As a sequence to the release of maps of the Brazilian fauna in risk of extinction, IBGE will launch, during the Environment Expo, the first map of insects and other endangered land invertebrates.

As a sequence to the release of maps of the Brazilian fauna in risk of extinction, IBGE will launch, during the Environment Expo, the first map of insects and other endangered land invertebrates. A total of 130 species and subspecies of these animals may disappear, according to the latest List of Species of Endangered Brazilian Fauna, released in 2003 by IBAMA (Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources). Presented in the 1:5,000,000 scale (in which 1 cm of the map corresponds to 50 km of the territory), the map “Endangered Fauna: Insects and other Land Invertebrates – 2007” has been of much interest to many schools. It can be bought for R$ 15 at IBGE’s bookshops all over the country and also from the web site of the Institute: www.ibge.gov.br. On the web site it is also possible to see the map, accessing it either through “Maps” in the Channel section, or by clicking on the Geosciences section.

In a total of 130 endangered species and subspecies, there are 96 insects, such as bees, beetles, ants, butterflies, dragon flies, moths, etc., and 34 other species of other land invertebrates, such as spiders, daddy longlegs, pseudoscorpions, millipedes, snails, worms and so on.

These animals are distributed among the Federative Units (UF), and the biggest number of them are present in the state of São Paulo (46), Rio de Janeiro (41) and Minas Gerais (35), followed by Espírito Santo and Bahia (24 species each); Santa Catarina (13); Rio Grande do Sul (9); Paraná (7); Goiás (6); Pernambuco (5); Mato Grosso (4); Pará and Paraíba (3 each one); Mato Grosso do Sul and Amazonas (2 each one); and Acre, Rondônia, Ceará and Alagoas (1 species each one).

The most serious cases are those of four species which already feature as extinct in the IBAMA list: the Simopelta mínima ant, which used to be found in Bahia, the Acanthagrion taxaense dragon fly, from Rio de Janeiro, and the Fimoscolex sporadochaetus (white worm) and Rhinodrilus fafner (giant worm) worms,  from Minas Gerais.

The map is illustrtaed with pictures of the animals, and shows the primitive vegetation, the anthropic areas (changed by men) and the delimitation of biomes. The legend presents the names of classes, orders and families to which the species belong, as well as their scientific and common names, level of endangerment (extinct, critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable) and their geographic distribution.

The latest list of endangered animals released by IBAMA (2003 and 2004) brings a total of 632 species/subspecies of land and aquatic animals. In 2006, IBGE had already released the map of endangered birds; in 2007, it released the map of mammals, amphibians and reptiles, and this year, the institution is expected to release the last map of the series, with information about fishes and aquatic invertebrates.

This group of Brazilian animal species is a valuable possession and an enormous natural, cultural and economic treasure, but both the destruction of the vegetation coverage as well as extraction of resources have contributed considerably to its disappearance, which means loss of biodiversity. The end of natural habitats is one of the main factors accounting for the acceleration of the process of animal extinction – as well as others such as predatory hunting, pollution and the search for valuable animals for their economic value or use as ornamental pieces.

The studies about the endangered fauna have been conducted by IBGE since the end of the 1980’s, especially based on the IBAMA lists and complemented with information obtained from different surveys  institutions and from specialized literature. The studies produce data which are stored in the fauna registration databases to generate maps. By showing the spatial status of fauna preservation, IBGE contributes to the conduction of possible recovery programs for the endangered species and also to the rise of environmental conscience.