CACHOEIRAS DE MACACU, Brazil — Gesturing across the still, green water reflecting the backdrop of forest-clad mountains, Nicholas Locke told of the time when this flourishing wetland was once a barren pasture after being drained, cleared, and used for cattle grazing. Over the last five centuries, much of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest has suffered a similar […]
Tag: tapirus terrestris
Tapir populations threatened by slow reproductive rates and fragmented habitats
In Brazil, calling someone a tapir is considered a derogatory term. However, there are several reasons why it should be seen as a praise. Tapirus terrestris, South America’s largest native land mammal and one of the planet’s most efficient supporters of biodiversity, is one of the most important, underappreciated, and persecuted species. The tapir, like […]
At-risk Cerrado mammals need fully-protected parks to survive: Researchers
Each April for six consecutive years, Guilherme Braga Ferreira and three other researchers set out on a half-year journey, methodically installing remote camera traps across 386 square miles of the Brazilian Cerrado savanna. Their goal: to photograph maned wolves, giant anteaters, pumas, tapirs and other Neotropical mammals, residents of the world’s most biodiverse grasslands. The […]
As the Amazon burns, what happens to its biodiversity?
The number of fires burning in standing Amazon rainforest spiked dramatically in recent weeks, threatening the forest’s biodiversity — a richness of flora and fauna not adapted to withstand the flames. Of all major fires detected in the Amazon this year, 43% were in standing forests, as of Sept 21, (up from only 13% in […]
A road blocking the way
Roads are our main transport routes and important drivers of socioeconomic development. However, the impacts of roads are one of the main factors responsible for the current biodiversity crisis. Roads impact individual organisms, populations, species, ecosystems and landscapes in various ways. their effects can be direct or indirect, short-term or permanent and apply to partially […]