Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Niki Teunissen, Hamish McAlpine, Skye F. F. Cameron, Brett P. P. Murphy, Anne Peters
Summary: Climate change is causing changes in fire frequency and intensity, which highlights the importance of understanding how species and ecosystems respond. The study analyzes the impacts of low-intensity and high-intensity fire on riparian habitats in northern Australia. The findings show that both types of fire reduce population density, but the mechanisms and recovery time differ with fire intensity.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Hugh F. Davies, Casey Visintin, Brett P. Murphy, Euan G. Ritchie, Sam C. Banks, Ian D. Davies, David M. J. S. Bowman
Summary: This study investigates the effects of grassland fires on the population dynamics of four mammal species and finds that the population size of all species declines regardless of fire spatial pattern and dispersal ability. However, the final population size of three species is significantly influenced by fire size, with declines being most severe under the small/dispersed fire scenario. Therefore, achieving biodiversity conservation through fire management requires a balance between the spatial and temporal aspects of pyrodiversity, as well as a thorough understanding of the requirements of the target species.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Andrew Edwards, Ricky Archer, Phillip De Bruyn, Jay Evans, Ben Lewis, Tom Vigilante, Sandy Whyte, Jeremy Russell-Smith
Summary: Savannas are the most fire-prone of Earth's biomes and Australia has made substantial developments in savanna burning emissions accounting methods to incentivise conservative fire management. The savanna burning projects have generated significant emissions reductions and financial benefits, but biodiversity conservation considerations remain controversial. Despite achievements in reducing late season wildfires and increasing controlled burning, savanna burning projects do not solve all regional conservation and cultural management issues.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Paulo De Marco Jr, Rodrigo A. de Souza, Andre F. A. Andrade, Sara Villen-Perez, Caroline Correa Nobrega, Luiza Motta Campello, Marcellus Caldas
Summary: Areas set aside for conservation within private lands, especially in regions with poor public land protection, such as the Brazilian Cerrado, can effectively enhance biodiversity-friendly landscapes. Private protected areas accommodate a significant percentage of threatened vertebrate species ranges, and their spatial spread benefits a large number of species.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Clarice Vieira Souza, Agueda Lourenco, Maria Clara Chagas, Emerson M. Vieira
Summary: Understanding the response of mammalian communities to pyrodiversity is important for protecting biodiversity. This study investigated how medium- and large-sized mammals in a neotropical savanna respond to fire frequency, fire age, and spatiotemporal variations in pyrodiversity at different spatial scales. The results showed that mammal richness and diversity increased with variations in fire age, while abundance responded positively to fire frequency diversity but negatively to fire age diversity. Pyrodiversity can lead to rich and diverse mammal communities, but its effect on abundance may be limited. Fire management should focus on the diversity of fire age mosaics, especially for medium and large mammals, and management at intermediate scales is sufficient to generate pyrodiversity that affects mammal communities.
BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Miguel Canibe Iglesias, Virgilio Hermoso, Joao C. Campos, Claudia Carvalho-Santos, Paulo M. Fernandes, Teresa R. Freitas, Joao P. Honrado, Joao A. Santos, Angelo Sil, Adrian Regos, Joao C. Azevedo
Summary: The study emphasizes the importance of redefining zoning in protected areas to adapt to climate change, and highlights the need to review management policies to reduce fire risk and protect ecosystem services.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
William L. Geary, Anne Buchan, Teigan Allen, David Attard, Matthew J. Bruce, Luke Collins, Tiarne E. Ecker, Thomas A. Fairman, Tracey Hollings, Ella Loeffler, Angela Muscatello, David Parkes, Jim Thomson, Matt White, Ella Kelly
Summary: Megafires are increasing globally, posing severe impacts on biodiversity. This study outlines a framework for conservation managers to rapidly respond to megafires by quantifying impacts, initiating recovery efforts, and considering conservation options. Using the 2019/2020 megafires in Victoria, Australia as a case study, the framework uses decision support tools to identify affected species and habitats, and suggests specific conservation actions for recovery.
DIVERSITY AND DISTRIBUTIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ubirajara Oliveira, Britaldo Soares-Filho, Hermann Rodrigues, Danilo Figueira, Leticia Gomes, William Leles, Christian Berlinck, Fabiano Morelli, Mercedes Bustamante, Jean Ometto, Heloisa Miranda
Summary: Wildfires are worsening due to climate change, requiring territorial intelligence in public policies for prevention and control, especially in vast regions like Brazil. A fire-spread prediction system has been developed for the Brazilian Cerrado, the biome most affected by wildfires in South America, which calculates maps of fuels loads, vegetation moisture, and probability of burning to simulate fire spread multiple times a day. The model achieves a spatial match of 65-89% and is accompanied by ancillary data on an interactive web-platform, which serves as a tool for fire prevention and fight in selected conservation units.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Scott H. Harris, Matthew G. Betts
Summary: As the demand for wood products increases with global population growth, it is challenging to balance the competing values of biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, and timber production. Land sparing conserves forests while intensively managing areas for timber production, while land sharing utilizes ecological forestry approaches with lower yields. Although the sparing-sharing framework has been extensively studied in agriculture, it has rarely been applied to forestry.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Karlo G. Guidoni-Martins, Leandro Maracahipes, Adriano S. Melo, Marcus Cianciaruso
Summary: The study examined the effects of increased fire frequency on woody plant communities, indicating that high fire frequency reduces species richness but has minimal impact on species composition homogenization.
Article
Plant Sciences
Cassy Anne Rodrigues, Alessandra Fidelis
Summary: Different fire frequencies can result in changes in plant communities of open savannas in central Brazil, but do not affect species richness. Annual fire treatments show consistency in post-fire regeneration, while biennial treatments show more variation. Species that appear immediately after a fire may not persist in the long term.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Grant J. Williamson, Todd M. Ellis, David M. J. S. Bowman
Summary: Fire patchiness is an overlooked aspect of the fire regime concept, but it plays a crucial role in maintaining diverse plant and animal species. Current satellite technology struggles to accurately map fine-grained fire mosaics, hindering our ability to understand the relationship between declines in biodiversity and local pyrodiversity. However, a new method combining multiple data sources shows promise in effectively mapping fine-scale fire mosaics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lucas Cabrera Monteiro, Ludgero Cardoso Galli Vieira, Jose Vicente Elias Bernardi, Wanderley Rodrigues Bastos, Joao Pedro Rudrigues de Souza, Maria Cristina Nery do Nascimento Recktenvald, Adriely Ferreira da Costa Nery, Iuri Aparecida da Silva Oliveira, Cassio da Silva Cabral, Lilian de Castro Moraes, Cleber Lopes Filomeno, Jurandir Rodrigues de Souza
Summary: Mercury is a widespread chemical element in the Earth's crust and is considered a primary global pollutant due to its high toxicity and ability to accumulate in organisms. A study conducted in floodplain lakes in Brazil found that areas impacted by pasture and urban areas had higher mercury concentrations in water, sediment, and macrophytes. In contrast, preserved areas downstream had hotspots of mercury in periphyton and forest fires. The study also found that mercury concentrations in water and sediment were associated with high pH and organic matter content.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2024)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
J. M. Costa-Saura, D. Spano, C. Sirca, V. Bacciu
Summary: Two main approaches, fire spread simulators and machine learning models, are commonly used to map fire-prone areas. They differ in the handling of environmental variables, leading to contrasting spatial patterns and interpretations. Results from Southern Italy show that Random Forest produces more smoothed results compared to Flammap, which only shows medium-high burn probabilities in certain locations. Additionally, the burn probabilities differ across fuel types and environmental conditions, suggesting that decisions based on fire simulators are more linked with actions preventing fire spread, while those based on machine learning might be more linked with fire occurrence elements not necessarily related to spreading, such as socioeconomic causes.
ENVIRONMENTAL MODELLING & SOFTWARE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Maxwell R. Oliveira, Bruno H. S. Ferreira, Evaldo B. Souza, Aline A. Lopes, Fabio P. Bolzan, Fabio O. Roque, Arnildo Pott, Alexandre M. M. Pereira, Leticia C. Garcia, Geraldo A. Damasceno Jr, Ademilson Costa, Mesaque Rocha, Silvio Xavier, Rubens A. Ferraz, Danilo B. Ribeiro
Summary: The fire management conducted by indigenous fire brigades in the Kadiweu Indigenous Territory has been effective in reducing the frequency and size of fires, as well as minimizing the influence of climate on fire patterns. This highlights the importance of integrating traditional indigenous knowledge with fire management policies for effective strategies.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Eugenia Kelly Luciano Batista, Jeremy Russell-Smith, Helena Franca, Jose Eugenio Cortes Figueira
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2018)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Vania R. Pivello, Ima Vieira, Alexander Christianini, Danilo Bandini Ribeiro, Luciana da Silva Menezes, Christian Niel Berlinck, Felipe P. L. Melo, Jose Antonio Marengo, Carlos Gustavo Tornquist, Walfrido Moraes Tomas, Gerhard E. Overbeck
Summary: The unprecedented wildfires in Brazil have caused immense damages and shocked the world. Understanding the causes and consequences is crucial for developing successful management strategies. Historical perceptions and policies related to fire use and management in Brazil also need to be examined. Our review aims to provide valuable insights for academics, environmental managers, and decision-and policy-makers to address the increasing fire outbreaks in Brazilian biomes.
PERSPECTIVES IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Eugenia K. L. Batista, Jose E. C. Figueira, Ricardo R. C. Solar, Cristiano S. de Azevedo, Marina V. Beirao, Christian N. Berlinck, Reuber A. Brandao, Flavio S. de Castro, Henrique C. Costa, Lilian M. Costa, Rodrigo M. Feitosa, Andre V. L. Freitas, Guilherme H. S. Freitas, Conrado A. B. Galdino, Jose E. Santos Junior, Felipe S. Leite, Leonardo Lopes, Sandra Ludwig, Maria C. do Nascimento, Daniel Negreiros, Yumi Oki, Henrique Paprocki, Lucas N. Perillo, Fernando A. Perini, Fernando M. Resende, Augusto H. B. Rosa, Luiz F. F. Salvador Jr, Larissa M. Silva, Luis F. Silveira, Og DeSouza, Emerson M. Vieira, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes
Summary: Recent studies suggest that changes in fire regimes pose a significant threat to global biodiversity in the 21st century. To accurately identify species most at risk from fire, it is important to consider their physiological, ecological, and evolutionary traits along with their local fire exposure. A framework was developed to assess vulnerability to fire-induced stress in the Brazilian savanna, incorporating exposure (frequency, extent, and magnitude of fire) and sensitivity (biological, physiological, and behavioral traits). The Fire Vulnerability Index (FVI) categorizes species into four groups based on their vulnerability, from extremely vulnerable to least vulnerable, highlighting the need for a broader assessment method considering both traits and local fire exposure.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Christian Niel Berlinck, Luanne Helena Augusto Lima, Elildo Alves Ribeiro de Carvalho Junior
Summary: Fire plays a key role in affecting biodiversity structure and composition, with its effects depending on various factors. Research shows limited focus on the impact of fire on fauna and mammals, indicating the need to strengthen research in fire ecology and mammal studies.