Projeto Flora Toucan Cipó

Vegetation survey of Fazenda Toucan Cipó and surrounding area (Santana do Pirapama, Minas Gerais, Brazil)

Background

Taxonomic and floristic research is now providing detailed evidence of the great botanical richness in the Espinhaço range, but there remains much to be done. Working towards improving conservation in one of the richest areas of plant biodiversity in Brazil, this project is investigating the flora of the campo rupestre vegetation and surrounding cerrado and other associated vegetation types.

SEE IMAGES FROM SITE

Fazenda Toucan Cipó, in the municipality of Santana do Pirapama, is located between the presently protected Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó and the Diamantina region, within an area highlighted for the importance of its biodiversity (Drummond et al. 2005). Despite not being presently included within a protected area, the specific situation of this municipality strengthens the case for detailed studies to justify its conservation, as the area is strategically placed in the middle of a corridor of high ecological significance. Recent development of steel manufacturing plants in the neighbouring cities of Sete Lagoas and Belo Horizonte have increased the demand for fuel and this has affected the local cerrado vegetation, which is being burned to make charcoal to feed the industry.

In February 2007 a joint expedition from the Herbarium and the Universidade de São Paulo undertook a first survey of the vegetation by means of general collection. Several different habitats were visited, alongside the campo rupestre, and three new plant species were discovered in that expedition alone, together with several new records of endangered/rare species occurring in this extremely rich area. The expedition also started ground-truthing for the vegetation mapping.

Progress

With support from the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation (2008) the project has begun vegetation mapping of the area. Satellite data were purchased to perform a detailed survey of the different vegetation types in and around Fazenda Toucan Cipó, and are being processed in order to highlight both natural and disturbed sites. A vegetation change study, evaluating reduction of the area of cerrado vegetation and its impact in the municipality as a whole has shown 12% decrease on the forest cover in the region between 1986 and 2001, and further decrease of plant cover is expected.

Three field expeditions were carried out to perform ground-truthing for the vegetation mapping and to develop the botanical inventory, amassing over 1500 plant collections and over 5000 high resolution images of plants and habitats. Amongst these, over 5 species new to science were discovered. A field-guide and a plant checklist are under preparation, and a sample of local plants are currently growing at the Fundação Zoobotânica of Belo Horizonte .

Bibliography

Drummond, G.M., Martins, C.S., Machado, A.B.M., Sebaio, F.A., Antonini, Y. 2005. Biodiversidade em Minas Gerais, ed. 2. Fundação Biodiversitas, Belo Horizonte, 222pp.

Kew project team

Project leader: Daniela Zappi

HLAA: Daniela Zappi, William Milliken, Nicholas Hind, Susana Baena, Eve Lucas

HPE: Nigel Taylor

Project partners and collaborators

Brazil:

Charles Frewen (Fazenda Toucan Cipó)
Universidade de São Paulo
Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro
Fundação Biodiversitas

Funders

The Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation