritize riparian corridors to improve landscape connectivity. The model considers the effect of the land-use/cover types and remaining forests on the movement capacity of a focal species sensitive to fragmentation. Since landscape elements act as barriers or promoters to ecological fluxes, suitability values were set according to the element’s ability in providing habitat. The model recognizes the effect of the contact between associated elements along the riparian corridor’s width and length and corrects their suitability. These procedures enabled the calculation of the Utility Factor, resulting in a measure of the quality of the corridor. The results show that the model assists the identification of the riparian corridor’s sections where connectivity is hampered and management efforts are required to maintain landscape connectivity. In addition, it can be applied to select the corridors dominated by large forests, which could be designed for conservation purposes. The two study cases evidence that the model is flexible, adjustable to distinct landscapes, and the decision-maker’s objectives. We concluded that the proposed strategy helps decision-makers to prioritize the territories for managing or preserving connectivity. Finally, the method provides quantitative information that would not be perceived by just interpreting land-use/cover maps.

Neighbouring forests constitute biological sources that enable the succession from species-poor systems, such as tree-plantings, to highly diverse forests. However, old forest patches are becoming rare in tropical agricultural landscapes. We were interested in if, and how, spontaneous regeneration under tree-plantings reflects the age and the amount of the neighbouring forest cover. We anticipated that older forests promote a compositionally broader recovery in neighbouring tree-plantings, because older forests likely include disturbance-sensitive species, particularly within least deforested landscapes. We studied twenty-seven restoration sites implemented as tree-plantings in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We quantified the effects of age and amount of neighbouring forest cover on structural and compositional characteristics of the regeneration community (dbh

Ecological restoration has received increasing attention as international agreements have set ambitious goals to mitigate environmental change and reshape degraded landscapes. However, current restoration activities sometimes remain modest in their success. In particular, tropical forest restoration has had mixed outcomes with variable cost-efficiency. Here, we address the need for taking into account the spatial context of restoration to inform policy initiatives that aim to improve the ecological and economic effectiveness of restoration. We accessed the spatial distribution of relevant characteristics for ecological restoration in an emblematic heavily degraded tropical region: Sao Paulo state, Brazil. We compared statewide patterns in soil erosion risk, distance to remnant habitat, and agricultural land use, to their characteristics in land voluntarily offered for active restoration. Based on this comparison, active restoration is likely to take place through small, low-priced parcels of land, usually in the context of substantial soil erosion risk and exacerbated deforestation. Restoration ecology predicts the need for expensive actions to assist a limited recovery process in such highly degraded conditions. This general pattern also suggests the necessity for long-term commitment among a broad set of social actors, combined to mitigation of degradation in adjacent remnants and agricultural lands. Active restoration may be complemented by spontaneous regeneration in areas with less adverse conditions. Policy makers therefore need to consider the complementarity of lands voluntarily offered for restoration, and land made available for restoration through other mechanisms. Our findings, likely applicable to other densely populated tropical regions, suggest that land-use policies need to address drivers of restoration success at a fine-scale to enable effective strategies. We suggest this can be achieved by spatial analyses that incorporate biophysical features that determine restoration opportunities and the likelihood of success.

The history of deforestation within the Brazilian savanna shaped landscapes with anthropic matrices, and silviculture is one of them. Commercial forest management strongly acts on this biome, affecting natural areas of “cerradao”, a forest physiognomy. The loss of this ecosystem decreases the regional potential of carbon capturing and stocking by native plants, an ecological function that contributes to climate change mitigation, recognized as a regulating ecosystem service. On the other hand, human activities which guarantee the supply of provisioning services, such as commercial forests, are important for regional socioeconomic sustainability. Thus, keeping a balanced supply of both services without exceeding their thresholds brings benefits, avoiding irreversible losses for the human society. With this in mind, we aimed to evaluate the capacity of savanna landscapes in contributing to climate regulation by carbon sequestration from natural forests and generating financial incomes from silvicultural activity, in territories with different proportions of natural and commercial forest cover. We define thresholds and tradeoffs between the supply of ecosystem services and cellulose markets. Also, we assessed the role of compositional and structural attributes of the native forests on carbon stock results. The cerradao presents an average aboveground carbon (AGC) stock of 40 MgC.ha−1, while the carbon stock in Eucalyptus plantings with 6–8 years is almost twice this value, despite this contribution be temporary in the landscape. The benefits from native and commercial forests are equivalent in watersheds presenting at least 55% of their territories covered by native forests. The condition for sustaining carbon ecosystem services and still generating financial gains with the same relative value corresponds to CO2 sequestration equal to 90.6 Mg.ha−1 and a gross income of 20.8 × 103 US$ per hectare of Eucalyptus planted for cellulose pulp. The structural features of the native forest remnants on the AGC stock were more effective than compositional attributes, being strongly correlated with the dominance of certain species.

Landscape connectivity can be assessed based on the physical connection (structural connectivity) or the maintenance of flow among habitats depending on the species (functional connectivity). The lack of empirical data on the dispersal capacity of species can lead to the use of simple structural measures. Comparisons between these approaches can improve decision-making processes for the conservation or restoration of habitats in fragmented landscapes, such as the Cerrado biome. This study aimed to understand the correspondence between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity for Cerrado plants. Three landscapes with cerrad&atilde, o patches in a pasture matrix were selected for the application of these metrics based on the functional connectivity of four profiles of plant dispersal capacity. The results showed divergent interpretations between the measures of landscape structural and functional connectivity, indicating that the assessment of biodiversity conservation and landscape connectivity is dependent on the set of metrics chosen. Structurally, the studied landscapes had the same number of cerrad&atilde, o patches but varied in optimal resource availability, isolation, heterogeneity, and aggregation. Functional connectivity was low for all profiles (based on the integral index of connectivity&mdash, IIC) and null for species with a low dispersal capacity (based on the connectance index&mdash, CONNECT), indicating that species with a medium- to long-distance dispersal capacity may be less affected by the history of losses and fragmentation of the Cerrado in the pasture matrix. The functional connectivity metrics used allowed a more robust analysis and, apparently, better reflected reality, but the lack of empirical data on dispersal capacity and the difficulty in choosing an indicator organism can limit their use in the management and planning of conservation and restoration areas.

Assessing the consequences of human exploitation at different intensities on ecosystem services is important in the Brazilian Araucaria Forest biome, because it has been drastically reduced, mainly due to the exploitation of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze for wood. The inclusion of A. angustifolia on the list of Brazilian endangered plant species places the harvesting of Araucaria nuts as the most important provisioning service in this type of ecosystem. The aim of this study was to determine the trade-offs related to provisioning, supporting and regulating ecosystem services in the Araucaria Forest at different intensities of nut harvesting, by addressing ecosystem attributes that assure forest sustainability. Six indicators of ecosystem services were evaluated in harvested and non-harvested areas in Brazilian Araucaria Forest fragments. Trade-offs were examined under five harvesting intensities. The supporting services were the most sensitive to the harvesting intensity. The results indicate that a harvesting threshold of between 60% and 85% of the nuts produced guarantees forest sustainability. In addition, areas under higher harvesting intensities provide more short-term benefit services at the local scale that can be included in the formal market.EDITED BY John Parrotta EDITED BY John Parrotta

RESUMO Os efeitos de borda em fragmentos de floresta constituem a consequência mais significativa da fragmentação promovida pelos usos da terra. Para compreendê-los e manejá-los é necessário um conhecimento mais preciso sobre as influências exercidas pelas diferentes tipologias de uso sobre as fronteiras dos fragmentos florestais. Nessa direção, este estudo identificou e estabeleceu a extensão de efeitos de borda em um fragmento de floresta em relação a diferentes vizinhanças. O trabalho foi realizado na Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande - SP e seu entorno. A região foi mapeada e foram selecionadas três tipologias para estudo dos respectivos efeitos de borda: florestal, urbana e agrícola. A qualificação e a extensão dos efeitos de borda foram obtidas por meio do levantamento em campo de indicadores dos efeitos em transecções de 100 metros, avaliados por análise de variância. O grupo de indicadores abióticos apresentou predomínio de efeitos de borda em profundidades menores que 70 m e foi mais expressivo quando a vizinhança era a ocupação urbana. O grupo de indicadores bióticos se estendeu além dos 100 m e os efeitos foram mais intensos na tipologia agrícola. Pelo método adotado, os melhores parâmetros para análise dos efeitos de borda foram temperatura e diâmetro das árvores. ABSTRACT The edge effects in forest fragments are one of the more significant consequences of the fragmentation promoted by land uses. To understand and manage them we need accurate knowledge about the influences in different use types on the borders of the forest fragments. In this sense, this study has identified the extent of edge effects in a forest fragment in relation to different neighborhoods. The study was conducted in a Forest Reserve (Reserva Florestal do Morro Grande, SP) and its surroundings. The area was mapped and three types were selected to study their edge effects: forest, urban and agricultural areas. The classification and the extent of the edge effects were obtained through a field survey of border indicators in 100 meters from border to interior. The data were evaluated by analysis of variance. The indicators showed a predominance of abiotic edge effects at depths less than 70m. This effect was more significant when the neighborhood was an urban area. The group of biotic indicators extended beyond the 100 meters and the effects were more intense in an agricultural area. By the method adopted, the best parameters for the analysis of edge effects were temperature and diameter of trees.

We argue that the history of a landscape and the driving forces acting in each of its sectors account for the recent condition of its structure and ecological functions, which, in turn, can be translated into the availability of ecosystem services. Therefore, the present study investigated the historical relationship between the forces that have induced changes in the use and settlement of the island of Sao Sebastiao over five centuries, their resulting impacts and their influences on the availability of regulation, supply, recreation and cultural ecosystem services. We worked with a broad historical survey and maps of land use and natural vegetation from different time periods. Thus, although the historical data were not accurate about the exact areas used for agriculture or forest we could infer about losses and replacement of ecosystem services. Moreover, we observed the occurrence of three driving forces that alternated in intensity and importance over time, leading to forest gains and losses that especially led to the degradation of regulation services.

Environmental planning must determine management practices for a given territory based on the landscape processes that have occurred over time and their consequences. Therefore, environmental planning decisions must be based on strong empirical evidence that can be easily understood by all involved parties. Several studies have highlighted the methodological deficiencies that occur when obtaining and interpreting such issues, particularly in heterogeneous landscapes with complex interactions. In this paper, we evaluated two methodological approaches that are used in management planning, land use/cover change (LUCC) and mosaic change (MC) to compare their effectiveness and suitability for supporting decision-making. We applied these methods to the coastal landscape of Sao Sebastiao Island, Brazil, which has undergone many changes in the last 50 years. For two years, land use/cover maps were produced using GIS and assessed according to changes in landscape elements (LUCC) and boundaries (MC). Overall, the LUCC failed to identify sets with similar structural heterogeneities in the landscape. However, the LUCC is easier for stakeholders to understand and apply than the MC. The MC method better presented the evolution of the relationship between the landscape elements and heterogeneity.

The aim of this study is to identify the current conservation status of five forested watersheds which have been under different human pressures throughout history of São Sebastião Island to assess relations between pressures which have occurred in the past and the current environmental quality. Through maps of land use, landscape metrics, and the development of a forest conservation index, it was possible to identify in watersheds the greater landscape fragmentation, implications on quantity and quality of available habitat, and effects of boundaries., El objetivo de este estudio es identificar el estado de conservación de cinco cuencas en diferentes fases evolutivas en la isla de São Sebastião (SP) de manera que se pueda evaluar las relaciones entre las presiones pretéritas y la calidad del medio ambiente actual. A través de mapas de uso del suelo, las medidas del paisaje y el desarrollo de un índice de conservación de bosques fue posible identificar en las cuencas la mayor fragmentación del paisaje, las implicaciones sobre cantidad y calidad del hábitat disponible, y los efectos de las fronteras.

It is expected that the application of a restrictive legal instrument would be an important barrier to human pressures on protected areas in Brazil. One aspect that remains to be determined is whether the applied restrictions will be related to the quality of scenarios at the borders of protected areas. The objective of this work was to analyze the capacity for minimizing the impacts on two protected areas and to identify the effective function of the barrier imposed by an environmental legal border. The borders of two protected areas, the Despraiado Sustainable Development Reserve and the Jureia-Itatins State Ecological Station, as well as the corresponding buffer zone were studied. The historical evolution of the land cover/land use of these regions was analyzed by dividing the regions into 900 m2 hexagonal units. The scenarios for the years 1962, 1980 and 2007 were overlaid for each hexagon. The hexagons were classified according to the possible effects of conservation, and the results were quantified in terms of the frequency of land use and ecological flows. A simulation of future land use in 2028 was performed using the Kappa index, Markov chain modeling, multi-criteria analysis and cellular automata modeling. Based on the trend for the last 45 years, a very dynamic interaction at the legal boundaries was identified; in certain cases, either conservation or degradation were stimulated, and the intended objectives of legal environmental measures were never fulfilled. The simulation showed that by 2028, the frontiers of these protected areas will retain less than 10% of the natural vegetation cover, and 43% of this area will be covered with banana plantations.

Environmental planning must define criteria that permit comparisons among past landscapes and future scenarios that are easily understood by all of the social agents involved in the shared planning decision. The present study evaluated the ecological effects of alternative implementations of one residential housing development proposed by agents on protected areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Based on these agents’ proposals, this study created five future scenarios and compared these with three historic landscapes and an expected legally protected landscape. The comparison was based on certain criteria that determine forest conservation value. The metrics we used included resource availability, potential connectivity, and forest fragmentation tendency. Our results highlight the importance of considering the compliance map with legal expectation as a reference, as well as the limitations of environmental laws for the purpose of forest conservation. We conclude that housing development maintains the landscape connectivity and may not result in substantial forest loss in area. In contrast, regardless of the proposed future scenario, the housing development does not guarantee optimum resource availability, and metric values are lower than in historic landscapes.

We evaluated changes in the Atlantic Forest landscape over the last 40 years based on changes in boundaries and mosaics, including the hypothetical landscape resulting from the application of Brazilian laws for forest protection. Mosaics were identified as sets of land-use patches with a similar pattern of boundaries. Landscapes of different years, therefore, can be distinguished by differences in mosaics. We developed a technique to identify boundaries between patches from land-use maps using ArcGis® and to build the patch x boundary matrix required for mosaic identification by means of a factorial and cluster analysis. The mosaics were characterized by some key uses as well as by their boundaries with other land uses. The mosaics were scored for forest conservation according to five issues: landscape permeability, cover, availability, quality, and fragmentation of forest. The values were based on land use and boundary patterns. Although Brazilian laws regarding forest protection have promoted conservation and the hypothetical legal landscape has presented the highest forest habitat availability, this expansion perpetuates a boundary pattern that complicates conservation and management, thus increasing the pressure on forest patches and favoring the further fragmentation of protected forest patches. These conclusions cannot be reached by simply recording changes in land uses.

The Brazilian state has demonstrated an interest in preserving the natural heritage by expanding Brazil's system of protected areas (PAs), well-known internationally. Even so, as in other countries, despite a growing number of conservation initiatives, the state often opts to change a PA's management category into one less restrictive due to the population conflicts regarding to the land use. However, management category changes occur without there being any evaluation of the effects of the subsequent legal status, that is, of its ability to produce the anticipated result, to enable better direction of public policies and conservation initiatives. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to measure the conservation success of a PA, comparing its land use and cover change over time in different management categories. The study area was the Despraiado region (Sao Paulo, Brazil), which belonged to three PA management categories over 45 years and was subject to environmental protection under various legal instruments. The effectiveness of legal protection was interpreted by spatial changes in land use, or land use and cover changes, as well as crop rotation indices and analysis of the temporal stability of the landscape. We confirmed that the legal environmental restrictions were never fully complied with and the landscape observed remained distant from its conservation scenario proposed, independently of the PA management category and despite the long process of establishment as an area to be protected.

Environmental planning decisions depend on an understanding of how the preservation or degradation process has progressed through time, and consequently, on how to define strategies that will be conducive to environmental conservation. The landscape ecology literature has been addressing methodological deficiencies regarding landscape evaluation and interpretation, mainly with respect to express heterogeneity, where it is difficult to recognize the matrix through landscape configuration. We argue that a better representation of the spatio-temporal landscape occurs integrating driving forces that are capable of initiating and perpetuating changes in the landscape, modeling the complex geometric pattern inherent in landscape structure, and defining the change vectors in a continuum of scales. The aim of this study is to develop a methodology that allows the identification of structure patterns resulting from the relation among driving forces, change vectors and evolutive phases in a coastal landscape. This paper, then, considers four factors: driving forces identified through the construction of a historical survey; land use and cover maps (LUCC) at broad scale, cross tabulation, flux diagram, and dominance index; the landscape evolution phases identified using LUCC and driving forces; and landscape cracking and change-vectors defined at fine scale using conservation and degradation indexes. This strategy reveals the existence of specific geometric patterns and change vectors for each evolution phase of the landscape. It also allows the identification of sites where management actions should be directed toward helping decision makers.

The coastal regions of Brazil have lost most of their distinct characteristics due to an intense, diverse, and long history of land use. The current scenario is the result of successive changes which have taken place since the colonization of Brazil. These changes should be taken into account in environmental planning since the decisions about the future depend on the understanding of past changes. In this regard, the aim of this study was to identify and quantify the spatio-temporal changes in land use in a coastal region, using principles of landscape ecology and scenario construction. The case study was the São Sebastião Island, divided into 61 watersheds, off the northern coast of São Paulo State (Brazil). The study involved the development and application of a methodology to interpret the historical dynamics of the island. The driving forces were identified and indexes of change were calculated to define the phases of occupation of the island. Five phases of occupation of the coastal landscape were mapped: preservation, conservation, regeneration, exploitation and urbanization. These phases represent a pattern of internal heterogeneity, sometimes positive (environmental conservation), and sometimes negative (environmental degradation).As regiões costeiras brasileiras encontram-se altamente descaracterizadas devido ao intenso, diversificado e prolongado uso da terra ao longo de sua história. O cenário hoje observado é produto do acúmulo de interferências que vem ocorrendo desde a colonização. Os planejamentos ambientais devem considerar essa questão, uma vez que as decisões sobre o futuro dependem da compreensão dessas mudanças do passado. Neste caminho, o objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar, quantificar e indicar as variações espaços-temporais de uso da terra numa paisagem costeira a partir dos princípios da ecologia de paisagem e da modelagem para construção de cenários. O estudo de caso foi a Ilha de São Sebastião, Litoral Norte do Estado de São Paulo. Para tanto, foi desenvolvida e aplicada uma metodologia para a construção da trajetória histórica por meio da identificação de forças indutoras e aplicação de índices de mudanças que permitiram a definição de fases de ocupação da Ilha. Foram mapeadas nesse território cinco fases de ocupação histórica da paisagem costeira: preservação, conservação, regeneração, exploração e urbanização. Essas fases representam um padrão de heterogeneidade interna, ora como saldo positivo (conservação ambiental), ora como saldo negativo (degradação ambiental) dentro de 61 unidades de análise, definida pelas bacias hidrográficas presentes na Ilha.

The selection of forest fragments for conservation is usually based on spatial parameters as forest size and canopy integrity. This strategy assumes that chosen fragments present high conservation status, ensuring biodiversity and ecological functions. We argue that a well-preserved forest fragment that remains connected by the landscape structure, does not necessarily hold attributes that ensure the presence of keystone species. We also discuss that the presence of keystone species does not always mean that it has the best conditions for its occurrence and maintenance. We developed a model to select areas in forest landscapes to be prioritized for protection based on suitability curves that unify and compare spatial indicators of three categories: forest fragment quality, landscape quality, and environmental conditions for the occurrence of a keystone species. We use a case study to compare different suitability degrees for Euterpe edulis presence, considered an important functional element in Atlantic Forest (Sao Paulo, Brazil) landscapes and a forest resource for local people. The results show that the identification of medium or advanced stage fragments as singular indicator of forest quality does not guarantee the existence or maintenance of this keystone species. Even in some well-preserved forest fragments, connected to others and with palm presence, the reverse J-shaped distribution of the population size structure is not sustained and these forests continue to be threatened due to human disturbances.

É comum em Unidades de Conservação brasileiras que o transporte ocorra preferencialmente pelos rios, com vias para o deslocamento da população local, comunicação entre comunidades tradicionais, condução de turistas e fiscalização. São verdadeiras “trilhas náuticas”, cujas atividades estão ligadas à disponibilidade de serviços ecossistêmicos, mas que podem resultar em impactos ambientais maiores que os próprios caminhos terrestres. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o balanço entre a conservação e a degradação de corredores fluviais de uma área de proteção ambiental integral, por meio da análise das funções humanas, da oferta de serviços ecossistêmicos e das pressões e impactos humanos conseqüentes da exploração dos recursos disponíveis. Para tanto, foi desenvolvida e aplicada uma metodologia que avaliou sete funções de uso dos cursos fluviais, suas interfaces com os serviços ecossistêmicos oferecidos pelas trilhas náuticas e 21 indicadores de impactos. Foram estudadas 7 trilhas náuticas dentro da Estação Ecológica de Juréia-Itatins (SP). Concluiu-se que a utilização dos serviços ecossistêmicos oferecidos pelos rios da EEJI na forma de trilhas náuticas estásobrecarregada, em virtude da sobreposição de funções e freqüência de uso, cujo resultado é a degradação dos recursos naturais, principalmente junto as margens dos rios. Foram registrados 351 impactos que impedem o cumprimento dos objetivos principais de uma Estação Ecológica, que é manter serviços de regulação e de suporte.

Socio-environmental certification uses evaluation criteria to promote the conservation of the natural environment and landscape connectivity, with the aim of constructing agricultural landscapes more suitable for biodiversity conservation. To test this, we examine whether socio-environmental certification of Brazilian coffee farms contributes to local conservation, particularly in terms of deforestation control, habitat protection and regeneration, and connectivity. The analysis compared changes in landscape structure and connectivity in certified farms before (1995–2002) and after nine years from the beginning of the certification process (2002–2011), using as a reference the surrounding landscape and a control group of non-certified farms. To quantify changes in landscape connectivity we used probabilistic indices of functional connectivity based on graph theory, and two species of terrestrial mammals with contrasting dispersal capacities and habitat requirements: Priodontes maximus (giant armadillo) and Marmosops incanus (gray slender mouse opossum). Our results show that changes in the last decade have been subtle, but that certified farms differ from surrounding areas for the greater deforestation control and habitat availability for both land cover types, and for the greater connectivity for P. maximus. The difference between certified and non-certified farms is not clear-cut, however, we have evidence that the certified farms contributed more than the surrounding areas to the conservation of the studied species when the balance of gains and losses of connectivity is considered. The subtle differences in temporal changes and groups might be partially explained by the fact that certified farms already had a different conservation profile at the beginning of the certification process. Despite the limitations in the sampling size (small number) and time scale (only nine years after certification) which may hinders the detection of certification effects, our findings indicate that certification was important in controlling deforestation and the conversion of new natural areas to agricultural lands.

Riparian ecosystems, often represented by riparian forests (RFs), are diverse systems which are being endangered primarily from the expansion of agricultural land and are protected by legislation in recognition of their role in preserving water resources. The methods usually employed to recommend maintenance or reclamation of RFs fail in not considering the full costs and benefits. In agroecosystems, the preservation of RFs will result in a permanent improvement in freshwater quality, but will also remove economically attractive space from crop production. This paper describes the principles of a procedure which uses data that is usually available (topographic maps, land use and soil data) to determine the optimal RF width, quantitatively and on a geo-referenced basis. An example, based on land-use scenarios representative of southeast Brazil is used to illustrate the suggested framework. Because of the simultaneous analysis of variables related to target effects on water quality, the effectiveness of the RF in retaining sediments and the forests capability for developing the multifunctional aspects of a riparian ecosystem could be considered. For the case study, the optimal RF width was calculated as 52 m, resulting in a sediment yield value of 12 Mg ha −1 yr −1 and a retention of 54% of the total amount of sediments. This RF width was wider and more efficient if compared with the official legal recommendation of 30 m. The decision process is logically based and the equations clearly described, and thus can be incorporated in Geographic Information Systems.

Strictly Protected Areas and riparian forests in Brazil are rarely large enough or connected enough to maintain viable populations of carnivores and animal movement over time, but these characteristics are fundamental for species conservation as they prevent the extinction of isolated animal populations. Therefore, the need to maintain connectivity for these species in human-dominated Atlantic landscapes is critical. In this study, we evaluated the landscape connectivity for large carnivores (cougar and jaguar) among the Strictly Protected Areas in the Atlantic Forest, evaluated the efficiency of the Mosaics of Protected Areas linked to land uses in promoting landscape connectivity, identified the critical habitat connections, and predicted the landscape connectivity status under the implementation of legislation for protecting riparian forests. The method was based on expert opinion translated into land use and land cover maps. The results show that the Protected Areas are still connected by a narrow band of landscape that is permeable to both species and that the Mosaics of Protected Areas increase the amount of protected area but fail to increase the connectivity between the forested mountain ranges (Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira). Riparian forests greatly increase connectivity, more than tripling the cougars' priority areas. We note that the selection of Brazilian protected areas still fails to create connectivity among the legally protected forest remnants. We recommend the immediate protection of the priority areas identified that would increase the structural landscape connectivity for these large carnivores, especially paths in the SE/NW direction between the two mountain ranges.

Em planejamento de áreas que fazem uso de irrigação, discutem-se, comumente, parâmetros de qualidade de água, objetivando evitar ou minimizar impactos desfavoráveis sobre a produção de culturas e a saúde da população. Este trabalho contribui na seleção e classificação, em ordem de importância, de parâmetros de qualidade que estejam envolvidos com o processo de irrigação. Assim, são hierarquizados, por meio do método multicriterial Electre I e II, seis parâmetros: coliforme fecal (CF); potencial hidrogeniônico (pH); demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO); cloreto (Cl); nitrogênio total (Nt) e condutividade elétrica (CE), em função de nove culturas irrigadas: tomate, batata, feijão, laranja, morango, pêssego, alface, cenoura e beterraba. Adotou-se como área de estudo a bacia hidrográfica do rio Piracicaba (SP). Os resultados mostram que, para essa região, os parâmetros de maior preferência são CF e CE e, o de menor preferência, DBO. Developmental plans in the areas that make use of irrigation, discuss, commonly, water quality parameters with the objective of eliminating or minimizing unfavorable impacts on agriculture and on public health. Using this as a focus point, this paper contributes to the selection and classification of quality parameters that are envolved with the irrigation process, by importance order. Thus, six parameters (fecal coliform, hydrogenionical potential, biochemical demand of oxygen, cloride, total nitrogen, and electrical conductivity) are hierarquisated using the multicriterial methods Electre I and II related to nine irrigated cultures (tomatoes, potatoes, beans, oranges, strawberries, peaches, lettuce, carrots and beets). The study area is the Piracicaba river basin, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The results demonstrate that, for this region, the parameters with the highest preference are the fecal coliform and the electrical conductivity and the least preference is the biochemical demand of oxygen.

This study analyzed spatial variability with regard to natural resources of interest to traditional communities within an important protected area in the São Paulo State - the Juréia-Itatins Ecological Station. The historical occupation of the area was interpreted with a focus on the traditional practices related to the use of land, exploitation of the natural resources and topographic features. A historical line was drawn showing a clear relation between the expansion of the occupation and the development of new practices, giving rise to different outcomes in different ways of living with nature. We suggest that the decisions made about Juréia Forest conservation recognize the historical and territorial variations of traditional practices., Este estudio analizó la variabilidad espacial de intereses de comunidades tradicionales sobre los recursos naturales dentro de una importante área protegida en el Estado de São Paulo, la Estación Ecológica Juréia-Itatins. La historia de la ocupación fue interpretada con un enfoque en las prácticas tradicionales relacionadas con el uso de la tierra, la explotación de los recursos naturales y las características topográficas. Una línea histórica fue construida mostrando una clara relación entre la expansión de la ocupación y el desarrollo de identidades tradicionales, dando lugar a diferentes formas de convivir con la naturaleza.

The Brazilian coastal regions have been highly modified by intense, diversified and extensive use along its history. These changes were caused, m ore recently, by increasing urbanization and tourism. This study builds scenarios following landscape ecology concepts to interpret the changes and the impacts in the coastal ecotone of Sao Sebastiao Island (Sao Paul Brazil). In such a way, literature surveys of the coastal environment uses and occupation of the island throughout five centuries of occupation have been conducted. Changes in the last fourteen years were analyzed by interpreting and overlapping satellite images (GIS Idrisi Kilimanjaro). The methodology was adapted from Fujihara et al. (2005). The results showed that the largest percentages of human alterations in the island landscape were agriculture until the middle of 20th century, followed by urbanization under the 200m elevation. The forest has regenerated above the 200m level due to legal restrictions. These changes have occurred primarily in the last 70 years.

The creation of new legally protected areas brings many conflicts that distance the real landscape from the expected according to environmental law or conservation researchers. In this study, we mapped and compared the changes in Serra da Japi (São Paulo State, Brazil) throughout 40 years with scenarios of legal protection and scientific expectation on forest conservation, to evaluate the distance between them. This may allow us to infer the direction of historical changes and assist in the debate among decision makers. The results showed that most legal requirements on forest protection in the current landscape have been met. The 1960s was the period when the forest cover was closest to the desirable conservation stage. Although the Serra do Japi has maintained large areas of forests during the entire study period, human interference increased with the expansion of reforestation and urban areas, and access roads were identified as a primary potential driving forces of change. In addition, habitat loss was observed in the landscape, which can represent the first phase of a sequence of modifications detrimental to the environmental conservation of this protected area, including decision changes to land use. In conclusion, the changes evolved toward conservation expectations, but not toward the forest configuration of scientific expectation., La creación de nuevas áreas legalmente protegidas trae muchos conflictos que alejan el paisaje real del que se espera por la legislación ambiental o por los investigadores en conservación. En este estudio se cartografiaron y compararon los cambios ocurridos en Serra do Japi (Estado de São Paulo, Brasil) a lo largo de 40 años con escenarios de protección legal y de expectativa científica sobre la conservación de bosques, buscando evaluar la distancia entre ellos. Este estudio nos permite inferir acerca de la dirección de cambios históricos y contribuye al debate entre tomadores de decisión. Los resultados mostraron que la mayoría de las exigencias legales de protección forestal fueron cumplidas en el paisaje. La década de 1960 fue el periodo con cobertura forestal más próxima a la deseada para la conservación. Aunque Serra do Japi ha mantenido grandes áreas de bosques en todo el periodo estudiado, la influencia humana se incrementó con la expansión de plantaciones forestales, de áreas urbanas y principalmente de las carreteras de acceso, identificadas como potenciales fuerzas conductoras de cambio. Además, se observó pérdida de hábitat en el paisaje que puede representar una primera fase de una secuencia de cambios perjudiciales para la conservación ambiental de esa área protegida. Esto incluye cambios en la decisión del uso del suelo. En conclusión, los cambios evolucionaron en dirección a las expectativas de la conservación, pero no hacia la configuración de bosques bajo una expectativa científica.

This study assumed that the spatial identification of mosaics obtained by the analysis of interactions between frontiers over time would be a great strategy to obtain planning units, since the boundaries reveal the changes, heterogeneity and fluxes in a landscape. For this purpose, we selected 16 watersheds in São Sebastião Island (São Paulo, BR), mapped the land use and cover (1962 and 2009) and built matrices of patches by boundaries. The analysis of these matrices using multivariate ordination and clustering allowed us to identify mosaics. The mosaics showed very well the temporal diversity of interactions across frontiers and the landscape conservation status, but had limitations to indicate management practices., Este estudio asume que la identificación espacial de mosaicos obtenida a través del análisis de interacciones entre fronteras en el tiempo sería una buena estrategia para obtener unidades de planificación, ya que los límites revelan los cambios, heterogeneidad y flujos en un paisaje. Para este propósito, se seleccionaron 16 cuencas en São Sebastião Island (São Paulo, BR), se mapeó el uso y cobertura de suelo (1962 y 2009) y construyeron matrices de parches por fronteras. El análisis de estas matrices usando ordenación y agrupamiento multivariado permitió identificar los mosaicos. Los mosaicos mostraron bien la diversidad temporal de interacciones a través de las fronteras y el estado de conservación del paisaje, pero tuvieron limitaciones en indicar prácticas de manejo.

Human occupation/activity in the suburbs of the large cities in Brazil, together with high social vulnerability associated with poor living conditions, influence the dynamics of schistosomiasis mansoni as well as several other emerging and re-emerging diseases. Previous notification data surveys for Campinas, São Paulo state, Brazil, carried out by the Information System for Notification Disease, show that there are distinct prevalence differences across healthcare districts of the city. This paper supports the hypothesis that the distribution of schistosomiasis is not random and that the centralized location of cases are linked to human behaviour, in particular to human activities that interfere with basic landscape structure. This paper analyzes the spatial patterns of the parasitic worm Schistosoma mansoni and its intermediate host Biomphalaria comparing disease prevalence with natural conditions and the current pattern of territory occupation by the population. The spatial and hierarchical distribution of factors related to the environmental conditions and land use that indicate the risk for schistosomiasis has been surveyed. It was found that landscape characteristics define the areas at risk for this endemic disease and, as a result, a risk map comprising different risk classes was established. This risk map highlights the regions prone to become new foci for infection or that serves to maintain an existing focus. The research approach used attempts to introduce “geotechnology”, i.e. a social application in which better knowledge about these foci, designated endemic “hot spots” can assist preventive public intervention measures in a way that is inexpensive and easy to handle.

Mining entails cumulative impacts on forests not only by directly clearing land for minerals facilities construction, but also by building associated infrastructure, such as transmission lines, access roads, railways, pipelines, and terminals to transport ore, as well as attracting workforce and expanding urban areas. The impacts extend far from the leases, causing landscape-wide consequences. Proposals to expand mining in the Brazilian Amazon, including initiatives of protected areas downgrading, downsizing and degazettement (PADDD), have been discussed given the importance of the potentially affected ecosystems and their relevance for biodiversity conservation. This thesis aims at investigating the cumulative impacts of mining and associated infrastructure on forests and testing the influence of protected areas on these impacts in the Brazilian Amazon. As results, it was found that these impacts were investigated by analyzing historic land use and cover changes and calibrating a cellular automata model to simulate scenarios of PADDD in regions under pressure for development. The interplay of land use and land cover changes leading to cumulative impacts varied according to the associated industry and infrastructure required for the mining operation. Not only the extent of the cumulative impacts is relevant, but further effects in the landscape, such as habitat fragmentation. The affected forests protect unique ecosystems and provide benefits for communities at the local, regional, and global scale, evidencing the need to comprehensively assessing the long-lasting and difficult to mitigate impacts in mineral-rich areas. This research unfolded five main recommendations for addressing cumulative impacts on forests in mining regions: (i) spatial boundaries determination should tackle the dynamic of land use and land cover change across the landscape; (ii) temporal boundaries should undertake rates of changes influencing interaction and accumulation of impacts; (iii) causal relation of impacts should take into account the importance of roads as source for impacts and further effects of forest loss on biodiversity and ecosystem services; (iv) the impact evaluation should properly consider the relevance of direct and indirect impacts; (v) protecting the landscape and optimizing roads design are opportunities for impacts mitigation. Neglecting the cumulative impacts on forests in mining regions would perversely affect ecosystems and the services they provide. A mineração causa impactos cumulativos nas florestas não apenas pelo desmatamento direto da construção de suas instalações, mas também por meio da construção de infraestrutura associada, como linhas de transmissão, estradas de acesso, estradas de ferro, atraindo mão de obra e expandindo núcleos urbanos. Esses impactos se estendem para além das concessões de lavra, causando consequências em toda paisagem. Propostas para expansão da mineração na Amazonia brasileira, que incluem iniciativas de redução, recategorização e extinção de unidades de conservação (PADDD em inglês), têm sido discutidas dada a importância dos ecossistemas a serem afetadas e sua relevância para conservação da biodiversidade. Esta tese tem como objetivo investigar os impactos cumulativos da mineração e infraestrutura associada nas florestas e testar a influência das áreas protegidas nesses impactos na Amazônia brasileira. Impactos cumulativos da mineração nas florestas foram investigados por meio da análise histórica de mudanças de uso e cobertura da terra e calibração de modelo de autômatos celulares para simular diferentes cenários de PADDD em áreas sob pressão para desenvolvimento de projetos de mineração. Como resultados, evidenciou-se que as mudanças de uso e cobertura da terra que desencadeiam impactos cumulativos podem variar de acordo com a indústria relacionada e infraestrutura necessária para implantação e operação do projeto, causando alterações na paisagem como a fragmentação de habitats. As florestas a serem afetadas protegem ecossistemas únicos que provêm diversos benefícios para as comunidades em escala local, regional e global, evidenciando a necessidade de se avaliar de forma abrangente os impactos resultantes do desenvolvimento mineral em regiões com alta biodiversidade. Essa pesquisa propõe cinco principais recomendações para avaliação dos impactos cumulativos nas florestas em áreas de mineração: (i) a determinação dos limites espaciais deve considerar a dinâmica do uso da terra em toda a paisagem; (ii) os limites temporais devem contabilizar taxas de mudanças que influenciam na interação e nos processos de cumulatividade dos impactos; (iii) a relação causal dos impactos deve considerar a importância das estradas como fonte de impactos bem como demais efeitos da perda de floresta sobre a biodiversidade e os serviços ecossistêmicos; (iv) a avaliação da importância dos impactos deve considerar adequadamente a relevância dos impactos diretos e indiretos; (v) impactos cumulativos nas florestas podem ser mitigados por meio da proteção da paisagem e otimização do desenho de estradas. Negligenciar impactos cumulativos sobre as florestas em regiões de mineração afetaria permanentemente os ecossistemas e os serviços que eles provêm.

The ecosystem services approach has increased throughout the years, becoming a powerful tool for environmental planning as well as guideline for resources management and decision-making. Changes in land use/cover are the main human-driven impact over natural ecosystems, which implies directly in ecosystem services provisioning capacity and the ability to sustain those benefits. Water resources are strongly related to human well-being and survival, as one of the most valuable benefits humans acquire from nature. In this regard, landscapes suffering from extreme or vast changes in land use/cover represent threats over water resources, as is the case for Brazilian Cerrado savannas. The prediction of impacts of land cover exchanges over water-related ecosystem services may become one way to avoid its loss, diminishing uncertainties in decision making of land uses. In this sense, our work aimed the measurement and recognition of thresholds that indicates changes in the availability of seven essential water-related ecosystem services, within Cerrado landscapes of São Paulo State, that are facing the conversion of native forests into eucalyptus plantations. We analyzed water resources at 11 low order catchments which comprised a gradient of forested savanna and eucalyptus plantations. Stream water quality data were obtained for 13 physical-chemical-biological parameters, previously known as indicators for seven water-related ecosystem services. Results highlight the importance of monitoring Turbidity, pH, electric conductivity as indicators of services provision. Best potential gains of the seven services occurred above 45% of natural forest coverage. Landscapes with less than 20% of forest tend to become too unsustainable A abordagem dos serviços ecossistêmicos aumentou ao longo dos anos, tornando-se uma ferramenta poderosa para o planejamento ambiental, guiando a tomada de decisão sobre o manejo de recursos naturais. Mudanças no uso/cobertura da terra são os principais impactos sobre os ecossistemas naturais, o que implica diretamente na provisão de serviços, e na capacidade do ambiente de sustentar esses benefícios. A água fornece diversos serviços ecossistêmicos hídricos, vitais para a sobrevivência humana. Então, neste contexto, paisagens submetidas a vastas mudanças de uso e cobertura representam uma séria ameaça aos serviços hídricos, como é o caso das áreas em domínio de Cerrado brasileiro. Prever e valorar as conseqüências da conversão de áreas naturais para usos da terra sobre os serviços hídricos pode se tornar uma forma de evitar sua perda e diminuir as incertezas nos processos de tomada de decisão territorial. Com esse propósito, objetivamos mensurar e definir limiares em relação às mudanças na disponibilidade de sete serviços essenciais de água em paisagens savânicas do Estado de São Paulo que sofreram conversão de florestas nativas para reflorestamentos. Analisamos recursos hídricos de onze bacias hidrográficas de pequena ordem, que compreendem composições de sistemas florestados em contato com florestas plantadas de eucalipto. As amostras de água foram avaliadas por meio de treze parâmetros físico-químico-biológicos, presumidos como indicadores de sete serviços hídricos. Os resultados ressaltaram a importância de Turbidez, pH e condutividade elétrica como elementos indicadores da provisão dos serviços. Os melhores ganhos potenciais na provisão ocorreram a partir de 45% de cobertura florestal. Paisagens com menos do que 20% de florestas naturais tendem a tornarem-se menos sustentáveis para a provisão de todos os serviços somados

No Nordeste do Brasil, o estuário do Rio São Francisco apresenta extensas áreas de manguezais (32 km2) cujos recursos são utilizados por populações humanas. Este estudo considerou a metodologia de sistemas sócio-ecológicos complexos para analisar a pesca nos manguezais desse estuário, com ênfase no caranguejo Ucides cordatus. Por meio da integração de dados de diferentes áreas (etnobiologia, levantamentos socioeconômicos, estrutura populacional do caranguejo, características da vegetação, arranjo espacial da paisagem, sensoriamento remoto e geoprocessamento) em uma análise multicritério foi determina e mapeada a aptidão dos manguezais para a conservação e a pesca dessa espécie. Uma diversidade de recursos pesqueiros do manguezal (por exemplo, peixes, caranguejos e moluscos), constitui a principal base da economia de subsistência local, em que o caranguejo U. cordatus é o mais importante. As populações locais possuem um vasto conhecimento sobre o tamanho populacional e corporal, ciclo de vida, diferenciação sexual e habitat dessa espécie, e aplicam práticas conservacionistas no uso da redinha. A estrutura populacional do caranguejo revelou um alto potencial pesqueiro, com maior abundância de caranguejos de tamanho comercial do que os de tamanho não comercial. Os manguezais mais aptos para a conservação de U. cordatus (9,4 km2) estão localizados próximos à foz e apresentam alta abundância de caranguejos não comerciais, baixa densidade de caranguejos comerciais e baixo grau de utilização para a pesca. Os manguezais mais aptos para a pesca (10,2 km2) estão distantes da foz e apresentam alta abundância de caranguejos de tamanho comercial, baixa densidade de caranguejos em tamanho não comercial, caranguejos grandes, médio a alto grau de uso e estão próximos aos povoados. Os mapas de aptidão gerados podem auxiliar as agências governamentais no delineamento de áreas extrativistas e de exclusão da pesca, como sugerido no Plano Nacional de Gestão para o Uso Sustentável do Caranguejo-uçá In Northeastern Brazil, the São Francisco River Estuary comprises a significant mangrove area (32 km2) used by local human populations. This study considered the framework of socio-ecological systems to analyze the mangrove fishery in this estuary, with emphasis on the crab Ucides cordatus. By the integration of data from different fields (etnobiology and socio-economic surveys, crab population structure, vegetation features, landscape arrangement, remote sensing and geoprocessing) in a multi-criteria analysis, we determined and mapped the suitability of the mangroves for the conservation and fishery of this species. We found that a diversity of mangrove fisheries (e.g. fish, crabs and mollusks) constitute the main base of the local subsistence economy, wherein the Ucides cordatus is the most important. The local populations have a substantial knowledge about this crab population and body sizes, life cycle, sexual differentiation, behavior and habitat, and apply conservation practices in the use of the \"redinha\". The population structure of the crab U. cordatus revealed a high fishery potential, with higher abundance (frequency and density) of crabs in commercial size than the non-commercial sized crabs. The mangroves more suitable for the crab conservation (9.4 km2) are those close to the river mouth, showing high abundance of non-commercial crabs, low density of commercial crabs and low degree of use for fishery. On the other hand, the mangroves more suitable for the crab fishery (10.2 km2) are those located far from to river mouth, showing high density and frequency of crabs in commercial size, low density of crabs in non-commercial size, big sized crabs, medium to high degree of use, and are close to the fishery villages. The maps of suitability can aid government agencies in delineating extractive and fishery exclusion areas, as stated by the Proposal of a National Management Plan for this crab, in order to achieve a sustainable fishery

A sustentabilidade da paisagem trata-se de um tema central no que se refere às questões de conservação e desenvolvimento de paisagens altamente antropizadas. Está embasada nos conceitos tradicionais de desenvolvimento sustentável, que visam balancear o desenvolvimento humano com a proteção ambiental, pautada na equidade intra e extra-geração. Considera, ainda, os conceitos de bem-estar humano nesta esfera. Paralelamente, os conceitos de serviços ecossistêmicos reconhecem a dependência das atividades antrópicas e seu bem-estar à qualidade dos ecossistemas, reacendendo os debates sobre capital natural e desenvolvimento sustentável. Neste contexto, este trabalho aborda a sustentabilidade da paisagem questionando a potencialidade dos remanescentes florestais em fornecer, de maneira equilibrada, diferentes serviços ecossistêmicos na bacia do rio Corumbataí. Para isso, o trabalho foi dividido em duas etapas. A primeira buscou analisar questões de demanda e oferta por múltiplos serviços ecossistêmicos (controle de erosão, regulação hídrica, regulação microclimática, informação estética e qualidade de habitat). Isso baseado em indicadores da paisagem, como a dinâmica do uso do solo e padrões do meio físico e antrópico. A segunda investigou a viabilidade de integrar o sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat às prioridades de conservação e restauração florestal. Isso baseado no cenário atual da paisagem e por meio de diferentes simulações de incremento em 10% da cobertura florestal na paisagem, inserindo florestas nos locais de alta erodibilidade (situação criteriosa) ou de forma randômica. Os resultados demonstraram que, apesar do aumento de 60% na cobertura florestal durante os últimos 30 anos, apenas 37% das florestas possuem alto potencial para ofertar serviços ecossistêmicos e que, quando ponderadas perante as demandas da paisagem, apenas 20% das florestas encontram-se em equilíbrio. Além disso, foi verificado sinergismo entre os serviços de controle de erosão e qualidade de habitat em aproximadamente 80% da cobertura florestal. No entanto, nos cenários de restauração florestal, o sinergismo foi alcançado em todas as situações, sejam elas criteriosas ou randômicas. Deste modo, ficou evidente o limite das florestas e áreas protegidas como potenciais prestadoras de serviços ecossistêmicos na paisagem. Também ficou evidente que, em paisagens com alto grau de fragmentação e baixa proporção florestal, os processos de restauração não necessariamente devem almejar o sinergismo entre serviços ecossistêmicos. Por fim, atribui-se grande importância ao papel das áreas agrícolas e pastagens para compensar demandas, restaurar serviços ecossistêmicos, almejando, portanto, a sustentabilidade da paisagem. Landscape sustainability is a central theme regarding conservation and development issues in highly disturbed landscapes. It is grounded in traditional concepts of sustainable development, aimed at balancing human development with environmental protection, based on intra and extra-generation equity. It also considers the human welfare concepts in this sphere. At the same time, the concepts of ecosystem services recognize the dependence of human activities and their wellbeing related to the quality of ecosystems, reigniting the debate on natural capital and sustainable development. In this context, this paper addresses the landscape sustainability questioning the capability of remaining forests to provide different ecosystem services in Corumbataí river basin, in a balanced way. For this, the study was divided into two stages. The first one aimed to analyze demand and supply issues for multiple ecosystem services (erosion control, water regulation, microclimate regulation, aesthetic information and habitat quality), based on landscape indicators such as land use dynamics and physical/anthropic patterns. The second one investigated the viability of integrating the synergism between erosion control and habitat quality services for forest conservation and restoration priorities, based on the current landscape and through different simulations, increasing by 10% of forest cover in the landscape setting, inserting forests in high erodibility places (careful situation) or through a random situation. The results showed that despite the increase by 60% in forest cover over the last 30 years, only 37% of the forests hold high potential to offer ecosystem services and, when weighted against the landscape demands, only 20% of the forests are in equilibrium. Furthermore, synergism was observed between the erosion control services and habitat quality in approximately 80% of forest cover. However, in forest restoration scenarios, synergism was achieved in all situations (random or careful). Thus, it was evident the limit of forests and protected areas as potential providers of ecosystem services in the landscape. It was also evident that, in highly fragmented and low forest proportion landscapes, restore processes should not necessarily aim synergism between ecosystem services. Finally, we assign great importance to the role of agricultural land and pastures to offset demands, restoring ecosystem services, aiming thus the sustainability of the landscape.

O impacto da certificação foi o tema central desse projeto de pesquisa que consistiu em identificar o seu efeito sobre variáveis de interesse, isolado de outras fontes de variação. Para isso, uma metodologia de avaliação de impacto foi adaptada e testada para analisar a Certificação Socioambiental Rainforest Alliance da Rede de Agricultura Sustentável RAS na cafeicultura em Minas Gerais. A Certificação Socioambiental cresceu significativamente em fazendas produtoras de café no Brasil e no mundo desde sua criação em 1998 até o ano 2007. Os produtos vendidos com essa certificação carregam consigo a mensagem que vêm de sistemas de produção que promovem mais desenvolvimento humano e mais conservação da biodiversidade quando comparados aos sistemas convencionais. Contudo, o processo de Certificação Socioambiental não mede diretamente essas diferenças. Na rotina da certificação, o auditor avalia a conformidade dos sistemas de produção a padrões pré-estabelecidos. A ausência de avaliações de impactos pode acarretar questionamentos referentes às reais transformações decorrentes da certificação. Outro questionamento refere-se à elaboração das normas, as quais foram formuladas em processos de consulta pública com as partes interessadas, as quais estabelecem uma referência do que é desejável segundo a percepção de cada participante. Esses atores, num determinado momento ou contexto, podem ter dado maior ênfase a alguns aspectos que outros e não explicitam quais os problemas dos sistemas de produção conve ncional que pretendiam superar. Além disso, podem ocorrer mudanças de conduta e paradigmas nos sistemas convencionais que podem afetar no tempo as decisões das consultas públicas. Como parte do objetivo desse projeto pretendeu-se obter uma referência de sistemas de produção com e sem certificação como subsídio para elaboração das normas de certificação e para orientação dos trabalhos dos auditores. O método de avaliação de impacto utilizado foi comparar os empreendimentos agrícolas certificadas com os nãocertificados de forma a obter o cenário contrafactual, isto é, qual seria a situação dos empreendimentos certificados se, hipoteticamente, não tivessem passado pelo processo de certificação. A amostra foi de seis empreendimentos agrícolas do Sul de Minas e dez do Cerrado Mineiro, um total de 444 trabalhadores entrevistados. Os resultados foram gerados por meio da análise quantitativa dos dados primários obtidos por meio de entrevistas com os trabalhadores e com a administração da fazenda, análise de imagens de satélite e observações de campo. Os três temas selecionados para testar a metodologia foram bem estar dos trabalhadores, preservação da biodiversidade e conservação dos recursos hídricos e redução da poluição. Os resultados afirmaram a importância da Certificação Socioambiental para promoção da conservação da biodiversidade e do desenvolvimento humano no curto e longo prazo. Porém, não foram identificados impactos em alguns aspectos analisados, bem como uma manifestação distinta dos impactos nas regiões. A metodologia mostrou-se apropriada para identificar os impactos da certificação e para definir uma referência que contribua substancialmente para construção das normas e para orientar o trabalho de auditoria de forma a acentuar a contribuição da Certificação Socioambiental para promover a conservação da biodiversidade e o desenvolvimento humano. The impact of certification was this research project´s major focus, which consisted of the identification of the effect of certification over interest variables, isolated from other sources of variation. Specifically in this dissertation, an impact assessment methodology was adapted and tested to analyze the impact of Rainforest Alliance socioenvironmental certification scheme, utilized by the Sustainable Agriculture Network - SAN (in Portuguese, RAS), in coffee plantations located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Socio-environmental certification has increased significantly in coffee-producing farms in Brazil, as well as worldwide, since its creation in 1998 up to 2007. Commercialized products with this type of certification carry a message that they are rooted in production systems which promote greater human development and biodiversity conservation values when compared to conventional systems. However, the socio-environmental certification process does not currently measure these differences in a direct way. During certification procedures, an auditor assesses whether production systems are accomplishing pre-established standards. The absence of impact assessments might raise doubts regarding real transformations provoked by certification. Another doubt relates to the establishment of such standards, which were elaborated in public meetings among interested parties that established a reference about what is desirable according to each participants perception. These stakeholders, in a given moment or context, may have emphasized some particular aspects without clarifying which of the problems of the conventional systems they intended to solve. Moreover, changes might occur in the conduct or paradigms of conventional systems which can affect decisions made in public meetings. As part of this projects objective, it was intended to obtain a reference for production systems with and without certification, to subsidize the establishment of standards and to guide auditing procedures. The impact assessment method utilized was based on comparing certified and non-certified agricultural enterprises in such a way as to obtain a non-factual scenario, in other words, what would occur in the certified enterprises if, hypothetically, they had not been targeted by certification. The sample consisted of sixteen agricultural enterprises in Brazil. Results were generated through quantitative analyses of primary data gathered through interviews with farm workers and managers, satellite image analyses, and field observations. There technical issues selected to test the methodology were worker welfare, biodiversity preservation and water resource conservation, and pollution impact. Results indicate an important role of Socio-environmental Certification in promoting conservation of biodiversity and human development in the short and long run. Some analyzed aspects did not present impacts, however, and some impacts presented a differentiated response in different regions. The methodology used was concluded to be suitable for identifying certification impacts and for defining a reference to substantially contribute to building standards, as well as guide auditors´ work in such a way as to increase the contribution of socio-environmental certification to biodiversity conservation and human development.

As Unidades de Conservação públicas e privadas têm sido adotadas como o principal mecanismo de conservação da diversidade biológica em todo o mundo, razão pela qual é importante avaliar sua eficácia. A presente dissertação tem por objetivo avaliar a eficiência das Reservas Particulares do Patrimônio Natural na conservação da natureza. Através de entrevistas aos proprietários de dez reservas privadas no domínio da Floresta Ombrófila Densa Atlântica, é traçado o perfil das RPPNs localizadas no Planalto Paulistano. Para caracterizar a atitude conservacionista dos proprietários é construído um Índice de Atitude Conservacionista (IAC). Este índice é composto por quatro questões relacionadas ao motivo de criação da reserva, ao uso da reserva para atividades de lazer, ao conhecimento sobre a fauna existente na reserva e ao número de parcerias voltadas ao apoio à RPPN. O diagnóstico ambiental das reservas é realizado com base nas características fisionômicas e na classificação da vegetação quanto ao estádio sucessional. A maioria das reservas foi criada com objetivos conservacionistas. Nove das reservas não possui qualquer instrumento de manejo. As principais ameaças enfrentadas pelas reservas são: caça, incêndios, falta de recursos e de apoio técnico. Mais da metade dos entrevistados apresentou valores altos para o IAC, acima da média de 4,16. Outros dois entrevistados obtiveram valores baixos, sendo que um deles obteve a pontuação mínima, igual a 0. Apesar da iniciativa comum de criar uma Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural, os proprietários das reservas se diferenciam no nível de afetividade com a mata e o conhecimento que têm sobre seus atributos naturais. O nível de escolaridade, o tempo de posse e o tempo de moradia na zona rural foram os fatores relacionados com a atitude conservação dos proprietários. De maneira geral, as reservas estudadas apresentam-se como fragmentos florestais restritos a Áreas de Preservação Permanente (APP) ao longo de corpos d\'água. Também apresentam áreas de reflorestamento com espécies exóticas. Na maioria das RPPNs avaliadas foi observada a presença de espécies com características invasoras e em alguns casos percebe-se sua interferência na dinâmica dos ecossistemas nativos. A atitude conservacionista dos proprietários não corresponde à qualidade ambiental das reservas. A ausência de critérios técnicos na definição de áreas para criação de RPPNs gera reservas degradadas e, por isso, deve-se procurar melhorar a sua qualidade para fins da conservação e minimizar os fatores de degradação. The public and private natural protected areas have been adopted as the main mechanism to conserve biological diversity in the whole world, that important to evaluate its effectiveness. The present study has for objective to evaluate the efficiency of the Private Reserves of Natural Heritage - RPPN of the São Paulo State on nature conservation. Through interviews to the owners of ten private reserves located in the west portion of São Paulo city, the profile of the RPPNs located in the São Paulo Atlantic Plateau is described. To characterize the conservation attitudes of the owners, an Index of Conservation Attitude (IAC) is constructed. This index is composed of four questions related to the reason to create the reserve, to the use of the reserve for leisure activities, to the knowledge of the existing fauna in the reserve and to the number of partnerships that support the RPPN. The environmental diagnosis of the reserves is carried out based on the structure characteristics and on the classification of the forest successional stage. Most of reserves were created for conservationist purpose. Nine of ten reserves have no management instruments. The main threats that the reserves are under were: hunt, fire, lack of resources and support. More than half of the interviewed owners presented high values for the IAC, above of the average of 4,16. Two interviewees got low values, and one of them got the minimum punctuation, equals to 0. Although the common initiative to create a Private Reserve of Natural Heritage, the landowners are different on the level of affection with the forest and the knowledge that they have about its natural attributes. The level of education, the time of ownership and the time of housing in the agricultural zone were the factors related to the conservationist attitude of the owners. Broadly speaking, the studied reserves are forest fragments restricted to the Permanent Protected Areas (APP) along rivers. They also have reforestation areas with exotic species. In the majority of the RPPNs evaluated the presence of species with invading characteristics was detected, and in some cases its interference in the dynamics of native ecosystems is perceived. The conservation attitude of the owners does not correspond to the environmental quality of the reserves. The absence of technical criteria on defining areas for creation of RPPNs generates degraded reserves. Therefore the improvement of their habitat quality must be looked for as well as the degradation factors must be reduced.

No Contínuo de Paranapiacaba, remanescente representativo do bioma Mata Atlântica formado pelos Parques Estaduais Intervales, Carlos Botelho e Alto Ribeira e a Estação Ecológica de Xitué, florestas com ocorrência dominante de bambus são, atualmente, integrantes da paisagem, perfazendo extensa área dessas Unidades de Conservação do sul do Estado de São Paulo. Este trabalho teve como proposta descrever o cenário dessas florestas com bambus, a partir da análise dos padrões e condicionantes dessa paisagem no Parque Estadual Intervales (PEI). O trabalho partiu da hipótese de que a ocorrência dominante dessas áreas com bambu seja conseqüência de perturbações históricas. A análise temporal de fotos aéreas recobrindo o período de 1960 a 2000, apresentado no Capítulo 2, possibilitou espacializar e caracterizar os diferentes processos de ocupação no Parque, com a dinâmica da paisagem sendo associada a dois principais vetores de perturbação, atividades de roça e exploração de palmito juçara (Euterpe edulis), que ocorreram de forma desordenada, intensa e recorrente na extensa área entre a Sede e as bases Carmo e São Pedro. A partir da caracterização da vegetação discutida no Capítulo 3, os padrões da paisagem atual do PEI foram associados, fundamentalmente, às áreas florestais sem e com ocorrência dominante de bambus das espécies Guadua tagoara (Nees) Kunth, Chusquea oxylepis (Hack.) Ekman, Chusquea sp. e Merostachys sp., que interferem na estrutura florestal. Os padrões da paisagem relacionados à ocorrência dominante, dinâmica e histórias de vida das diferentes espécies de bambus refletem nos padrões identificados na imagem QuickBird no Capítulo 4, possibilitando delimitar grandes clareiras ocupadas por populações de bambus internamente sincronizadas. A relação dessa dominância de bambus e alguns fatores naturais e antrópicos foram abordados no Capítulo 5, com os resultados direcionando para o modelo de que o evento de dominância por bambus é potencializado por perturbações naturais e/ou antrópicas, e quando estabelecidos, os bambus tornam-se o próprio agente de perturbação do ecossistema, resultando em uma possível homogeneização permanente da paisagem. A integração de informações nas diversas escalas de observação permitiu o entendimento do contexto dessa floresta com bambu, evidenciando a necessidade de escalas adequadas aos estudos nessa paisagem. Na escala local, considerando os indivíduos e populações, foi possível a caracterização das fenofases, principalmente dos ciclos reprodutivos maciços e processos de regeneração das espécies dominantes. Na escala de comunidade observaram-se as interações entre as espécies de bambus, com a ocorrência associada e sobreposição dos ciclos reprodutivos de algumas delas, e a interferência na estrutura da floresta. Na escala de paisagem, os padrões de população e comunidade de bambus foram identificados nas imagens, permitindo discutir esse padrão de dominância em relação a outras áreas com bambus, ainda que em fisionomias florestais distintas. Os resultados encontrados contribuem para o entendimento da dinâmica da floresta com bambus do Contínuo de Paranapiacaba, possibilitando definir indicadores do processo de dominância, fundamentais para a gestão desse remanescente de Mata Atlântica. The so-called region \"Continuous from Paranapiacaba\", a representative remnant of the Atlantic Forest, is constituted by São Paulo State Parks Intervales (PEI), Carlos Botelho, Alto Ribeira and Ecological Station of Xitué. These forests that have dominant bamboo occurrences, are presently integrating the landscape at large sections within these conservation units in the southern São Paulo State. The objective of this work is to describe the scenery of such forests from the analysis of patterns and conditioning factors of the landscape at PEI. As a working hypothesis, it was assumed that the dominant occurrence of bamboo is a consequence of historical perturbations. The temporal analysis of aerial photographs covering the timeframe 1960 to 2000 presented at Chapter 2 allowed the mapping and characterization of the different processes of land occupation within the park. The landscape dynamics is associated to two main types of perturbation factors, namely to small-scale clear-cutting and to the exploitation of palm tree Euterpe edulis, which occurs disorderly, intensely and recurrently at the extensive area between the administration office and the bases of Carmo and São Pedro. From the characterization of vegetation, discussed at Chapter 3, the present landscape patterns of PEI were associated to forest areas with and without dominant occurrences of bamboo from species Guadua tagoara, Chusquea oxylepis, Chusquea sp. and Merostachys sp., which interfere at the forest structure. The landscape patterns related to the dominant and dynamic occurrence and to the histories of life from the different species of bamboo can be seen at the different patterns identified on the QuickBird image presented at Chapter 4, allowing mapping of the large clearings occupied by populations of bamboos internally synchronized. The relation between this dominance of bamboos with some natural and human factors is presented at Chapter 5 and the results are directed towards the model that the dominance event is increased by natural or human perturbations, and when bamboos are established they are themselves the perturbation agent of the ecosystem, resulting in a possible permanent homogenization of the landscape. The integration of information from different scales of observation allows the understanding of the context from this bamboo forest, evidencing the need of adequate scales to study these landscapes. At the local scale, considering the individuals and populations, it was possible to characterize the phenological phases, especially of the massive reproduction cycles and of the recovery processes of dominant species. At the scale of community, one can observe the interactions between bamboo species with the associated occurrence and superposition of reproductive cycles of some of these species, and its interference at the forest structure. At the landscape scale, the population patterns and communities of bamboos were identified at the images, permitting the discussion of this dominance pattern in relation to other areas with bamboo, but at distinct forest physiognomies. The results found in this study contribute to understand the bamboo forest dynamics of this region, permitting the definition of indicators from the dominance process, of importance for the management of this remnant from the Atlantic Forest.