Biodiversity and Conservation of Plants in Brazil

Abstract:  With more than 56,000 species (excluding fungi), Brazil has one of the richest floras in the world—nearly 19% of the world flora. Our knowledge of the diversity and status of nonvascular plants in Brazil is still fragmentary, although localized studies on algae have revealed loss of species resulting from environmental pollution. Emphasis on local floral surveys, rather than wider taxonomic studies, has obscured estimates of national totals for most taxonomic groups. Knowledge of angiosperms, especially monocotyledons (of which 45% of the species are endemic), is more complete than most. For this group figures are more reliable, with some distribution patterns, endemism levels, and centers of diversity identified. Much, however, still awaits discovery. Coordinated efforts to catalog Brazil's flora are in progress and include projects such as the conservation priority-setting workshops of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment, which have identified key conservation areas in the major biomes; development of threatened species lists for plants; and the assembly of type data on species of northeastern Brazil through the Darwin Initiative—all of which greatly assist in increasing our knowledge. These initiatives also underline the urgent need to expand the numbers and geographic spread of projects on plant systematics and taxonomy in Brazil, a measure that demands adequate provision of funding and training programs for plant specialists. Finally, Brazil's environmental agency (IBAMA) could play a proactive role in opening protected areas under its jurisdiction, thereby facilitating botanical research by university departments and research institutes.     

ASSAULT PREVENTION AS SOCIAL CONTROL: WOMEN AND SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION ON URBAN COLLEGE CAMPUSES

Sexual assault on U.S.A. college campuses is increasingly recognized as an urgent and pervasive national problem. To prevent assault, school administrators and individual women promote and adopt safety strategies that often compromise women's free and independent use of the campus environment. Such strategies may fail to correspond to the actual nature of sexual assault on campus. Based on open-ended interviews with college personnel and women students, this study examines sexual assault and personal crime prevention strategies at two midwestern, urban universities. School and individual strategies are characterized according to type, goals, and orientation. Findings explore the relationship of strategies to sexual assault on campus, and implications of strategies for women's use of public space. Conclusions suggest means to increase real safety while enhancing women's freedom and mobility on and near campus.     

An assessment of frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes in peripheral blood of pigeons (Columba livia Gm) living in the polluted radioactive area around the Siberian chemical plant

We have examined approximately 15,000 pigeons living in the radioactive area polluted by releases of the Siberian Chemical Plant (SChP) as a result of an accident in April 1993. We have detected that almost all of the population of pigeons have a high frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes in their peripheral blood. Moreover, we have found that pigeons living in the downwind cities and towns situated closest to the SChP, particularly in the northern districts of the city of Tomsk and in the closed-city of Tomsk-7 (Seversk), have a significantly high frequency of micronucleated erythrocytes. The assessment of the situation in other Siberian cities has shown that frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes in pigeons living in Tomsk and Seversk are significantly higher than those in pigeons in the control cities. After the radiation accident the highest frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes was detected after six months and it gradually decreased over three years but there has been no full normalization. However, full normalization in frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes in pigeons placed in a vivarium occurred within six months. We have found that frequencies of micronucleated erythrocytes are significantly higher in female pigeons than in males.