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One of the indicators included in the federal Multi-Year Plan (PPA) is the percentage of threatened animal species included in conservation action plans. The PPA is prepared for four-year periods (the current Plan refers to the period 2008-2011) and its status is evaluated every year. This indicator shows an increasing trend in the number of Brazilian threatened animals that are object of specific conservation actions (Table I-39).

Table I-39: Federal Multi-Year Plan‟s Indicator of the conservation of threatened species

Year Percentage of Brazilian animal species included in official endangered species lists that are object of conservation management action plans.

2003 2% 2004 Data unavailable 2005 7% 2006 9% 2007 10.76% 2008 31.76% Source: http://www.planejamento.gov.br/secretarias/upload/Arquivos/spi/plano_plurianual/avaliacao_PPA/relatorio_2 008/08_PPA_Aval_cad20_MMA.pdf

The Rio de Janeiro Botanic Garden leads a conservation project for bromeliads that spans the entire length of the Atlantic Forest. By 2006, the project had carried out 25 months of fieldwork in 16 states, bringing 1,866 georeferenced samples for herbarium collections, and 2,081 living individuals for the ex-situ conservation collection. This collection currently conserves approximately 6,200 accesses of 54 threatened bromeliad species of the Atlantic Forest. The Bromeliaceae checklist for the Atlantic Forest currently lists 1,169 taxa for this biome and 134 threatened species94.

Brazil develops action plans to guide the conservation and recuperation of threatened animal and plant species, although these efforts need to be significantly increased to adequately contribute to reduce the loss of biodiversity (Table I-40). These action plans are developed by ICMBio (fauna) and the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden (flora). Existing data on threatened plant species inside protected areas indicate that 54% of the total number of species included in the NGO Biodiversitas 2005 list of threatened plant species are represented inside protected areas.

Table I-40: Action plans for the conservation and recuperation of Brazilian threatened animal and plant species. Biome / Environment No of threatened species addressed by action plans Average no of threatened species addressed by action plans No of threatened species with active Advisory Groups Average no of threatened species with active Advisory Groups FAUNA (2003) FLORA (2002) FAUNA (2002- 2006) FLORA (2006) FAUNA (2002) FAUNA (2002-2006) Amazon 2 4.8 1 1 8 94

JBRJ, 2006. Presentation to the MMA Workshop to Define the National 2010 Biodiversity Targets. Acre, Brazil.

Pantanal 0 4.8 0 2 2.5 Cerrado 1 7.0 6 3 4 Caatinga 0 5.8 7 2 2 Atlantic Forest 5 1 22.2 1 8 20.5 Pampas 0 4.0 0 0 6 Freshwater Env. 2

Coastal & Marine 8 6.5 10 4.2

Total 15 1 24.7 15 23 38.5

Sources: Brazilian Network of Botanical Gardens; FNMA; PROBIO; Marini Filho, O.J. (2006) – all in: Brazil, Ministry of the Environment, 2006. Final Report of the Workshop to Define the National Biodiversity Targets for 2010.

Currently, only 29 (5%) of the 627 threatened animal species (419 vertebrate species and 208 invertebrate species) are addressed by conservation Action Plans. To improve effectiveness of the species conservation strategy, starting in 2009 ICMBio redesigned the Action Plans strategy, adopting an approach based on vegetation type, watershed, geographical aspects or threat. With the new design, each plan focuses a group of biologically similar species and may include a specific ecosystem as a focus area (e.g., island reptile species). By the end of 2010, 19 new Action Plans should be completed based on the new approach, increasing the proportion of threatened species addressed by Action Plans to 25%. ICMBio‟s target is to include all threatened vertebrate species in conservation Action Plans by 2014. ICMBio currently supports the implementation of Action Plans involving 17 species through 22 projects executed by its research centers. New resources are expected in 2011 to increase this support.

To improve the protection of biodiversity, ICMBio established collaboration with IUCN to conduct a regional assessment of fish species with the expectation of assessing approximately 55% of the vertebrate species by the end of 2010. Additionally, ICMBio is comparing data on the distribution of threatened species with existing infrastructure plans to prepare scenarios of threats to biodiversity, which should generate biodiversity vulnerability prognoses, allowing preventive conservation action.

Conservation management and sustainable use of native species

Some projects to repopulate rivers and lakes with native fish and turtles already exist in indigenous lands where the local populations of tracajás (a freshwater turtle) and some fish were extremely reduced due to excessive hunting and fishing. For example, in the Mamoadate Indigenous Land, of the Manchineri indigenous people (in Assis Brasil, Acre state) 95, in response to the acute decline of the tracajá population in the Iaco River, the community suspended the capture of this species for two years, during which a management program was initiated. This community promotes the reproductive success of wild pairs by protecting the breeding pairs, eggs and newborns, releasing the latter in the river after the hatching phase, when the predation risk decreases. In the natural cycle of this species, only one in a thousand baby turtles reach the adult phase, while in the managed population this number increases to 100 in 1,000, allowing repopulation to occur without leading to overpopulation, with no ecological imbalance and allowing the consumption of this species. To ensure the constant availability of tracajás as a local food source and for

commercialization, the community controls slaughter and repopulation rates to maintain the recovered population. In 2009, approximately 2,000 tracajás were released in the Iaco River. The traditional management practices are complemented with technical guidance provided by IBAMA and SEAPROF96.