Impactos da Visitação Pública na Avifauna dos Parques Naturais Municipais Bosque da Barra e da Freguesia, Município do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest is a biome with a high richness of species and endemisms and in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro it is reduced in fragments, many of which are protected as nature conservation units (UC). However, they are under severe pressure due to urbanization. The present study aimed to evaluate the impacts of public visitation on the avifauna in two CUs under municipal supervision, the Parque Natural Municipal da Freguesia (PNMF). This study will contribute to expanding knowledge about the avifauna of the city of Rio de Janeiro and help in the development of strategies for its conservation. The study started in January 2021, using the Visitor Impact Management (VIM) method, where the impacts of visitation were identified, using the behavior of birds as a biological indicator. During sampling, the Frequency of Occurrence (FO), the Punctual Abundance Index (IPA) and the richness of the avifauna were recorded through fixed points of observation and listening. The behavior of birds in human presence was verified by the Flight Start Distance (FID) method. Data were compared between the periods when the PAs are closed for public visitation and the days with more intense visitation. Feeding habits, habitat use, reproductive cycles and other ecological data were also identified and recorded. The sampling effort was 135 hours with the registration of 66 species for the PNMBB, the most abundant being Thraupis palmarum and Ramphocelus bresilia. In the PNMF, 54 species were recorded, with greater abundance for Penelope superciliaris and Pitangus sulphuratus. By comparing the FO and IPA on days of UC open and closed to visitation, we identified a deficit of FO and IPA, with a reduction in the observed species richness. In the PNMBB, the species Aramides saracura and Patagioenas picazuro are the ones with the lowest FO and IPA on days when the UC is open to the public, and the ones with the highest are Thraupis palmarum and Ramphocelus bresilia, while in the PNMF, the species Phaethornis pretrei and Tachyphonus coronatus have the lowest FO and IPA and with greater are Penelope superciliaris and Pitangus sulphuratus on days of UC open to the public. It was possible to identify that the points less frequented by visitors have a greater richness of bird species. The noise caused by vehicles on the external roads of Jacarepaguá Airport and the behavior of visitors were classified as high impact.