Global warming threats can equal lep conservation

[Patrick Foley]

John's reference to the Mata Atlantica of Brazil causes me to make 2 points.

This rainforest (which hugs the coast of Brazil and creeps up the Parana 
river in the South) is over 90% gone, turned into giant fazendas of 
corn, wheat,  soybeans and cattle. And it is older than the Amazon, 
representing a unique assemblage of plants and animals. Along the coast 
there are some forest preserves of small extent. In the interior, the 
preserves appear to be largely mirages, still mostly in private hands 
and still given over mostly to agriculture and ranching. I would like 
more detailed information, perhaps from a Brazilian on this.The small 
bit of Argentina that goes up the Parana river has apparently better 
preserves.

Even during this, the "winter" season, the Butterfly fauna is enormous 
and visible near say the Iguacu Falls in Parana'. A good new book on 
them is

Gustavo R. Canals 2003. Mariposas de Misiones. Literature of Latin 
America, Buenos Aires. This has exellent photographs (about 3 per 
species) of about 400 species and a checklist of all names in the 
literature for Mission Province butterflies. It is in Spanish and 
English and costs about $30.

I have had little luck finding any butterfly literature for the 
Brazilian side of the Parana. And the floristic situation is also 
frustrating.

Patrick Foley
patfoley at csus.edu




 
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