User:User000017/Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor

The Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor (CAFEC) (Portuguese: Corredor Central da Mata Atlântica is an ecological corridor in the states of Espírito Santo and Bahia, Brazil. It promotes improvements to connectivity between fragments of Atlantic Forest in the region. The Atlantic Forest has one of the richest biomes of the globe and is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot. The goal of the ecological corridor is to maintain the genetic health of it's species many of which are endemic to this part of the globe.

Purpose
=== An ecological corridor is beneficial in connecting nature reserves of plant and animal species from forest fragmentation. The Atlantic Forest has been reduced to island habitats due to years of illegal logging, urban sprawl, and farmland expansion. Species are at risk for inbreeding and low genetic variation if they are unable to move between island habitats. Low genetic variation puts species at risk for extinction from a greater susceptibility to disease and limited ability to adapt to environmental changes. The Atlantic Forest is a biodiversity hotspot where the CAFEC is working to strengthen species many of which are endemic to this area of the globe. ===

History
The corridor was created as part of the Ecological Corridors Project, for which the final evaluation was completed by the Ministry of the Environment in December 2000. A grant agreement between the World Bank and the Ministry of the Environment was signed in December 2001. The project was effective as of March 2002. Priority was given to the implementation of the Central Amazon Ecological Corridor and the Central Atlantic Forest Ecological Corridor to test different conditions in the two biomes and use the lessons learned to prepare and support creation of other corridors.

In the central corridor the state committees of the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve act as project management committees, with representatives from traditional populations, environmental NGOs, producers and businesses and the three levels of government. The strategy is to ensure protection of significant forest remnants and gradually increase the amount of connection between core portions of the landscape through control, protection and recovery of forest cover and development of sustainable production activities that contribute to the connections.

'''In 2006 the Brazilian Alliance for Zero Extinction Plan (BAZE) with the partnership with Fundaco Biodiversitas and The Brazilian Ministry of the Environment was launched by the Brazilian Government under the Minister of the Environment Marina Silva. The goal is to study the effectiveness of reserves (active sites) in protecting at risk for extinction populations in order to impact policy and allocate funding.''' https://zeroextinction.org/case-studies/the-brazilian-alliance-for-extinction-zero-baze-conservation-strategy/. As of, the Atlantic Forest has 75 active sites that are public land that are categorized as one or many of the following - conservation, research, restoration, and education.

'''The Brazilian Center for Road Ecology (CBEE) has been tacking the wildlife mortality on roadways. Within the National Strategy for the Conservation of of Threatened Species the CBEE estimated that, "more than 15 animals die on Brazilian roads every second." That number leads to an estimated 1.3 million dying on the road ways everyday which leads to 475 million possibly deceased by the end of the year.''' https://proespecies.eco.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FULL_PROJECT_GEF_Project9271_Pro_Especies_English.pdf. '''A further breakdown from 2023 shows that 1/3 of roadkill are species who are vulnerable for extinction per the IUCN red list. Most are categorized as medium to large vertebrate species. Also high on the list are carnivorous predators.''' https://transportecology.info/research/assessing-impacts-wvcs-brazil-roads. '''Since 2011, one of the ways the CBEE have been tracking roadkill is through the URBU app that allows users to take a picture and mark wherever roadkill is spotted. This has allowed the CBEE to track how corridors are playing a role in vehicle deaths. Often roadways can run right through reserve areas. The CBEE recommends posting signage to alert drivers of crossing areas, put up barriers, and also create land bridges for animals to cross.'''

The World Bank in 2021 released their, "Nature related Financial Risks of Brazil" where they detail the importance biodiversity has on the economy of Brazil and as the global GDP. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/105041629893776228/pdf/Nature-Related-Financial-Risks-in-Brazil.pdf