07/01/2024 – 8:04
Thousands of animals and plants that are at risk of extinction can be saved if there is a focus on preserving an area that corresponds to just 1.2% of the Earth’s surface. This is the conclusion of a study published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Science which had the participation of 24 researchers from different countries.
“To define which areas should be protected to avoid the most likely and imminent extinctions, we propose Conservation Imperatives,” the study explains. “Conservation Imperatives” are strategic locations that are home to a significant number of species at risk of extinction and, therefore, could have a major impact on the preservation of the environment as a whole.
Based on this mapping, the researchers criticized the implementation of environmental protection areas that do not take into account the effective preservation of endangered species. The study reveals that the work done so far is bordering on ineffective: between 2018 and 2023, only 7% of new preservation areas were in territories that are home to threatened species.
“It’s as if countries are using a reverse selection algorithm and choosing places without rare species to add to global protected areas. The appeal of this paper is that we need to do a better job in the next five years and that is possible,” said Eric Dinerstein, one of those responsible for the study, to the British newspaper The Guardian.
The creation of new environmental protection areas is part of the commitment signed between UN Member States, which envisages the preservation of 30% of the Earth’s surface by the year 2030 – the so-called 30 x 30 Goal. The researchers defend inclusion of the locations mapped within this goal.
According to the study, 16,825 different sites make up the “Conservation Imperatives,” which is equivalent to 164 million hectares (1.2% of the Earth’s surface). The Philippines, Brazil and Indonesia alone account for more than half of all key conservation sites. Brazil ranks second in the ranking, with the concentration of almost 20% of the total points mapped in the study.
Cost
The estimated cost for preserving the indicated sites around the world is R$159 to R$253 billion per year, for five years. “Different approaches will be needed to achieve long-term protection goals: securing land rights and titles for indigenous peoples and local communities, federal and state government designation of new protected areas, and purchasing or long-term leasing of privately owned lands ”, says the study.
In the country, the Atlantic Forest should have priority
In Brazil, strategic areas are concentrated in regions where there is the Atlantic Forest, such as the immense coastal strip that runs from Rio Grande do Sul to Bahia. Still on the coast, the States of Pernambuco and Alagoas are also home to sites highlighted in the international study. The Atlantic Forest is the only biome that has a specific protection law – the same is under analysis for the Pantanal.
In the interior of the country, there are points of attention in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, which is located in the states of São Paulo, Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. In total, 12 Brazilian states have areas defined as “Conservation Imperatives” by researchers.
Trees
A study published last year by the journal Science presented a red list of almost 5,000 species of trees that occur in the Atlantic Forest. The study was led by Renato Lima, a professor at the University of São Paulo. Most of the species were classified in one of the threat categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In the end, it was considered that 82% of the more than 2,000 unique species are under threat.
The information is from the newspaper The State of S. Paulo.
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