Análise dos programas de monitoramento e mitigação de atropelamento de fauna da ferrovia centro atlântica

Abstract

Railways are road structures of great importance for the transport of cargo and contribute to the socioeconomic development of the country. However, with every kilometer, railways add direct and indirect environmental impacts to local biodiversity, with one of the most visible of these impacts being the trampling of wildlife. This study's main objective is to evaluate the programs and methodologies used in monitoring and mitigating wildlife run-overs along 885 km of the Central-East corridor of the Centro-Atlântica Railway. This is an exploratory study, with a qualitative-quantitative approach, aimed at monitoring fauna being run over on the aforementioned railway extension, which occurred in different sections and moments between the years 2012 and 2022, including periods of rain and drought, being analyzed in the context of three monitoring groups, namely: Group 1 using the line auto method, in two campaigns, and Groups 2 and 3 using the template walking method, in two and 10 campaigns, respectively. The results of the general context, of each group individually and of the comparison between the three groups were analyzed. Among the results obtained, 83 species of animals were identified, belonging to four classes (mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds), in a total of 612 specimens, with a greater participation of the mammal class (n = 486), corresponding to 79.4 % of the sample, with wild animals being more representative (n = 380) compared to domestic animals (n = 145) and accounting for 62.0% of the total recorded. Mammals represented greater richness and abundance, with the presence of 39 species and emphasis on Tatupeba, Ox, Domestic Dog, Maned Wolf and Giant Anteater; and amphibians had the lowest number of species and specimens recorded, with hammerhead frogs, four-eyed frogs, butter frogs and cane toads standing out. Among the species threatened with extinction, 47 specimens of the species of Maned Wolf (n = 26), Giant Anteater (n = 20) and Giant Armadillo (n = 1) were recorded. In relation to the monitoring groups, Group 2 (walking on the template) presented the highest number of records of being run over, with 48 species and 220 specimens. In conclusion, it was found that the walking method on the template is more efficient for detecting animals run over on the railway, even with the sampling effort of the line track method being greater.