Essential for researchers and environmental managers, the work, edited by a researcher from the Institute of Biosciences at University of São Paulo, offers a comprehensive overview of fire ecology in South America.
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The book Fire in the South American Ecosystems has just been published in digital format and promises to be a reference for understanding fire dynamics in South American ecosystems. Edited by Vânia Regina Pivello, from the Institute of Biosciences (IB) of University of São Paulo, and Alessandra Fidelis, from the São Paulo State University (Unesp), the work brings together 14 chapters written by specialists, mostly South Americans, and offers a comprehensive overview of: Indigenous and traditional uses of fire in South America; its impacts on vegetation, fauna, and ecosystem services; and the challenges of fire management in the context of the Anthropocene. The book is available in English and is for sale on the Springer Nature website at this link.
The aim of the work is to gather ecological, evolutionary, and social information about the fire factor in various South American ecosystems, mainly to compile data that were scattered across different sources (some with limited access, such as reports and theses), in order to support conservation and ecosystem management actions and guide future research as well as public policies. Its target audience includes researchers in the field and environmental decision-makers.
The organizers have been working on the topic of fire for many years and have maintained contact with several researchers from other South American countries who also work in this area. Vânia says that she and her editing partner realized along this journey “that there is considerable accumulated knowledge on the subject, but that it is often scattered and lacking an integrated vision. Organizing this knowledge in a broader and structured approach could facilitate its understanding both by decision-makers and the scientific community, as well as highlight gaps that demand new research,” she analyzes.
Another factor, according to Vânia, is that some countries have greater ease in inserting their research data into an international panorama, while others do not, and in that case, the information remains restricted to the internal community. “A book with international publication and reach could increase the visibility of this information and strengthen the exchange of experiences. For this reason, we invited native authors from the countries addressed, or with extensive work experience in those countries. These invited authors quickly embraced the proposal with enthusiasm, and the collaboration was extremely fruitful, resulting in a comprehensive and representative work that brings together different regional perspectives on the issue of fire in South American ecosystems,” she highlights.
Science and fire management
Vânia, who is also co-author of two chapters in the book, has extensive experience in teaching and research in the areas of plant ecology, conservation biology, savanna ecology, fire ecology, and biological invasions. She has led and coordinated several scientific projects at the Landscape Ecology and Conservation Laboratory (LEPaC) of IB and has provided consultancy and technical support to governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations on environmental issues. She serves as a specialized advisor to various research funding agencies and scientific journals, and is editor of the journal Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation. In 2018, she was recognized as one of the “women leaders in fire science” in the world.
The publication features other University of São Paulo researchers who are co-authors of chapters. Marcio Martins, from the IB Ecology Department, participated in chapter 5, called Fire in the Cerrado. Guilherme Moura Fagundes, coordinator of the Collective of Anthropology, Environment and Biotecnodiversity of the Department of Anthropology of the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Human Sciences (FFLCH) of University of São Paulo, participates in the chapter Traditional Fire Uses by Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in South America.
For Vânia, it is difficult to highlight any particular text, as all chapters are equally important both in their respective regional contexts and for the global understanding of the topic. “Perhaps the last two chapters deserve greater emphasis for broadening the view beyond local issues, addressing the South American panorama as a whole and synthesizing the main advances and challenges in fire management on the South American continent, including in a social context. In a world immersed in concerns about the consequences of global changes (climatic, land use), where fire is and will increasingly be a concern, I believe these final chapters offer reflections both in the realm of science and in the formulation of management actions and public policies.”
For more information about the book Fire in the South American Ecosystems, visit the Springer Nature website at this link
English version: Nexus Traduções
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