AUTHOR=Magnusson William E. , Grelle Carlos E. V. , Marques Márcia C. M. , Rocha Carlos F. D. , Dias Braulio , Fontana Carla S. , Bergallo Helena , Overbeck Gerhard E. , Vale Mariana M. , Tomas Walfrido M. , Cerqueira Rui , Collevatti Rosane , Pillar Valério D. , Malabarba Luiz R. , Lins-e-Silva Ana Carolina , Neckel-Oliveira Selvino , Martinelli Bruno , Akama Alberto , Rodrigues Domingos , Silveira Luis F. , Scariot Aldicir , Fernandes Geraldo W. 

TITLE=Effects of Brazil's Political Crisis on the Science Needed for Biodiversity Conservation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2018

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00163

DOI=10.3389/fevo.2018.00163

ISSN=2296-701X

ABSTRACT=<p>The effects of Brazil's political crisis on science funding necessary for biodiversity conservation are likely to be global. Brazil is not only the world's most biodiverse nation, it is responsible for the greater part of the Amazon forest, which regulates the climate and provides rain to much of southern South America. Brazil was a world leader in satellite monitoring of land-use change, <italic>in-situ</italic> biodiversity monitoring, reduction in tropical-forest deforestation, protection of indigenous lands, and a model for other developing nations. Coordinated public responses will be necessary to prevent special-interest groups from using the political crisis to weaken science funding, environmental legislation and law enforcement.</p>