The Atlantic Forest Trail is not just for people.
The proposal of the Research and Conservation Component is produce and gather knowledge and information to conserve natural environments and promote connectivity along the trail. A network of partner researchers is being built to propose and carry out large-scale monitoring actions along the entire trail, which may indicate effects of climate change along the latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. The proposed actions include:
– Identify priority areas for the protection and recovery of ecological corridors;
– Monitor movements of medium and large mammals among forest remnants to identify where fauna corridors still exist and where it is necessary to recover forests;
– Carry out restoration and encourage landowners to take measures such as the protection of springs and riparian forests, recovering of areas of legal reserve, or the implementation of agroforestry systems
– Engaging users and volunteers in citizen science actions to help monitor biodiversity along the trail (See more at Participatory Monitoring)
The medium-term goal is to form a monitoring network along the entire Serra do Mar, bringing together researchers, partners, and volunteers to generate data to assess the conservation status of the Atlantic Forest in the region and the effects of environmental degradation and climate change.
