Abstract
Brazil is a continental-sized megadiverse country with high rates of habitat loss and degradation. Part of the Brazilian biodiversity – including endemic species – is recognized as threatened. By following the IUCN standards, we review the classification of all the 1172 endangered species in Brazil, analyzing differences among categories and groups. Based on a subsample of all 464 terrestrial vertebrates we identified 1036 records of threats affecting them. Criterion B was the most used (56% overall; 70% for CR species; 75% for EN), mainly related to reductions in their habitat area, extent and/or quality due to deforestation. Data on population declines (criterion A), number of reproductive individuals (criterion C), and population sizes (criterion D) are available for only a small fraction of the Brazilian fauna. Criterion E (probability of extinction in the wild) was used for only one species. Birds and mammals had the highest diversity of used criteria, while marine fish the lowest (90% related to declining populations). Two out of three of the 464 vertebrate species analyzed were negatively impacted by agribusiness. Other major threats are hunting, urban sprawl, rural settlements, and the construction of hydroelectric dams. Birds and mammals experience more co-occurrence of threats. Some threats are clearly underestimated in Brazil: climate change was indicated for only 2% species analyzed, but included no birds or amphibians. The main threats identified are linked to the patterns of economic development in Brazil and the current political and economic context points to a worrisome conservation scenario in the near future.
