A total of 439 species of terrestrial vertebrates, 28 amphibians, 47 reptiles, 279 birds and 85 mammals. This is the result of a lifting fauna that occurs in the territory of the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS), led by professor at the Biology Institute Wesley Silva, who also coordinated the team of the “Heritage” component of HIDS, responsible for diagnosing its environmental and cultural heritage and proposing ways to preserve it and integrate it into the functional life of HIDS. “Knowledge of local fauna must be used to carry out appropriate interventions and propose not only mitigating measures, but actions that, in the long term, contribute not only to the conservation of existing animal populations, but their balance over time”, highlighted Silva .
The survey is based on a compilation of historical and recent published data. The geographic reference for the survey was a circular perimeter of approximately five kilometers in radius from the center of HIDS. Publications and unpublished data provided by experts on the vertebrate fauna of the Unicamp campus, the Ribeirão Anhumas basin, which crosses the HIDS, and the Santa Genebra Forest were considered.
Based on historical and recent published data, the survey resulted in a faunal list with information about the group (amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals), order, family, scientific name, vernacular name and conservation status — critically endangered (CR) ; endangered (EM); vulnerable (VU); near threatened (NT); Least Concern (LC) and Insufficient Data (DD). According to the survey, most species are not threatened, considering the global, national and state scales. Almost all amphibians are “least concern” and only one species of reptile is threatened, the lizard. Cercosaura ocellata (“vulnerable” in the state of São Paulo).
Among birds, nine species are classified as “near threatened”, such as the true parrot Aestive Amazon and the araponga Procnias nudicollis. As Silva details, the true parrot has been domesticated since colonial times due to its great ability to imitate the human voice. “The search for the bird caused its population decline in almost all of Brazil. Fortunately, a small population has remained in the Campinas region over the last 30 years, frequenting open and even urbanized areas, as long as they are wooded, such as the Unicamp campus,” he explained. The presence of the araponga is much rarer. “If it is still present in the region, it should frequent the largest forest remnant in the region, the Santa Genebra Forest.”
Within the mammal group, carnivores have the largest number of threatened species in the HIDS region. One example is the maned wolf, which, due to the expansion of the agricultural frontier and urbanization processes, has expanded its occurrence in several regions of Brazil and ends up being exposed to being run over by people and unusual encounters, including on the Unicamp campus.
Silva highlights, however, that species with habits associated with forest habitats, such as the red howler monkey and the manakin, may occur in the HIDS if the conditions for preserving and restoring forest remnants are implemented.
This is the objective of the project Unicamp ecological corridors which will connect the preservation areas and compensation polygons of the Zeferino Vaz campus and Fazenda Argentina, with each other and with the fragments of vegetation in the area outside the university. Plans include the construction of wildlife crossings and the planting and maintenance of vegetation in ecological corridors, as well as fencing and signage.
Ecosystem services — The native fauna of HIDS is associated with some ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal, pest control and necrophagy (the habit of feeding on decomposing bodies). “The vertebrate fauna of the HIDS region is rich in birds and dispersing mammals, which, through this natural process, contribute to the reproductive cycle of plants, promoting the maintenance of biodiversity in the ecosystems where they operate”, stated Silva. According to him, the 13 species of hummingbirds with potential occurrence in HIDS collaborate in pollination. Of the 24 species of bats, at least 11 can include nectar in their diet, thus becoming potential pollinators, such as the hummingbird bat.
Among mammals, the most active is the wild dog. With nocturnal habits, it feeds on rodents and insects, but it is common for fruit seeds to be present in the feces it deposits along the trails and roads it travels. “Images and traces of the wild dog have been frequently obtained on the Unicamp campus and at Fazenda Argentina,” said Silva.
Real Time — The list of species that occur in HIDS is essential for generating and guiding intervention projects in the area, but, according to Silva, it is important to go beyond that. A next step would be to create a monitoring system. “We need to confirm in the field which species actually occur in the HIDS, what their ecological requirements are, the ecosystem services in which they are involved and their population responses and behaviors to changes in the environment”, stated the professor. This information, which can be obtained through various technologies already available, will help in the management of HIDS biodiversity.
Discussions to implement a project of this nature have already started at the HIDS Council, involving actors such as Unicamp, Embrapa, CPQD and the Eldorado Institute. In Silva's opinion, in addition to biodiversity management, the information generated by a monitoring system can be treated and conveyed in environmental education programs, helping to encourage a type of healthy and instructive relationship and responsible coexistence with biodiversity. “Our expectation is to create opportunities for HIDS users and neighbors to develop attitudes of appreciation and appreciation for wildlife. We believe that knowledge and the construction of healthy processes of coexistence with native fauna can contribute to the formation of responsible citizens in the era of sustainability. This would be a tangible example of HIDS’ innovative role,” he concludes.
