2024/07/29 by Bruna Eliz Zorek, Sumalika Biswas, Fernanda Thiesen Brum +2 · 1 voice · 1 citation
Environmental Science · #Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management #Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110723
openalex publication_date 2024/07/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
The Araucaria Mixed Forest (AMF) is a highly endangered component of the Atlantic Forest, but detailed information about its conservation status across its entire historical range is lacking. In particular, there is a lack of updated information on the remaining area of AMF, how fragmented it is, and how much is currently protected. Moreover, it is still unclear how the history of deforestation is related to the creation of policies focused on AMF conservation through time. To fill these gaps, we used Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and machine learning focusing on the prominent presence of the keystone species Araucaria angustifolia (araucaria) to map AMF. The remaining AMF extends only 4.3% (~1.2 million ha) of its original range, of which only 13.5% are inside protected areas. AMF is highly fragmented, with 99% of patches <50 ha, making it vulnerable to further declines. Our analysis suggests that policies and conservation measures were insufficient to curb the AMF decline over time. Renewed actions are urgently needed to promote 1) formal protection of the largest AMF patches; 2) strengthening of existing protected areas; 3) integration of (private-owned) Legal Reserves into conservation strategies; and 4) continued and improved range-wide monitoring of AMF via satellite remote sensing. Finally, our approach to mapping AMF based on the prominent presence of araucaria provides a novel way to frequently update forest mapping with a robust proxy.