Side Event
Brazilian-German Co-operation on biodiversity research in the Mata Atlântica region of Brazil. Application oriented research in Curitiba on soil biota.
Organizer
PT-DLR Funding Agency of BMBF (BMBF=German Federal Ministry of Education and Research) In cooperation with CNPq / MCT (!)
Date and Time
24 March 2006 13:15 - 15:0
Presentations and discussion of an integrated cooperative approach focussed on research for the protection of biodiversity of the Mata Atlântica region. (4-5 speakers from Brazil and Germany) plus discussion Speakers: 1.Representatives of the funding agencies/ministries of Brazil and Germany 2.Renato Marques, UFPR Universidade Federal do Paraná Selection of tree´s species in forest restoration projects as a strategy to improve ecosystem biodiversity 3.Hubert Höfer, State Museum of Natural History Karlsruhe Biodiversity research and Biological Quality Assessment. A Brazilian-German attempt at application in the Mata Atlântica 4.Clovis Borges, SPVS Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental The importance of long-term international research partnership in forest regeneration and conservation in the Atlantic rainforest of Paraná, Brazil 5.Jörg Römbke, Oekotoxikologie GmbH Biological Indication of Soil Quality. The European perspective 6.General discussion In order to develop strategies to conserve what remains from the Mata Atlântica the Brazilian and German Ministries of Research launched the joint research program entitled „Science and Technology for the Mata Atlântica“. The program consists of four cooperation projects that, based on interdisciplinary research in the natural and social sciences, investigate: 1) rainforest fragmentation, conservation of nature, and needs of people; 2) regeneration of the Atlantic rainforest fragments; 3) soil fertility and its relation with a healthy forest growth and 4) the interaction between plants and animals. These research projects should provide the basis for a sustainable use of the coastal forest, not only for preservation purposes, but also to improve the quality of life for the human inhabitants. In this way, it is intended that the program should contribute to the balanced ecological, social and cultural development of the Mata Atlântica region. As one example from the Mata Atlantica program a special focus will be given in this side event on the application oriented research project SOLOBIOMA which has its research areas close to Curitiba. SOLOBIOMA studies the diversity, assemblage structure and biomass of several selected soil organisms with regard to their function for decomposition and nutrient cycling processes in forests of the southern Mata Atlântica. A comparison of different forest types will indicate factors which determine the presence or absence of species, as well as factors possibly relevant for species richness and community structure. This analysis is used to assess the impact of human disturbance on the soil community under different edaphic conditions.