Jaguar conservation in the American continent: the role of protected landscape and human-impacted biomes

Introduction: Worldwide, expanding human activities continue to be a threat to many large-bodied species, including jaguars. As these activities continue, it is critical to understand how home range sizes will be impacted by human-modified landscapes. Objective: To evaluate the importance of protected and unprotected land on home-range size across their range. Methods: We used home range data from 117 jaguars in several habitat protection categories and human biome types. We used a Generalized Linear Mixed Model to test home range and spatial overlap with conservation categories and human biomes. Results: Most home-ranges were in Jaguar Conservation Units (62 %), followed by Protected Areas (21 %), Indigenous People's Lands (10 %) and Jaguar Movement Corridors (3 %), where 76 % of the jaguars lived inside one the first three conservation types. However, outside of conserved land, Rangeland, Cropland, Seminatural land and other human biomes were also important (24 % of the individuals). Jaguars in Rangeland, Cropland and Seminatural land had the largest home ranges. Conclusions: Although conservation land was dominant, human-impacted lands appear to play a considerable role in satisfying the spatial requirements of jaguars.

Introducción: A nivel mundial, la expansión de actividades humanas continúa teniendo un riesgo para muchas especies de cuerpo grande, tal como los jaguares. Conforme continúen estas actividades, es crucial entender el impacto de paisajes modificados sobre el tamaño de su territorio. Objetivo: Evaluar la importancia de terrenos protegidos y no protegidos sobre el tamaño de su territorio a lo largo de su rango. Métodos: Usamos datos de tamaño de los territorios de 117 jaguares en varias categorías de protección de hábitats y biomas humanos. Usamos un Modelo Mixto Lineal Generalizado para probar traslapes espaciales y de territorios con categorías de conservación y biomas humanos. Resultados: La mayoría de los territorios estaban en Unidades de Conservación de Jaguares (62 %), seguido por Áreas protegidas (21 %), Tierras de Pueblos Indígenas (10 %) y Corredores de Movimiento de Jaguares (3 %), en donde el 76 % de los jaguares vivían dentro de alguna de las primeras tres modalidades de conservación. Sin embargo, fuera de áreas protegidas, pastizales, tierras de cultivo, terrenos seminaturales y otros biomas humanos también fueron importantes (24 % de individuos). Jaguares en pastizales, tierras de cultivo, y terrenos seminaturales tuvieron territorios más grandes. Conclusiones: Aunque las áreas de conservación fueron dominantes, áreas con impacto humano parecieron jugar un rol considerable en satisfacer los requerimientos espaciales de los jaguares.

Household availability of foods from Brazilian biodiversity / Disponibilidade domiciliar de alimentos provenientes da biodiversidade brasileira / Disponibilidad domiciliaria de alimentos provenientes de la biodiversidad brasileña

Abstract: Food biodiversity is characterized by the diversity of foods that compose a local, regional, or national ecosystem. Brazil has 20% of all the planet's biodiversity and the richest biomes in the world. Therefore, describing the participation of these foods in the Brazilian diet is relevant. Using a complex sample with data from 57,920 households collected by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics from 2017 to 2018, this study showed that, except for yerba mate, the availability of foods from Brazilian biodiversity is low, representing an average of 7.09g/per capita/day. Regarding biomes, the Caatinga had the highest availability of fruits (4.20g/per capita/day) while the Amazon had the highest availability of vegetables (1.52g/per capita/day). The results are unsatisfactory and lower than what is expected from a territory rich in biodiversity and a world-leading food system. A greater commitment is essential to promote actions that strengthen the consumption of these foods among Brazilians.

Resumo: A biodiversidade alimentar é caracterizada pela diversidade alimentar que compõe um ecossistema local, regional ou nacional. O Brasil tem 20% de toda a biodiversidade do planeta e os biomas mais ricos do mundo. No entanto, é relevante descrever a participação desses alimentos na dieta dos brasileiros. Utilizando uma amostra complexa com dados de 57.920 domicílios, coletados pelo Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística de 2017 a 2018, observou-se que, com exceção da erva-mate, a disponibilidade de alimentos provenientes da biodiversidade é baixa, representando uma média de 7,09g/per capita/dia. Por biomas, a Caatinga apresentou a maior disponibilidade de frutos (4,20g/per capita/dia), enquanto para legumes, a Amazônia se destacou (1,52g/per capita/dia). Os resultados são insatisfatórios e abaixo do que se espera de um território biodiverso e de um sistema alimentar que é destaque mundial. É necessário um maior comprometimento para a promoção de ações que fortaleçam o consumo desses alimentos entre brasileiros.

Resumen: La biodiversidad alimentaria se caracteriza por la diversidad alimentaria que conforma un ecosistema local, regional o nacional. Brasil tiene el 20% de toda la biodiversidad del planeta y los biomas más ricos del mundo. Sin embargo, es relevante describir la participación de estos alimentos en la dieta de los brasileños. Utilizando una muestra compleja con datos de 57.920 domicilios, recopilados por el Instituto Brasileño de Geografía y Estadística de 2017 a 2018, se observó que, con excepción de la yerba mate, la disponibilidad de alimentos de la biodiversidad es baja, representando un promedio de 7,09g/per cápita/día. Por biomas, la Caatinga presentó la mayor disponibilidad de frutos (4,20g/per cápita/día), mientras que en relación a las legumbres, la Amazonía se destacó (1,52g/per cápita/día). Los resultados son insatisfactorios y por debajo de lo que se espera de un territorio rico en biodiversidad y un sistema alimentario mundialmente reconocido. Es necesario un mayor compromiso para la promoción de acciones que fortalezcan el consumo de estos alimentos entre los brasileños.

Free-living capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in an urban area in Brazil: biochemical and hematological parameters

Capybaras have found favorable conditions for survival and reproduction in green urban environments. In recent years, the population of these large rodents has been increasingly abundant in several brazilian cities such as Uberlândia, a municipality of the southeastern region with a Cerrado biome. Capybaras are important in the Brazilian Spotted Fever epidemiological chain, by amplifying infection rates of the vector population. However, knowledge of this host's physiology is scarce. Thus, the aim of this work was to describe hematological and biochemical parameters of free-living capybaras groups in urbanized areas in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Capybaras were captured in 4 different locations of Uberlândia city, Minas Gerais state, including 1 Condominium (P1), 1 Private Market Garden (P2), 1 Private Club (P3) and 1 Municipal Park (P4). The animals were baited into an octagonal iron corral and chemically contained with anesthetic darts. After sedated, blood was collected from the femoral vein in tubes with and without EDTA. Biochemical evaluation, hematological analysis with differential leukocyte counts and search for Dirofilaria sp. were done. The blood count and biochemistry values obtained from animals of different ages, sex and sectors (P1, P2, P3 and P4) were submitted to the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, considering 95% significance. Values that had a normal distribution were subjected to ANOVA tests followed by Student's t-test. Values that did not follow normality were submitted to the Kruskal-Wallis test, to obtain a P-value, with a significance level of 95%. A total of 19 capybaras were captured: 4 in P1, 6 in P2, 4 in P3 and 5 in P4. From the 19 animals, 13 were females (68.42%) and 6 were males (31.57%), 12 adults (63.15%) and 7 juveniles (36.84%). Apart from occasional skin scars and moderate to intense Ambyomma spp. tick infestations, all captured animals were healthy on a broad examination. From 5 animals captured in P4, despite the use of anticoagulant, blood from 4 animals clotted fast. No microfilariae were found in the thick drop test in any of the 19 animals sampled, and in 2 adult female capybaras captured in P1, Kurloff cells were observed. Hematological and biochemical values presented no major differences when comparing sex and age. Nevertheless, differences in liver and kidney profile were observed between the capybara groups, including ALT, alkaline phosphorus, BUN and creatinine. Blood from 4 animals clotted fast, despite the use of EDTA tubes. Blood clotting of samples with anticoagulant in this work could be associated with some physiological features inherent to capybaras. Many attempts were required to obtain enough blood from each individual due to the rapid hemostasis, what come in accordance with reports in literature. Kurloff cells were observed in 2 adult female capybaras captured in P1, which can be found in peripheral blood of female rodents during follicular phase of estrous cycle. Hematological and biochemical values differences in liver enzymes such as ALT and alkaline phosphorus, and kidney profile enzymes including BUN and creatinine could be associated to capture stress or dietetic variation between groups. Despite statistical relevant, the values were still in accordance with other works, although comparisons should be done with caution since various environments exert a diverse array of stimulus upon the animals such as parasitic, infective, stress, nutritional, social and undoubtedly blood parameters mirror them. In conclusion, this work contributes to the standardization of free-living capybaras' physiological parameters in urban areas.(AU)

Cattle trade between and within biomes in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil / Trânsito de bovinos entre e dentro dos biomas no estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil

The analysis of animal movement patterns may help identify farm premises with a potentially high risk of infectious disease introduction. Farm herd sizes and bovine movement data from 2007 in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, were analyzed. There are three different biomes in Mato Grosso: the Amazon, Cerrado, and Pantanal. The analysis of the animal trade between and within biomes would enable characterization of the connections between the biomes and the intensity of the internal trade within each biome. We conducted the following analyses: 1) the concentration of cattle on farm premises in the state and in each biome, 2) the number and relative frequency of cattle moved between biomes, and 3) the most frequent purposes for cattle movements. Twenty percent (20%) of the farm premises had 81.15% of the herd population. Those premises may be important not only for the spread of infectious diseases, but also for the implementation of surveillance and control strategies. Most of the cattle movement was intrastate (97.1%), and internal movements within each biome were predominant (88.6%). A high percentage of movement from the Pantanal was to the Cerrado (48.6%), the biome that received the most cattle for slaughter, fattening and reproduction (62.4%, 56.8%, and 49.1% of all movements for slaughter, fattening, and reproduction, respectively). The primary purposes for cattle trade were fattening (43.5%), slaughter (31.5%), and reproduction (22.7%). Presumably, movements for slaughter has a low risk of disease spread. In contrast, movements for fattening and reproduction purposes (66.2% of all movements) may contribute to an increased risk of the spread of infectious diseases.(AU)

A análise dos padrões de trânsito animal pode ajudar a identificar estabelecimentos sob um risco potencialmente maior de introdução de doença infecciosa. Foram analisadas a rede de trânsito de bovinos no estado do Mato Grosso, Brasil, e uma base de dados com tamanho de rebanho, ambas de 2007. Há três biomas diferentes em Mato Grosso: Amazônia, Cerrado e Pantanal. A análise do trânsito animal entre e dentro dos biomas nos permitiu caracterizar quão conectados são os biomas e quão intenso é o trânsito interno dentro de cada bioma. Conduzimos as seguintes análises: 1) se o rebanho bovino está concentrado em alguns estabelecimentos no estado todo e em cada bioma; 2) sobre o número absoluto e a frequência relativa de bovinos movimentados entre os biomas; e 3) quais são os propósitos mais frequentes para o trânsito animal. Encontramos que 20% dos estabelecimentos possuíam 81,15% do rebanho total do estado. Estes estabelecimentos podem ser importantes para o espalhamento de doenças infecciosas, mas também para a implementação de estratégias de vigilância e controle. A maior parte do trânsito foi dentro do estado (97,1%), e o trânsito interno dentro de cada bioma foi predominante (88,6%). Um percentual alto de movimentos do Pantanal (48,6%) foi para o Cerrado, o bioma que recebeu mais bovinos para abate, engorda e reprodução (62,4%, 56,8% e 49,1% de todos os movimentos para abate, engorda e reprodução, respectivemente). Os principais propósitos para o comércio de bovinos foram engorda (43,5%), abate (31,5%) e reprodução (22,7%). Movimentos para abate presumivelmente oferecem um baixo risco para espalhamento de doença. Em contraste, movimentos para engorda e reprodução (66,2% de todos os movimentos) podem contribuir para o aumento do risco de espalhamento de doenças infecciosas.(AU)

Two new species of Trichomyia Haliday 1839 (Diptera, Psychodidae, Trichomyiinae) from the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil

Abstract Two new species in the Trichomyiinae (Psychodidae), Trichomyia pantanensis sp. nov. and Trichomyia lamasi sp. nov., are described and illustrated. New records are given for the two additional species Trichomyia spinicauda Araújo & Bravo, 2016 and Trichomyia hispida Araújo & Bravo, 2016. These four species comprise the first records of the genus in the Pantanal region.

Climatically-mediated landcover change: impacts on Brazilian territory

ABSTRACT In the face of climate change threats, governments are drawing attention to policies for mitigating its effects on biodiversity. However, the lack of distribution data makes predictions at species level a difficult task, mainly in regions of higher biodiversity. To overcome this problem, we use native landcover as a surrogate biodiversity, because it can represent specialized habitat for species, and investigate the effects of future climate change on Brazilian biomes. We characterize the climatic niches of native landcover and use ecological niche modeling to predict the potential distribution under current and future climate scenarios. Our results highlight expansion of the distribution of open vegetation and the contraction of closed forests. Drier Brazilian biomes, like Caatinga and Cerrado, are predicted to expand their distributions, being the most resistant to climate change impacts. However, these would also be affected by losses of their closed forest enclaves and their habitat-specific or endemic species. Replacement by open vegetation and overall reductions are a considerable risk for closed forest, threatening Amazon and Atlantic forest biomes. Here, we evidence the impacts of climate change on Brazilian biomes, and draw attention to the necessity for management and attenuation plans to guarantee the future of Brazilian biodiversity.

Catálogo de las abejas del género Bombus Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae) de Guatemala / Catalogue of the bees of the genus Bombus Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae) in Guatemala

Este catálogo contiene un inventario actualizado de las especies del género Bombus que han sido citadas para Guatemala. Se presentan los datos taxonómicos, incluyendo sinonimias, de un total de 13 especies. Además, para cada especie se indica su distribución geográfica y las regiones bióticas de Guatemala en las que se ha recolectado. Este trabajo es la base para la posterior revisión del género Bombus en Guatemala.

This catalog contains an updated list of the species of the genus Bombus registered for Guatemala. Taxonomic data are presented for a total of 13 species, including synonyms and their geographical distribution, with emphasis in Guatemala. This work is the basis for the subsequent revision of the genus Bombus in Guatemala.

Distribución esaacial del bosque seco tropical en el valle del cauca, Colombia / Spatial Distribution of Tropical Dry Forest in Valle Del Cauca, Colombia

En el departamento del Valle del Cauca, la distribución de Bosque Seco Tropical (BsT) se ha asociado al valle geográfico del río Cauca ubicado en la zona plana. Actualmente en esta zona, su cobertura se ha reducido a pocos relictos que se encuentran bajo alguna figura de conservación y mantienen áreas representativas de las formaciones vegetales sssstípicas de este bioma. Este trabajo se enfocó en el reconocimiento de la distribución espacial de formaciones vegetales de BsT en el departamento del Valle del Cauca. Se empleó información cartográfica secundaria para reconocer los biomas, ecosistemas y usos del suelo del área de estudio y en zonas adyacentes del piedemonte y montañas. Un modelo digital de elevaciones fue utilizado para realizar análisis altitudinales. En un sistema de información geográfico se aplicaron técnicas de geoprocesamiento y análisis geoespacial entre la información cartográfica y satelital. Los resultados evidencian que pese al avanzado deterioro de las coberturas de bosque seco en la zona plana, alrededor del 80 % se localiza en ecosistemas de montaña, específicamente en zonas de transición hacia bosques húmedos. A futuro, el potencial de estas áreas deberá evaluarse para ser incluidas en estrategias de conservación y restauración del bosque seco así como en el diseño de procesos adaptativos frente al cambio climático.

The distribution of tropical dry forest in the department of Valle del Cauca, has been associated with the geographic Cauca valley. Currently in this area, dry forest coverages has been reduced to a few relicts, which are found under some protection figure and also hold representative areas of the typical vegetation of this biome. This work is focused on the spatial distribution of BsT vegetation formations in the Department of Valle del Cauca. Secondary cartographic information was used to recognize biomes, ecosystems and land uses in the study area and over adjacent areas of the piedmont and mountains. A digital elevation model was used to perform altitudinal analysis. The results showed that despite the high human disturbance of dry forest in the flat area, about 80 % is located in montain ecosystems, specially on transition zones towards humid forests. In the future, the potential of these areas to be included in dry forest conservation and restoration strategies and also adaptive mechanisms in facing climate change should be evaluated.

Land-sea interface features of four estuaries on the South America Atlantic coast / Características da interface continente-oceano de quatro estuários da zona costeira da America do Sul

The Brazilian coastal zone extends from 4º N to 34º S latitude and because of its long extension, the interface zone from continent to ocean includes a high diversity of geomorphologic and oceanographic characteristics. The rivers from the Northeast and East regions are marked by a typical unimodal seasonal flux patterns but with different amplitudes. As the climate indicates, the rivers from the Northeast are subject to an accentuated seasonal variability with an elevated input and flood pulses during the rainy season and low to negligible fluxes during the dry season. Small-scale rivers usually present typical torrential behaviour. In the humid eastern region, the unimodal seasonal cycle is dampened with a more constant input supply. Recently, some studies have shown that the material supply from rivers along the Northeast and Eastern coasts is diluted by surface tropical waters of oceanic currents and that the estuarine plume dispersal is restricted to a narrow coastal belt. However, human impacts of course mask or even override both natural hydrological cycles and CO2 emissions from terrestrial biomes, or depending on the nature of the human impact, can even increase extreme events. Henceforth this contribution addresses the typological, hydrological and biome diversity of the four estuarine systems fed and affected by the respective Amazon, São Francisco, Paraíba do Sul and Plata watersheds.

A zona costeira brasileira se estende de 4º N a 34º S de latitude. Por causa de sua longa faixa de zona de interface do continente com o oceano, é encontrada uma grande diversidade nas características geomorfológicas e oceanográficas. Os rios das regiões nordeste e leste mostram um padrão de fluxo sazonal normalmente unimodal, mas diferentes em amplitude. Conforme o clima indica, os rios do nordeste estão sujeitos a uma acentuada variabilidade sazonal, com elevação da vazão em forma de pulsos de inundação durante a estação chuvosa e fluxos muito baixos ou mesmo negligentes durante a estação seca. Em rios de pequena escala, a vazão costuma apresentar um típico comportamento de eventos torrenciais. Na região leste, com clima tropical úmido, o ciclo unimodal sazonal se apresenta amortecido com uma entrada mais constante. Recentemente, alguns estudos mostram que a exportação de materiais pelos rios ao longo da costa leste e do nordeste é diluída a partir de águas tropicais superficiais de correntes oceânicas e que a dispersão das plumas estuarinas é restrita a uma estreita faixa costeira. No entanto, os impactos humanos mascaram ou mesmo substituem ambos os ciclos hidrológicos naturais e as emissões de CO2 dos biomas terrestres ou, dependendo da natureza, podem até aumentar os eventos extremos. Doravante, esta contribuição aborda a diversidade, a tipologia hidrológica e os biomas dos quatro sistemas estuários.

Land-sea interface features of four estuaries on the South America Atlantic coast

The Brazilian coastal zone extends from 4º N to 34º S latitude and because of its long extension, the interface zone from continent to ocean includes a high diversity of geomorphologic and oceanographic characteristics. The rivers from the Northeast and East regions are marked by a typical unimodal seasonal flux patterns but with different amplitudes. As the climate indicates, the rivers from the Northeast are subject to an accentuated seasonal variability with an elevated input and flood pulses during the rainy season and low to negligible fluxes during the dry season. Small-scale rivers usually present typical torrential behaviour. In the humid eastern region, the unimodal seasonal cycle is dampened with a more constant input supply. Recently, some studies have shown that the material supply from rivers along the Northeast and Eastern coasts is diluted by surface tropical waters of oceanic currents and that the estuarine plume dispersal is restricted to a narrow coastal belt. However, human impacts of course mask or even override both natural hydrological cycles and CO2 emissions from terrestrial biomes, or depending on the nature of the human impact, can even increase extreme events. Henceforth this contribution addresses the typological, hydrological and biome diversity of the four estuarine systems fed and affected by the respective Amazon, São Francisco, Paraíba do Sul and Plata watersheds.

A zona costeira brasileira se estende de 4º N a 34º S de latitude. Por causa de sua longa faixa de zona de interface do continente com o oceano, é encontrada uma grande diversidade nas características geomorfológicas e oceanográficas. Os rios das regiões nordeste e leste mostram um padrão de fluxo sazonal normalmente unimodal, mas diferentes em amplitude. Conforme o clima indica, os rios do nordeste estão sujeitos a uma acentuada variabilidade sazonal, com elevação da vazão em forma de pulsos de inundação durante a estação chuvosa e fluxos muito baixos ou mesmo negligentes durante a estação seca. Em rios de pequena escala, a vazão costuma apresentar um típico comportamento de eventos torrenciais. Na região leste, com clima tropical úmido, o ciclo unimodal sazonal se apresenta amortecido com uma entrada mais constante. Recentemente, alguns estudos mostram que a exportação de materiais pelos rios ao longo da costa leste e do nordeste é diluída a partir de águas tropicais superficiais de correntes oceânicas e que a dispersão das plumas estuarinas é restrita a uma estreita faixa costeira. No entanto, os impactos humanos mascaram ou mesmo substituem ambos os ciclos hidrológicos naturais e as emissões de CO2 dos biomas terrestres ou, dependendo da natureza, podem até aumentar os eventos extremos. Doravante, esta contribuição aborda a diversidade, a tipologia hidrológica e os biomas dos quatro sistemas estuários.

Caracterização epidemiológica da raiva bovina no estado de Mato Grosso, Brasil, no período de 1996 a 2006 / Epidemiological characterization of bovine rabies in the state of Mato Grosso, Brasil, in the period from 1996 to 2006

Um levantamento epidemiológico de todos os casos de raiva bovina ocorridos no Estado de Mato Grosso durante os anos de 1996 a 2006 foi realizado pela análise da curva epidêmica, por meio do cálculo do somatório, média, desvio padrão, valores máximos e mínimos da ocorrência de casos de raiva nos três ecossistemas; análise estatística entre o efetivo bovino nos três biomas do estado e o número de casos de raiva bovina; a distribuição sazonal e a situação da doença no estado em relação ao panorama nacional. Para organização dos dados, levou-se em consideração o mês e o ano de ocorrência da raiva e a região geográfica de origem do material. Os diferentes municípios envolvidos foram classificados conforme sua localização nas regiões de Cerrado, Pantanal e Amazônia. Constatou-se que a variação no número de casos positivos da enfermidade tem sido crescente nos últimos anos, sendo que o maior número de casos deu-se no bioma Cerrado, que apresentou uma tendência de aumento anual. A partir do ano de 2004, o ecossistema Cerrado passou da situação de enzootia para epizootia, ficando pois, evidente que o principal problema de raiva em bovinos no Estado de Mato Grosso está situado no bioma Cerrado.

An epidemiological survey of all cases of bovine rabies that occurred in Mato Grosso, Brazil, during the years 1996 to 2006 was conducted by way of the analysis of the epidemic curve, by calculating the sum, average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum values of the occurrence of rabies in three ecosystems; statistical analysis between the actual cattle in the three biomes of the state and the number of cases of rabies cattle; and the seasonal distribution and disease situation in the state in relation to the national scene. The data were organized by taking into account the month and year of occurrence of rabies and the geographic region of the origin of the material. The different cities involved were classified according to their location in regions of Cerrado, the Pantanal and the Amazon. It was found that the variation in the number of positive cases of the disease has been increasing in recent years, with the largest number of cases occurring in the Cerrado biome, which showed a trend of annual increase. Beginning in the year 2004 the Cerrado ecosystem passed from the situation of enzootic to epizootic, making it evident that the main bovine rabies problem in the state of Mato Grosso is situated in the Cerrado biome.

Remote sensing of vegetation: evolution and state of the art - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v30i4.5868 / Sensoriamento remoto da vegetação: evolução e estado-da-arte - DOI: 10.4025/actascibiolsci.v30i4.5868

Systematic surveys of the vegetative cover in Brazil include the semi-detailed mappings conducted within the scope of the Radam and Radambrasil projects, between 1971 and 1977, based on side-looking airborne radar images, and more recently, the assessments, based on Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery, of the remnant vegetation cover of the Brazilian biomes (MMA/PROBIO), finished in 2006. In a little more than 30 years, many changes have occurred, both in vegetation cover as well as in orbital remote sensing. In this review article, we discuss, from a conceptual and technological perspective, the evolution and the state of the art of imager sensors, as well as some of the enhancement techniques utilized for decoding (e.g., in biophysical parameters, etc.) and classifying the spectral response of vegetation. Likewise, we present the main current (pioneering) initiatives for land cover monitoring of the Brazilian biomes.

Levantamentos sistemáticos da cobertura vegetal no Brasil, à escala de semidetalhe, incluem aqueles realizados no âmbito dos projetos Radam e Radambrasil, no período de 1971 a 1977, tendo por base imagens de radar aerotransportadas e, mais recentemente, os mapeamentos, com base em imagens Landsat 7 ETM+, dos remanescentes da cobertura vegetal nos biomas brasileiros (projeto MMA/PROBIO), concluídos em 2006. Nestes pouco mais de 30 anos, muitas mudanças ocorreram, tanto na cobertura vegetal do país quanto no sensoriamento remoto orbital. Neste artigo de revisão, apresentamos, do ponto de vista conceitual e tecnológico, a evolução e o estado-da-arte dos sistemas sensores e discutimos algumas das técnicas mais utilizadas para decodificar (ex. em parâmetros biofísicos etc.) e classificar a resposta espectral da vegetação. Da mesma forma, apresentamos as principais iniciativas, históricas ou em curso, voltadas ao monitoramento da cobertura vegetal dos biomas brasileiros.