Núcleo de Pastoreio Racional Voisin

The Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGs) has discovered high levels of biodiversity in the Pampa biome, which occupies the southern half of Rio Grande do Sul and part of the territories of Argentina and Uruguay. “Most people associate biodiversity with tropical forests, not with fields, and this is reflected in few public policies aimed at rural vegetation”, observes the professor and researcher in the field of Botany and Plant Ecology at Ufrgs, Gerhard Overbeck, who coordinated the pushing. According to him, even though the 56 species found constitute a record for the ecosystem, it is not uncommon to detect 30 to 35 species in the same space, numbers much higher than those found in the Cerrado and Pantanal, for example. The work was carried out in eight research sites in the state, which appeared to have their native vegetation more conserved.

It is believed that this high number of plant species is due to the native grassland vegetation that is still preserved in many regions of Rio Grande do Sul, precisely due to family livestock. years pass,” explains Overbeck.

In addition to Ufrgs, researchers from the federal universities of Pampa, Pelotas, Santa Maria, Santa Catarina and Fronteira Sul and Ponta Grossa state universities participated in the work, which was part of  Rede Campos Sulinos. The initiative was promoted by the Biodiversity Research Program (PPBio) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). Credits: Carolina Pastl

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