Author
Nárgila G. Moura
Other affiliations: Federal University of Pará, Cornell University
Bio: Nárgila G. Moura is an academic researcher from Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi. The author has contributed to research in topics: Biodiversity & Old-growth forest. The author has an hindex of 15, co-authored 23 publications receiving 1402 citations. Previous affiliations of Nárgila G. Moura include Federal University of Pará & Cornell University.
Papers
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Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi1, Lancaster University2, Universidade Federal de Lavras3, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária4, Cornell University5, University of Canberra6, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research7, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz8, Federal University of Pará9, Universidade Federal de Viçosa10, National Institute for Space Research11, University of Exeter12, University of São Paulo13, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso14, International Institute of Minnesota15, Stockholm Environment Institute16
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a large data set of plants, birds and dung beetles (1,538, 460 and 156 species, respectively) sampled in 36 catchments in the Brazilian state of Para.
Abstract: Concerted political attention has focused on reducing deforestation, and this remains the cornerstone of most biodiversity conservation strategies. However, maintaining forest cover may not reduce anthropogenic forest disturbances, which are rarely considered in conservation programmes. These disturbances occur both within forests, including selective logging and wildfires, and at the landscape level, through edge, area and isolation effects. Until now, the combined effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the conservation value of remnant primary forests has remained unknown, making it impossible to assess the relative importance of forest disturbance and forest loss. Here we address these knowledge gaps using a large data set of plants, birds and dung beetles (1,538, 460 and 156 species, respectively) sampled in 36 catchments in the Brazilian state of Para. Catchments retaining more than 69–80% forest cover lost more conservation value from disturbance than from forest loss. For example, a 20% loss of primary forest, the maximum level of deforestation allowed on Amazonian properties under Brazil’s Forest Code, resulted in a 39–54% loss of conservation value: 96–171% more than expected without considering disturbance effects. We extrapolated the disturbance-mediated loss of conservation value throughout Para, which covers 25% of the Brazilian Amazon. Although disturbed forests retained considerable conservation value compared with deforested areas, the toll of disturbance outside Para’s strictly protected areas is equivalent to the loss of 92,000–139,000 km2 of primary forest. Even this lowest estimate is greater than the area deforested across the entire Brazilian Amazon between 2006 and 2015 (ref. 10). Species distribution models showed that both landscape and within-forest disturbances contributed to biodiversity loss, with the greatest negative effects on species of high conservation and functional value. These results demonstrate an urgent need for policy interventions that go beyond the maintenance of forest cover to safeguard the hyper-diversity of tropical forest ecosystems.
698 citations
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Lancaster University1, Universidade Federal de Viçosa2, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi3, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária4, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research5, University of Canberra6, Universidade Federal de Lavras7, International Institute of Minnesota8, Stockholm Environment Institute9
TL;DR: Concerns that β-diversity has been underestimated as a driver of biodiversity change are supported and underscore the importance of maintaining a distributed network of reserves, including remaining areas of undisturbed primary forest, but also disturbed and regenerating forests, to conserve regional biota.
Abstract: Land-cover change and ecosystem degradation may lead to biotic homogenization, yet our understanding of this phenomenon over large spatial scales and different biotic groups remains weak. We used a multi-taxa dataset from 335 sites and 36 heterogeneous landscapes in the Brazilian Amazon to examine the potential for landscape-scale processes to modulate the cumulative effects of local disturbances. Biotic homogenization was high in production areas but much less in disturbed and regenerating forests, where high levels of among-site and among-landscape β-diversity appeared to attenuate species loss at larger scales. We found consistently high levels of β-diversity among landscapes for all land cover classes, providing support for landscape-scale divergence in species composition. Our findings support concerns that β-diversity has been underestimated as a driver of biodiversity change and underscore the importance of maintaining a distributed network of reserves, including remaining areas of undisturbed primary forest, but also disturbed and regenerating forests, to conserve regional biota.
228 citations
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Lancaster University1, University of Cambridge2, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária3, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi4, University of São Paulo5, National Institute of Amazonian Research6, University of Exeter7, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz8, Federal University of Western Pará9, Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement10, Universidade Federal de Lavras11, Universidade Federal de Viçosa12, Federal University of Pará13, State University of Campinas14, Universidade Federal de Goiás15, Institute of Applied Economic Research16, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro17, Stanford University18, The Nature Conservancy19, Oregon State University20, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso21, United States Environmental Protection Agency22, Monash University23, Federal Fluminense University24, London School of Economics and Political Science25
TL;DR: The Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazônia Sustentável, RAS), a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia, is presented.
Abstract: Science has a critical role to play in guiding more sustainable development trajectories. Here, we present the Sustainable Amazon Network (Rede Amazonia Sustentavel, RAS): a multidisciplinary research initiative involving more than 30 partner organizations working to assess both social and ecological dimensions of land-use sustainability in eastern Brazilian Amazonia. The research approach adopted by RAS offers three advantages for addressing land-use sustainability problems: (i) the collection of synchronized and co-located ecological and socioeconomic data across broad gradients of past and present human use; (ii) a nested sampling design to aid comparison of ecological and socioeconomic conditions associated with different land uses across local, landscape and regional scales; and (iii) a strong engagement with a wide variety of actors and non-research institutions. Here, we elaborate on these key features, and identify the ways in which RAS can help in highlighting those problems in most urgent need of attention, and in guiding improvements in land-use sustainability in Amazonia and elsewhere in the tropics. We also discuss some of the practical lessons, limitations and realities faced during the development of the RAS initiative so far.
158 citations
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TL;DR: The findings suggest that local extinctions caused by the loss and degradation of tropical forest are non-random with respect to functional traits, thus disrupting the network of trophic interactions regulating seed dispersal by forest birds and herbivory by insects, with important implications for the structure and resilience of human-modified tropical forests.
Abstract: Vertebrates perform key roles in ecosystem processes via trophic interactions with plants and insects, but the response of these interactions to environmental change is difficult to quantify in complex systems, such as tropical forests. Here, we use the functional trait structure of Amazonian forest bird assemblages to explore the impacts of land-cover change on two ecosystem processes: seed dispersal and insect predation. We show that trait structure in assemblages of frugivorous and insectivorous birds remained stable after primary forests were subjected to logging and fire events, but that further intensification of human land use substantially reduced the functional diversity and dispersion of traits, and resulted in communities that occupied a different region of trait space. These effects were only partially reversed in regenerating secondary forests. Our findings suggest that local extinctions caused by the loss and degradation of tropical forest are non-random with respect to functional traits, thus disrupting the network of trophic interactions regulating seed dispersal by forest birds and herbivory by insects, with important implications for the structure and resilience of human-modified tropical forests. Furthermore, our results illustrate how quantitative functional traits for specific guilds can provide a range of metrics for estimating the contribution of biodiversity to ecosystem processes, and the response of such processes to land-cover change.
121 citations
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Lancaster University1, Stockholm Environment Institute2, International Institute of Minnesota3, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research4, University of Canberra5, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária6, Environmental Change Institute7, Manchester Metropolitan University8, Cornell University9, University of Exeter10, National Institute for Space Research11, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz12, Universidade Federal de Lavras13, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi14, University of São Paulo15, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais16, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso17
TL;DR: Overall, the results show that naturally regenerating SFs can accumulate substantial amounts of carbon and support many forest species, however, given that the surveyed SFs failed to return to a typical UPF state, SFs are not substitutes for UPFs.
Abstract: © 2018 The Authors Global Change Biology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Secondary forests (SFs) regenerating on previously deforested land account for large, expanding areas of tropical forest cover Given that tropical forests rank among Earth’s most important reservoirs of carbon and biodiversity, SFs play an increasingly pivotal role in the carbon cycle and as potential habitat for forest biota Nevertheless, their capacity to regain the biotic attributes of undisturbed primary forests (UPFs) remains poorly understood Here, we provide a comprehensive assessment of SF recovery, using extensive tropical biodiversity, biomass, and environmental datasets These data, collected in 59 naturally regenerating SFs and 30 co-located UPFs in the eastern Amazon, cover >1,600 large- and small-stemmed plant, bird, and dung beetles species and a suite of forest structure, landscape context, and topoedaphic predictors After up to 40 years of regeneration, the SFs we surveyed showed a high degree of biodiversity resilience, recovering, on average among taxa, 88% and 85% mean UPF species richness and composition, respectively Across the first 20 years of succession, the period for which we have accurate SF age data, biomass recovered at 12% per year, equivalent to a carbon uptake rate of 225 Mg/ha per year, while, on average, species richness and composition recovered at 26% and 23% per year, respectively For all taxonomic groups, biomass was strongly associated with SF species distributions However, other variables describing habitat complexity—canopy cover and understory stem density—were equally important occurrence predictors for most taxa Species responses to biomass revealed a successional transition at approximately 75 Mg/ha, marking the influx of high-conservation-value forest species Overall, our results show that naturally regenerating SFs can accumulate substantial amounts of carbon and support many forest species However, given that the surveyed SFs failed to return to a typical UPF state, SFs are not substitutes for UPFs
108 citations
Cited by
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TL;DR: Why COVID-19 is an analogue to the ongoing climate crisis, and why there is a need to question the volume growth tourism model advocated by UNWTO, ICAO, CLIA, WTTC and other tourism organizations are discussed.
Abstract: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is challenging the world. With no vaccine and limited medical capacity to treat the disease, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPI) are the main strategy to contain ...
2,508 citations
01 Apr 2016
TL;DR: The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964.
Abstract: Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.
1,173 citations
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TL;DR: How beta-diversity is impacted by human activities, including farming, selective logging, urbanization, species invasions, overhunting, and climate change is reviewed.
Abstract: To design robust protected area networks, accurately measure species losses, or understand the processes that maintain species diversity, conservation science must consider the organization of biodiversity in space. Central is beta-diversity--the component of regional diversity that accumulates from compositional differences between local species assemblages. We review how beta-diversity is impacted by human activities, including farming, selective logging, urbanization, species invasions, overhunting, and climate change. Beta-diversity increases, decreases, or remains unchanged by these impacts, depending on the balance of processes that cause species composition to become more different (biotic heterogenization) or more similar (biotic homogenization) between sites. While maintaining high beta-diversity is not always a desirable conservation outcome, understanding beta-diversity is essential for protecting regional diversity and can directly assist conservation planning.
804 citations
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01 Jan 2009
TL;DR: In this article, a comprehensive review of the function of plantation forests as habitat compared with other land cover, examine the effects on biodiversity at the landscape scale, and synthesise context-specific effects of plantation forestry on biodiversity.
Abstract: Losses of natural and semi-natural forests, mostly to agriculture, are a significant concern for biodiversity. Against this trend, the area of intensively managed plantation forests increases, and there is much debate about the implications for biodiversity. We provide a comprehensive review of the function of plantation forests as habitat compared with other land cover, examine the effects on biodiversity at the landscape scale, and synthesise context-specific effects of plantation forestry on biodiversity. Natural forests are usually more suitable as habitat for a wider range of native forest species than plantation forests but there is abundant evidence that plantation forests can provide valuable habitat, even for some threatened and endangered species, and may contribute to the conservation of biodiversity by various mechanisms. In landscapes where forest is the natural land cover, plantation forests may represent a low-contrast matrix, and afforestation of agricultural land can assist conservation by providing complementary forest habitat, buffering edge effects, and increasing connectivity. In contrast, conversion of natural forests and afforestation of natural non-forest land is detrimental. However, regional deforestation pressure for agricultural development may render plantation forestry a ‘lesser evil’ if forest managers protect indigenous vegetation remnants. We provide numerous context-specific examples and case studies to assist impact assessments of plantation forestry, and we offer a range of management recommendations. This paper also serves as an introduction and background paper to this special issue on the effects of plantation forests on biodiversity.
783 citations
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Universidade Federal de Lavras1, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi2, Lancaster University3, Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária4, Cornell University5, University of Canberra6, Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research7, Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz8, Federal University of Pará9, Universidade Federal de Viçosa10, National Institute for Space Research11, University of Exeter12, University of São Paulo13, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso14, International Institute of Minnesota15, Stockholm Environment Institute16
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a large data set of plants, birds and dung beetles (1,538, 460 and 156 species, respectively) sampled in 36 catchments in the Brazilian state of Para.
Abstract: Concerted political attention has focused on reducing deforestation, and this remains the cornerstone of most biodiversity conservation strategies. However, maintaining forest cover may not reduce anthropogenic forest disturbances, which are rarely considered in conservation programmes. These disturbances occur both within forests, including selective logging and wildfires, and at the landscape level, through edge, area and isolation effects. Until now, the combined effect of anthropogenic disturbance on the conservation value of remnant primary forests has remained unknown, making it impossible to assess the relative importance of forest disturbance and forest loss. Here we address these knowledge gaps using a large data set of plants, birds and dung beetles (1,538, 460 and 156 species, respectively) sampled in 36 catchments in the Brazilian state of Para. Catchments retaining more than 69–80% forest cover lost more conservation value from disturbance than from forest loss. For example, a 20% loss of primary forest, the maximum level of deforestation allowed on Amazonian properties under Brazil’s Forest Code, resulted in a 39–54% loss of conservation value: 96–171% more than expected without considering disturbance effects. We extrapolated the disturbance-mediated loss of conservation value throughout Para, which covers 25% of the Brazilian Amazon. Although disturbed forests retained considerable conservation value compared with deforested areas, the toll of disturbance outside Para’s strictly protected areas is equivalent to the loss of 92,000–139,000 km2 of primary forest. Even this lowest estimate is greater than the area deforested across the entire Brazilian Amazon between 2006 and 2015 (ref. 10). Species distribution models showed that both landscape and within-forest disturbances contributed to biodiversity loss, with the greatest negative effects on species of high conservation and functional value. These results demonstrate an urgent need for policy interventions that go beyond the maintenance of forest cover to safeguard the hyper-diversity of tropical forest ecosystems.
698 citations