Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Fields and Forests of the Atlantic Forest

   CONTENTS  

Immersion in the remaining Atlantic Forest

The Atlantic Forest, one of the most extensive and degraded biomes in Brazil, is also located in Rio Grande do Sul. Only 7.48% of the original coverage remains in the state, and part of this percentage is due to the Pro-Mata Center for Research and Conservation of Nature, under which the Research Group on Biodiversity and Ecosystems in Fields and Forests of the Atlantic Forest is active.

One of the studies performed on the reserve maintained in the municipality of Săo Francisco de Paula proposes joining together biodiversity and biotechnology. Professor Claudio Mondin, leader of the group, coordinates research that investigates the diversity of microorganisms that inhabit tank bromeliads and their metabolic interaction with the host plant. The degradation of industrial waste is also analyzed using fungi and other microorganisms (phytotelmata) collected from the water accumulated in the leaves of bromeliads. These plants, abundant in the region, have not been extensively studied.

In the field of bioprospecting, the researchers seek phytochemicals in species of Baccharis (botanical genus composed of shrubs and small trees) with medicinal and aromatic potential. The study includes the Schools of Engineering, Biosciences, and Pharmacy of PUCRS. Another project, involving the Institute of Biomedical Research of the University and national institutions of higher education, seeks new phytotherapeutic elements for the therapeutic treatment of tuberculosis.

The survey of the fauna and flora species that exist in the Pro- Mata includes the third focus of action: environmental education. Teachers, undergraduates, and graduate students have access to the data and learning on-site or through the website of the Institute of the Environment and of Natural Resources (IMA) of PUCRS. At the headquarters of the Research Center, open to academic visitations, hosting, and guided studies, there are more than 60 interpretive and informative signs on the biota that exist there, in addition to panels with ecological, geographical, and geological data.

Academic and socio-environmental projects, including schools of the public network of Săo Francisco de Paula, are maintained through agreements with the HSBC Solidarity Institute.