LEEP - Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Plantas Universidade Federal de Viçosa

Publications

Appealing the death sentences of the Doce, São Francisco and Amazonas rivers: stopping the Mining Lobby and creating ecosystem services reserves

Meira-Neto JAA, Neri AV (2017) Appealing the death sentences of the Doce, São Francisco and Amazonas rivers: stopping the Mining Lobby and creating ecosystem services reserves. Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. doi: 10.1016/j.pecon.2017.06.008

Authors

Andreza Viana Neri, Joao Augusto Alves Meira Neto

tThe Brazilian Mining Lobby uses Congress to weaken the Mining Code. In November 2015, the FundãoDam, which was retaining a reservoir of mining waste, collapsed in Minas Gerais State, causing the largestsocio-environmental disaster in Brazilian history. We propose actions for the restoration of the ecosys-tems of the Doce River Basin based on maps of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of plantsas potential providers of vital ecosystem services. To achieve these goals, a databank will be establishedby compiling existing databases on the vegetation of the Doce River Basin. We propose mapping bio-diversity potential for ecological restoration and the conservation of ecosystem functions and services.Such mapping will facilitate the identification and establishment of ecosystem services reserves. Onlywith this effort will actions to restore and maintain the ecosystem services of the basin be achievable.The same effort can be applied to other impacted river basins such as those of the São Francisco andAmazonas rivers.