http://www.dpi.inpe.br/Miguel/Michelle/Referencias/Ecologia_da_Paisagem/BiologicalConservation_SpecialIssue_2009/02_Ribeiro_et_al_biocons_2009.pdf

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest:: how much is left and how is the remaining forest distributed? Implications for conservation

Much as Rachel Carson's \"Silent Spring\" was a call to action against the pesticides that were devastating bird populations, Charles S. Elton's classic \"The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants\" sounded an early warning about an environmental catastrophe that has become all too familiar today-the invasion of nonnative species. From kudzu to zebra mussels to Asian long-horned beetles, nonnative species are colonizing new habitats around the world at an alarming rate thanks to accidental and intentional human intervention. One of the leading causes of extinctions of native animals and plants, invasive species also wreak severe economic havoc, causing $79 billion worth of damage in the United States alone. Elton explains the devastating effects that invasive species can have on local ecosystems in clear, concise language and with numerous examples. The first book on invasion biology, and still the most cited, Elton's masterpiece provides an accessible, engaging introduction to one of the most important environmental crises of our time. Charles S. Elton was one of the founders of ecology, who also established and led Oxford University's Bureau of Animal Population. His work has influenced generations of ecologists and zoologists, and his publications remain central to the literature in modern biology. \"History has caught up with Charles Elton's foresight, and \"The Ecology of Invasions\" can now be seen as one of the central scientific books of our century.\"-David Quammen, from the Foreword to \"Killer Algae: The True Tale of a Biological Invasion\

The Ecology of Invasions by Animals and Plants

Prospects for biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest: Lessons from aging human-modified landscapes

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest hosts one of the world's most diverse and threatened tropical forest biota. In many ways, its history of degradation describes the fate experienced by tropical forests around the world. After five centuries of human expansion, most Atlantic Forest landscapes are archipelagos of small forest fragments surrounded by open-habitat matrices. This 'natural laboratory' has contributed to a better understanding of the evolutionary history and ecology of tropical forests and to determining the extent to which this irreplaceable biota is susceptible to major human disturbances. We share some of the major findings with respect to the responses of tropical forests to human disturbances across multiple biological levels and spatial scales and discuss some of the conservation initiatives adopted in the past decade. First, we provide a short description of the Atlantic Forest biota and its historical degradation. Secondly, we offer conceptual models describing major shifts experienced by tree assemblages at local scales and discuss landscape ecological processes that can help to maintain this biota at larger scales. We also examine potential plant responses to climate change. Finally, we propose a research agenda to improve the conservation value of human-modified landscapes and safeguard the biological heritage of tropical forests.

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Experiences from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: ecological findings and conservation initiatives

Summary 1. Research addressing the effects of habitat fragmentation on species, assemblages or ecosystems has been fraught with difficulties, from its conceptual foundation to statistical analyses and interpretation. Yet, it is critical to address such challenges as ecosystems are rapidly being altered across the world. 2. Many studies have concluded that effects of habitat loss exceed those of fragmentation per se, that is, the degree to which a given amount of habitat is broken apart. There is also evidence from different biomes and taxa that habitat configuration, that is, the spatial arrangement of habitat at a given time, may influence several landscape processes such as functional connectivity, edge and matrix effects, and thus population viability. 3. Instead of focusing attention on the relative influence of either habitat loss or fragmentation, we must identify portions of the gradient in habitat amount where configuration effects are most likely to be observed. Here, we suggest that all species are, to a certain degree, sensitive to landscape change and that, assuming a homogeneous matrix, habitat configuration will have a higher influence on species at intermediate values of habitat amount, where configuration has potentially the greatest variability. 4. On the basis of empirical studies and simulations, we expect that species that are relatively tolerant to fragmentation of their habitat will exhibit a wider band where amount and configuration interact compared to species less tolerant to fragmentation. 5. Synthesis and applications. Reducing habitat loss should be a top priority for conservation planners. However, researchers should also investigate the indirect impacts of habitat loss on biodiversity through fragmentation effects. This research aims to identify windows of opportunity where habitat configuration can mitigate to some extent the effects of habitat loss, particularly through the maintenance of functional connectivity.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1365-2664.12190

REVIEW: Beyond the fragmentation debate: a conceptual model to predict when habitat configuration really matters

Towards an ecologically-sustainable forestry in the Atlantic Forest

Fisheries bycatch is a primary driver of population declines in marine megafauna. These captures not only have environmental impacts, they also have economic consequences for fishers such as direct losses when repairing fishing gear. Therefore, evaluating the fishers’ perception of bycatch and comparing it with data from scientific fisheries observers might provide a broader view of the current situation these species face. To do this, we obtained data concerning the bycatch of 1,838 sea turtles between 2008-2018 in the Eastern Pacific Ocean as well as informative surveys from 421 artisanal fishers surveyed in 2020. There is a discrepancy between the bycatch observed and the fishers’ perceptions of it. The observers’ results identified that high rates of incidental capture of sea turtles are associated with the mahi mahi fishery that occurs during winter and is a shallow set fishery using fish as bait. The olive ridley turtle was the main species affected by bycatch. According to the fishers’ perception, bycatch was higher with the use of J-hooks and a longline (compared to circle hooks and to gill nets and trawl nets) and when the target species are pelagic fish during the winter season. In addition, the fishers’ perception showed that 39.4% considered incidental fishing as an environmental problem and 28.5% considered it as a nuisance, while 32.1% do not consider sea turtle bycatch as a problem. These findings suggest that 60% of fishers do not consider it a need to protect sea turtles. Given the different responses between fisheries observers and fishers’ perception, it is clear that more dialogue is necessary to raise awareness about the effects of bycatch on worldwide sea turtle populations. Thus, there is an enormous potential to recruit/increase fishers’ active participation for turtle protection. In this context, the idea of including the fishers’ perception into any management strategy or conservation measure should be reinforced in order to effectively reduce the bycatch of these iconic species. Graphical Abstract

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Micheline Vergara

Papers

Towards an ecologically-sustainable forestry in the Atlantic Forest

By-catch of sea turtles in Pacific artisanal fishery: Two points of view: From observer and fishers