GEO Brasil - UNEP

the state of the environment in Brazil
9 Habitat Loss and Biodiversity – Exotic Species
The most evident impacts of the fast and ill-planned occupation of Brazilian
coastal strip on the marine and coastal environment are:
destruction of ecosystems, deforestation and threats to land and marine
biodiversity;
rise in the levels of pollution caused by the discharge of solid and liquid
waste on the soil, and in rivers, bodies of water and sea;
coastal degradation caused by intense extraction of sand, mangroves and
vegetation, land and sea erosion, and destruction of landscapes;
reduced availability of fresh water due to increased demand, excessive use
of underground water reservoirs, and lowering of of the water table
The great Brazilian mangrove swamps, for instance, are being destroyed by urban
and industrial pollution, a situation that is aggravated by the fact that they are in
an interior sea where the water flow is very slow In addition, they are threatened
by the pollution caused by petrochemical and chlorochemical complexes, present
at most large estuaries along the coast
Looking more closely at the northeastern region of Brazil, one of the main factors
for mangrove swamp degradation is the discharge of a sort of alcohol waste
called “vinhoto” from local alcohol plants, which kills large quantities of fish and
crustaceans Besides, the insecticides and fungicides used for sugarcane
cultivation are also discarded into the water
The significant reduction of mangrove
swamps and the disfigurement of
important estuary and bay complexes
have been reducing the habitat and
increasing food competition and
predation among many species, thus
contributing to the acceleration of the
death rates In addition, the recent use
of mangrove areas for aquaculture has
significantly reduced the area of these
ecosystems
Another relevant factor for the
reduction of biodiversity along the
Brazilian coast is the recent
introduction of exotic species brought
in ballast water, on ship hulls and on
oil platforms The many cases
previously observed and described
demonstrate very clearly that these
species will soon replace native
species in their habitats, thus reducing
the associated genetic pool
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