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Human population (often treated as overpopulation) has long been blamed as the main cause of biodiversity loss. Whilst this simplistic explanation may seem convenient, understanding the accuracy of the statement is crucial to develop effective priorities and targets to manage and reverse ongoing biodiversity loss. If untrue, the assertion may undermine practical and effective measures currently underway to counter biodiversity loss by distracting from true drivers, alienating some of the most diverse countries in the world, and failing to tackle the structural inequalities which may be behind global biodiversity declines. Through examining the drivers of biodiversity loss in highly biodiverse countries, we show that it is not population driving the loss of habitats, but rather the growth of commodities for export, particularly soybean and oil-palm, primarily for livestock feed or biofuel consumption in higher income economies. Thus, inequitable consumption drives global biodiversity loss, whilst population is used to scapegoat responsibility. Instead, the responsibilities are clear and have recently been summarized by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPBES: Leverage points for biodiversity conservation lie in reducing unsustainable consumption through diet shifts, tracking supply chains, and technological innovation as well as ensuring sustainable production to reduce biodiversity losses associated with industrial agriculture.

The mosaic landscape composition of forest fragments located on high slopes, shallow soils hinder ecological interactions and the survival of plant species. This study aimed to show, in an environment with these characteristics, the effect of the environmental gradient relating the soil, slope, and vegetation of a fragment of the Montane Seasonal Semideciduous Forest. The forest structure was sampled in 12 continuous rectangular plots, with 30 X 20m, totaling 0.72ha. Soil samples were taken by drilling every 20m along the hydrographic divisor and opening of three trenches used as soil sampling sites for in situ determination of soil color, horizon, and nutrients. Horizons were classified as O/A/Cr in the altered rock with a marked presence of gravels, and the soil was classified as Litholic Neosol. The area has a steep slope, from 18.05% to 36.99%. Linear regression analysis indicated an opposite pattern for species richness in relation to slope and a positive relationship between slope and the number of standing dead individuals. Species richness was also positively related to the distance from forest edges. The evaluation evidenced the strong influence of slope and human activities in forest remnant as common to several high-altitude remnants, and small conservation actions can guarantee their maintenance.

O avanço da tecnologia permitiu que estudos em áreas pudessem ocorrer remotamente, como em planícies de inundação, pois este ambiente é de difícil acesso. A planície de inundação do Alto Rio Paraná é um ambiente diverso em vegetação possuindo mais de 360 espécies, as quais são controladas pelos pulsos de inundação e devido a sua importância ecológica estudos relacionados a influência da inundação sobre a vegetação, faz-se necessário. Com isso, o objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a influência que a inundação da planície do Alto Rio Paraná, causa sobre a vegetação para o pulso do ano de 1989/1990. Utilizando-se de imagens de satélite e índices de vegetação foi realizado a classificação do uso do solo antes e após o pulso com as classes de água, solo exposto, vegetações higrófilas, herbáceas e arbóreas. Verificou-se que, após a inundação as vegetações higrófilas, arbóreas e solo exposto diminuíram. No entanto, as áreas de vegetação herbácea e água aumentaram, e isto ocorre devido às classes que foram reduzidas preferirem ambientes com sedimentos; referindo-se às que aumentaram, foi devido à baixa capacidade de infiltração do solo. Dessa forma, conclui-se que a inundação da planície afetou na dinâmica da vegetação reduzindo ou ampliando a área de ocorrência dos tipos vegetacionais.

Forest fragmentation caused by human activities has many implications for natural landscapes, such as habitat reduction and the loss of biodiversity. This study investigated the temporal fragmentation process of forest remnants in a strongly agro-industrialised region in southern Brazil over 25 years. The studied watershed area hosts two important typologies of the Atlantic Forest biome as well as Quaternary remnants of the Brazilian Savanna biome, which are considered hotspots of biodiversity and reflect the intense process of forest fragmentation caused by Brazilian urban and agro-industrial development. Thus, studies encompassing multitemporal scales are paramount to understanding changes in forest patterns and are fundamental for trend predictions of landscape dynamics. To perform the calculation of the mean normalised difference vegetation index, Landsat satellite images from 1991 to 2016 were processed using SPRING® software. Subsequently, FRAGSTATS® software was used to calculate landscape metrics. A reduction in the number of forest fragments since 1991 was observed, with a maximum amount of 5 243 fragments in 1993 that declined to 4 015 fragments in 2016. Although the number of fragments in the watershed decreased, the mean area increased by 72.9% and the mean of the shape index increased from 1.3 in 1991 to 1.5 in 2016. In addition, there was a 64.7% increase in the edge density and a reduction of 35.6 m in the isolation between the nearest neighbours. The degree of isolation of the fragments underwent a process of expansion and reduction when compared to 1991, presenting results that support the hypothesis that the Atlantic Forest is in a process of stabilisation and forest restoration.Keywords: Atlantic Forests, conservation, ecotone zone, GIS, spatial analysis

The elaboration of environmental sustainability indexes (ESI) aims to describe the complexity between social, environmental and ecological health. These indexes play a crucial role by helping stakeholders during the decision-making process and by identifying possible sites that require practical sustainable actions. In this study, we aim to elaborate an ESI for hydrographic basins. We use three factors to build the index: land use; vulnerability to soil degradation and topographic land attributes; and human development. The human development factor includes the dimensions of education, sanitation, longevity and income. These three factors are recommended by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and reflect the pressure–state–impact assessment model. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed ESI, we applied it in a hydrographic basin located in southern Brazil. The sustainability level variation in the basin was classified into five groups: very low (0%), low (17%), intermediate (72%), high (11%) and very high (0%). The predominance of the intermediate sustainability level was found to mainly owe to the extent of agricultural land and the high degree of susceptibility to soil erosion in areas with low environmental conservation. In areas with native vegetation, environmental sustainability was found to be higher than in areas with other land use types. The resulting ESI will help facilitate future studies in environmental, economic or social dimensions in any hydrographic basin.

Brazilian biodiversity is undergoing numerous attacks and misguided policies that aim to reduce protected areas (PAs) with the main argument of expanding agribusiness to improve the country's economic performance. An example is the draft law (DL) 527/2016, which aimed to reduce approximately 70% of the Devonian Escarpment Environmental Protection Area (DEEPA), a large PA in southern Brazil, hosts two biodiversity hotspot biomes. This study shows the possible downsizing damages to biodiversity and landscape by quantifying the size and connectivity of the vegetation remnants in the surrounding landscape concerning the degree of threat to the species that occur in both the Atlantic Forest and Brazilian Savanna domains. The DEEPA downsizing can affect natural savanna and Atlantic Forest vegetation area proposed by DL 527/2016 would fail in protecting 383 (56.82%) of the threatened species. Only three species evaluated as critically endangered, 13 classified as endangered, and 13 classified as vulnerable would be preserved; the reduction would also negatively affect essential ecosystem services and the quality of life in human populations. Furthermore, man-made fragmentation and habitat loss would jeopardize several biological and ecological aspects fundamental to biomes' maintenance and ecosystem services. In addition to reducing this environmental protection area, it would cut taxes from the current PA and could affect its surrounding municipalities in southern Brazil.

A sediment core was sampled in an urban lake in southern Brazil, and the presence of 27 trace elements was assessed. The geochronology showed that the core corresponds to the period from 1914 to 2012. Accumulation of metals and the level of pollution was measured by the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and enrichment factor (EF). According to Igeo and EF, the lake showed a high concentration of Ag, Se, Na, Au, S, Ca, Mg, Ba, Sb, Bi, and Sr with 5 ≤ EF ≤ 45 and Igeo class = 2–6. The EF to Au = 45 and Ag = 40. In contrast, Fe, Al, As, Cr, Ga, La, Sc, and Th do not represent pollution (Igeo ≤ 0 and EF ≤ 1.6). A principal component analysis and Spearman correlation showed a first group composed of Ca, Mg, P, Ba, Sr, Na, K, Ag, Bi, Au, Mo, sand, silt, and total organic carbon with positive correlation ≥ 0.70 and > 0.95 to Sr, Ag, sand, and silt. These were negatively correlated ≥− 0.70 with Fe. The second group: Fe, La, Ga, Ti, V, Cr, As, Al, Th from lithogenic source. Prediction models for the concentration for Mg, Na, P, Sr, Fe, Ga, and total organic carbon to years 2020–2050 were obtained with R2 > 0.65. In the anthropogenic source analyses, a watershed land use map indicates multiple uses of the land, with 53% urban area, 14.6% agriculture, and 14.5% forest.

Este artigo objetivou mapear o potencial eolico de micro e minigeracao para Campo Mourao - PR, como fonte alternativa de geracao no sul do Brasil. Dados mensais de uma serie historica de 36 anos (1980 - 2015) do INMET foram analisados e vinculados com o uso do solo. Para tanto utilizou-se o aplicativo SASPlanet, com imagem Bing, para a coleta da area urbana. O software QGis 2.14 foi utilizado para a fotointerpretacao, que definiu a altura dos obstaculos e sua respectiva classe do fator de rugosidade. Esses dados foram vinculados na formula em um algoritmo Spring 5.4.2, a fim de estimar as velocidades em 10, 20, 30 e 40 metros de altura alem seus respectivos potenciais de geracao. A normal climatologica apresentou velocidade media total de 2,49 m.s -1 , velocidade media minima de 2,05 m.s -1 , velocidade media maxima de 2,92 m.s -1 e direcao predominante provinda de Leste. A fotointerpretacao identificou 37,61% da area com obstaculos de ate 2 metros de altura, 59,77% entre 2 e 10 metros e 2,63% com mais de 10 metros. As velocidades resultantes do algoritmo identificaram os maiores desvios-padroes nas maiores velocidades. Os mapas apontaram que independentemente da media, o maior potencial de geracao ocorre a 40 metros.

The Devonian Escarpment (DEEPA), located in the south of Brazil, represents an important area of environmental preservation composed by grasslands, gallery forests, as well as rock outcrops and archaeological sites. A law project (LP 527/2016), which suggests a reduction of the DEEPA area in approximately 70% of its original area (from 393,579 to 125,895 ha), is currently being processed in the Paraná State House of Representatives. Such reduction seems to be related to economic interests (mainly agriculture and mining) in the state of Paraná. If approved, LP 527/2016 will allow farmers to deliberately expand their activities, with the suppression of natural forest as main consequence. Additionally, loss of faunal diversity, contamination of water and soils, and alteration in nutrient cycles are expected, due the intensive use of agrochemicals. In addition to the direct environmental consequences, we expect the disappearance of areas of high geological interest, reducing local geodiversity, as well as substantial economic losses with ecotourism. Brazil is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, where it undertakes to develop strategies to prevent biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation by 2020. An approval of the LP would be contradictory, considering that there are few natural vegetation areas in this region of the country. We emphasize that the proposal of such projects goes against the sustainability in the country and disregard the scientific knowledge generated until then. Thus, it is necessary to develop regional and federal political objectives that guarantee economic development in a balanced way, considering the local bio and geodiversity, not the proposal of mechanisms that destroy them. Resumo: A Escarpa Devoniana (APAED), localizada no sul do Brasil, representa uma importante área de preservação ambiental composta por campos, matas de galeria, além de afloramentos rochosos e sítios arqueológicos. Atualmente, tramita na câmara dos deputados do estado do Paraná um projeto de lei estadual (PL 527/2016) que sugere a redução da área da APAED em aproximadamente 70% de sua área original (de 393.579 para 125.895 ha). Tal redução parece estar relacionada com interesses econômicos (principalmente agropecuária e mineração) no estado do Paraná. Caso aprovado, o PL 527/2016 permitirá que agricultores expandam suas atividades deliberadamente, tendo como consequência principal a supressão de áreas de floresta nativa. Com isso, espera-se perda de diversidade faunística, contaminação de água e solos e alteração nos ciclos de nutrientes, dado o aumento no uso de agroquímicos. Além das consequências ambientas diretas, podemos esperar o desaparecimento de elevado interesse geológico, reduzindo a geodiversidade local, além de substanciais perdas econômicas com ecoturismo. O Brasil é um dos países signatários da Convenção da Diversidade Biológica das Nações Unidas, onde se compromete a desenvolver estratégias que evitem a perda da biodiversidade e a degradação de ecossistemas até 2020. Assim, a aprovação desse projeto de lei é, no mínimo, contraditória considerando que existem poucas áreas de vegetação natural nessa região do país. Destacamos que a proposta de tais projetos vai contra a sustentabilidade no país e desconsideram o conhecimento científico gerado até então. Dessa forma, é necessário o desenvolvimento de objetivos políticos regionais e federais que garantam o desenvolvimento econômico de forma equilibrada, considerando a bio e geodiversidade local, e não a proposta de mecanismos que as destruam.

Forest fragmentation may negatively impact fauna and flora. An important tool for the development and implementation of research on these effects is the use of a geographic information system (GIS). This paper aims to perform an integrated analysis of the landscape fragments that compose the Alonzo River watershed, Paraná State, by using remote sensing tools and landscape ecology metrics. The analyzed landscape metrics were Patton’s index, total area of the patches, edge length, edge density, forest fragment density, and the core area of the patches. The results showed 888 forest patches with area values ranging from 0.15 ha to 2509.82 ha, and it represents 12.5% of the total forest land cover of the studied basin; this means that 85.3% of the forest patches are less than 50 ha and that 75% of those fragments have a Patton’s index value of less than 3.9. The fragments that compose the studied area may be subject to edge effects and biodiversity loss as long as they present reduced areas and small core areas. Thus, the use of GIS and landscape ecology metrics is a quick and efficient way to evaluate the effect of fragmentation over large areas.

International audience; Although several authors have pointed out the importance of earth surface process to passive margin escarpments relief evolution and even drainage rearrangements, the dynamics of a consolidated capture area (after a drainage network erodes the escarpment, as the one from the Itajai-Acu River) remain poorly understood. Here, results are presented from radar elevation and aerial imagery data coupled with in-situ-produced 1 Be concentrations measured in sand-sized river-born sediments from the Serra Geral escarpment, southern Brazil. The Studied area's relief evolution is captained by the drainage network: while the Itajai-Acu watershed relief is the most dissected and lowest in elevation, it is significantly less dissected in the intermediate elevation Iguacu catchment, an important Parana River tributary. These less dissected and topographically higher areas belong to the Uruguai River catchment. These differences are conditioned by (i) different lithology compositions, structures and genesis; (ii) different morphological configurations, notably slope, range, relief; and (iii) different regional base levels. Along the Serra Geral escarpment, drainage features such as elbows, underfitted valleys, river profile anomalies, and contrasts in mapped chi-values are evidence of the rearrangement process, mainly beheading, where ocean-facing tributaries of the Itajai-Acu River capture the inland catchments (Iguacu and Uruguai). The Be-10 derived denudation rates reinforced such processes: while samples from the Cacador and Araucarias Plateaus yield weighted means of 3.1 +/- 0.2 and 6.5 +/- 0.4 m/Ma respectively, samples from along the escarpment yield a weighted mean of 46.8 +/- 3.6 m/Ma, almost 8 times higher. Such significant denudation rate differences are explained by base-level control, relief characteristics, and the geology framework. The main regional morphological evolutionary mechanism is headward denudation and piracy by the Itajal-Acu River tributaries, As the escarpment moves from east to west, Itajal-Acu River tributaries develop, leading to regional relief lowering and area losses within the Iguacu and Uruguai catchments. Such processes were accelerated since Itajai-Acu tributaries reached into sedimentary and volcanic rocks. From this moment on, Serra Geral became the main hydrographic divide between the ocean- and inland facing-catchments in the area.

International audience

Public services management is a fundamental role to public institutions, providing society with proper resources for a better quality of life. Local characteristics should be considered during public policies planning; however, generalizations are adopted to elaborate studies, overlooking these characteristics. Our objective was to apply a geostatistical analysis into the public services of Campo Mourão, Paraná State. The number of residents per census tracts lacking in water supply, sewage collection, waste collection, street lighting, electricity, and paving was found based on 2010 Census data. The spatial distribution of these data with the software ArcGIS 9.3 enabled the examination of these characteristics via the Cluster and Outlier method, through the Anselin Local Moran's I spatial analysis module, that identified hotspots and coldspots. As a result, it was found that Campo Mourão is satisfactorily supplied with electricity distribution services and waste collection with only 0.5% of absence in the census tracts. The sewage collection by the general network was the most absent service with 37% absence rate. Parque Industrial I and Jardim Isabel neighborhoods stood out as the most devoid of public services. The Cluster and Outlier Analysis is a subsidy tool for policy-making, which can increase efficiency when providing these services.

O presente trabalho investiga a influência morfoestrutural e morfotectônica no arranjo das drenagens da zona de falha rio Alonzo. Para tanto, utiliza-se, principalmente, de análises de índices geomorfológicos da rede de drenagem. A metodologia aplicada fundamentou-se na integração de dados Shuttle Radar Topography Mission SRTM e nas variáveis morfométricas em ambiente de Sistema de Informação Geográfica SIG. A fim de obter parâmetros de análise de anomalias geomórficas e controles estruturais, a identificação e a vetorização das feições foram pautadas em interpretação visual e pela comparação entre índices morfométricos, tais como: Fator de Simetria Topografia Transversal, Assimetria de Bacias de Drenagens e Índices RDE (Relação Declividade Extensão). O rio Alonzo drena uma área de aproximadamente 2620 km², possui uma extensão de 171 km, desde sua nascente, no município de Ortigueira, até a sua foz, nas proximidades do município de Grandes Rios. As altitudes variam de 1000 m a 380 m, representando uma amplitude de 620 m. O rio encontra-se, em sua maior parte, ajustado às falhas e fraturas, sendo diferenciados dois trechos em ascensão (convexo) e em subsidência (côncavo)

This article presents the seppomen map technique through the computer application by using the free GIS software SPRING®. The methodology was applied to the ...

The removal of vegetation from the Parana river floodplain has been increasing since the 1950s the until present time, but no study has been made about its spatial distribution. The purpose of this paper is to map and analyze the temporal evolution of vegetation distribution over the Parana river floodplain between 1976 and 2007. Orbital images from 1976 (LANDSAT MSS-1), 1987 (LANDSAT TM-5), 2000 (LANDSAT ETM+7) and 2007 (CBERS-2 CCD) were utilized to compare the evolution of the vegetation distribution over that time period. The images were georeferenced using SPRING 4.3.3 software and classified by the Bhattacharya algorithm; the maps were produced using the Global Mapper 7.4 software. Three different classes of vegetation, water bodies and exposed soil areas were distinguished for each studied year. The comparison of the generated vegetation maps showed a significant enlargement of the water bodies and a position change of the humid vegetation areas between 1976 and 1987, among other small modifications in the referred classes between 1987 and 2007. This indicates that the major river floods modified the morphology of the floodplain, and that the continuous enlargement of the exposed soil areas, along with the reduction of the vegetation areas, showed that anthropic action over the floodplain has increased over the years.

This study evaluates the dynamics of vegetation and land cover of the Upper Parana River floodplain (region of Puerto Rico - PR) between 1987 and 2007. Classifications using MAXVER and ISOSEG algorithms were used in scenes Landsat-5/TM of three distinct dates: 14/03/1987, 09/10/1999 and 22/04/2007. The results show an increase in the area of bare soil between the period of 1987 to 1999 due to human occupation. The area of bare soil observed in the image of april of 2007 reflects the flood that occurred in january and february of that year. The Kappa index and global accuracy 116 Bol. geogr., Maringa, v. 28, n. 1, p. 115-126, 2010 denote that the both methods produced similar results to the study area. The MAXVER classification presented greater efficiency for the general classification, and ISOSEG has been more efficient for the classification of wetlands.

This research had as its main objective to analyze the landscape of the city of Novo Itacolomi from a spatial cutout, in an attempt to analyze historical, economical and environmental transformations that occurred in that space, as well as qualify the interference of human action on production of that study area, which resulted in this present dynamics. Regarding the concept of landscape, the study assumed a systematic approach, seeking an integrated analysis of the landscape. Although the study made by this research is restricted to that site, many characteristics present here can also be found in the entire north of Parana during the occupation period, accomplished above all by CMNP. Thus, it is characterized as a developing urban geographic space, as well as a rural area with significant agricultural production through diversified agriculture – allied with cattle raising, which most of the city’s land, and aviculture. This clearly evidences the impacts of how the occupation was developed and later soil uses.

A água subterrânea é um importante recurso natural, muitas vezes essencial para o abastecimento urbano. Estudos que visam a integridade de aquíferos é um dos objetivos na gestão dos recursos hídricos. Nesse sentido, diferentes ferramentas de gestão atuam na proteção dos recursos hídricos subterrâneos, destacando-se os índices de determinação da vulnerabilidade e risco à contaminação. A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo principal realizar análise da influência dos parâmetros intrínsecos do sistema aquífero Serra Geral e condicionantes de usos e ocupação do solo para avaliação e espacialização da vulnerabilidade e risco de contaminação em bacia hidrográfica urbana. A utilização de geotecnologias foi determinante para o desenvolvimento dos trabalhos, propiciando a geração de uma série de mapas temáticos que foram utilizados para embasar tomadas de decisão que resultaram na classificação do ocupação do espaço e na avaliação da vulnerabilidade e risco de contaminação aquífera O trabalho é constituído por dois artigos, sendo que o primeiro trata da determinação da vulnerabilidade intrínseca do sistema aquífero Serra Geral utilizando metodologia GOD, sua espacialização e análise considerando a bacia hidrográfica do ribeirão Cambé-PR, trazendo como produto final mapa com as áreas mais susceptíveis a contaminação. O segundo artigo apresenta uma série de levantamentos do meio físico e antrópico para identificar fatores que determinam o Índice de Perigo (IP) e Índice de Risco (IR) para o sistema aquífero Serra Geral em bacia hidrográfica urbana. O trabalho produz resultados para a necessidade de estudos que envolvam a bacia hidrográfica como unidade de planejamento e gestão ambiental de uso e ocupação do solo urbano, especialmente no que tange a proteção das águas subterrâneas. Groundwater is an important natural resource and for supply in many cities in Brazil. Studies aimed at the natural integrity of aquifers is one of the goals in water resources management. In this sense, management tools are important in the protection of groundwater resources, especially the indices for determining vulnerability and risk to contamination. The main objective of this research is to carry out an evaluation of intrinsic parameters of the Serra Geral aquifer system and of land use and occupation to assess and spatialize the vulnerability and risk of contamination in an urban watershed. The use of geotechnologies was decisive for the development of the works, generating a series of thematic maps that resulted in the classification of the use of space and the assessment of the vulnerability and risk of aquifer contamination. The work consists of two articles, the first dealing with the determination of the intrinsic vulnerability of the Serra Geral aquifer system using GOD methodology, considering the Cambé-PR river basin, as a result presents a map with the areas most susceptible to contamination. The second article presents a series of surveys of the physical and anthropic environment to identify factors that determine the Hazard Index (PI) and Risk Index (RI) for the Serra Geral aquifer system in an urban watershed. The work produces results for the need for studies involving the hydrographic basin as a planning and environmental management unit for the use and occupation of urban land, especially considering the protection of groundwater.