Biodiversitas Foundation An overview

1. Biodiversitas Foundation An overview

2. Biodiversitas Foundation Biodiversitas Foundation is a Brazilian NGO, created in 1988 with the mission to promote the conservation of Brazilian biodiversity Biodiversitas is science oriented and committed to generate scientific basis to formulated public policies

3. Biodiversitas Biodiversitas strong connections • With the scientific community • with Brazilian authorities, in federal, state and municipaly levels - thus participating in several decision levels • Since 1990, Biodiversitas has been involved with Red List Assessment at the Federal and State levels • The current Brazilian Official Fauna Red List was coordinated by Biodiversitas team

4. Biodiversitas Protected Sites • Location: Canudos Biological Station • Trigger Species: Anadorynchus leari • Commum Name: Blue Lears Macaw • Threat Status (Brazil and IUCN): CR • Population: 70 (1990) and more than 1,000 (2012) • Main Threats: illegal trafic • AZE Site (yes/No): Yes • Partenrship: Judith Hart and ABC The species was downlisted from CR to EN. Its population

5. Biodiversitas Protected Sites • Location: Bandeira • Trigger Species: Merulaxis stresemanni • Commum Name: Stresemann’s Bristlefront • Data established: 2007 • Conservation Unit : Yes/Private • Estimated Population: > 50 individuals (Only 5 is confirmed) • Threat Status (Brazil and IUCN): CR • Main Threats: Habitat destruction, deforastation • AZE Site (yes/No): Yes • Others Endangered Species in the Site: 20 • Partnership: ABC and Birdlife International

6. Brazilian Fauna Red List 2003/2004 4th official red list of Brazilian fauna (using IUCN criteria) Total number of threatened species 627 (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes & invertebrates) Participants: 227 specialists

7. Brazilian threatened sps

8. Results of the Fauna Red Lists in BrazilLOGICAL FOLLOW-UPBRAZILIAN ALLIANCE FOR ZERO EXTINCTIONBAZE • Biodiversitas and the Brazilian Environmental Ministry launched, at the national level, the Brazilian Alliance for Zero Extinction - BAZE • BAZE replicates at the national level the same goals of the Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE), which aims at identifying the last refuges of “CR or EN” species, indicating and implementing measures for site protection • BAZE is composed of 40 government and non-government institutions and volunteer experts, who created a task force to save species severely threatened with extinction • www.baze.org.br

9. MembersCommitments • Actions to conserve and to recover BAZE trigger species • To raise funds to protect BAZE priority sites • Each member contributes according to the capacity (technical, financial, political skills) and expertise to protect priority sites • BAZE members are independent financially and it is expected that they direct projects to BASE proposed goals

10. BAZE implementation • The starting point • to identify and map priority sites , there is, to identify the unique locations of Brazilian BAZE trigger/threatened species • Identification and mapping the sites were carried out applying two methodologies accepted broadly: • criteria adopted by AZE for the identification of global sites and • criteria proposed to delimit Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).

11. AZE Site Selection Criteria • Presence of Critically Endangered or Endangered species = endangerement • Areas that maintain the only known population = irreplaceability • Potential for a management as a discrete conservation unit = discreteness

12. Data Source: Red Book of Brazilian Fauna

13. Data Sourcecartographical basis • Map of vegetation cover; • Topography; • Hydrographic maps; • Land use and occupation; • Municipality limits; • Infrastructure; • Protected areas - maps delivered by MMA

14. Trigger Species Selection • CR and EN species of five vertebrate groups (according to the Brazilian Fauna Red List). • Species may occur in more than one locality but 95% of the population is limited to one locality • Localities that correspond to migratory or reproductive sites of EN or CR species Phylidor novaesi

15. BAZE Analysis Number of CR or EN Vertebrates species in Brazil 197 species • 16 species were excluded from analyses • aquatic mammals and marine fishes, with limited population data – abundance & distribution data

16. BAZE Analysis Results • 36 trigger species identified, distributed in 32 sites • 15 sps correspond to AZE Sites for Brazil. • Taxonomic distribution • 12 fresh water fish • 9 amphibians • 2 reptiles • 8 birds • 5 mammals

17. Brazilian BAZE Sites • Atlantic Forest and Cerrado - both Brazilian hotspots, concentrate the largest number of BAZE priority sites • 16 sites - Atlantic Forest • 8 sites - Cerrado, • 3 sites - Caatinga • 2 sites - Amazon • 2 sites - Pampa biome Atlantic Forest (16 sites) Cerrado (8 sites)

18. Current Site Protection • 19 sites (60%) • no official protection • 8 sites (25%) • partially protected • 5 sites (15%) • within Conservation Units

19. BAZE Species Endemism • According to the distribution analysis • 30 species endemic to Brazil

20. BAZE Map

21. BAZE MAP

23. Candidate Species Species with limited data to qualify as AZE, but should keep an eye on: CR or EN Species according to the Official Red List of Brazilian Fauna, but still with deficient distribution data or with only historical data, hard to define site limit or Species within non delimited site because of lack of distribution data or due to total habitat destruction • these are priorities in terms of population surveys and field research

24. Next Steps • To establish conservation units to trigger species not represented in protected areas • To implement existing protected areas and ecological relevant areas for trigger species • To elaborate management plans and design conservation policies for BAZE sites • To support programs and/or institutions committed with the conservation and recovering BAZE trigger species • To enhance local communities awareness of the importance of trigger species and their habitats • To consolidate work teams on the conservation and management of trigger species and habitats To improve trigger species conservation status

25. Advantages of AZE Criteria and National Alliances • Sites identified at the national level using AZE criteria, but also applying local datasets are extremely effective to identifying priority conservation targets, p.eg., when government agencies plan to expand protected area system • AZE criteria have been and can be easily and consistently applied across all biogeographic regions and taxonomic groups, including plants • AZE criteria are national, bottom-up, interactive processes, which maximize efforts and perspectives of the resulting site priorities implementation

26. Advantages of AZE Criteria and National Alliances • Alliance composed of governments and a number of organizations working toward the same goal raises the chances of site and trigger species conservation success • The general public understands the risks of extinction and the importance to avoid extinction – POWERFUL MESSAGE • National alliances count on the support of Global AZE that helps in attempts to seek for funding

27. THANK YOU!!