Integrating Researchers for Understanding Biodiversity in Atlantic Forest

Long-term and interdisciplinary studies are needed to understand biodiversity and unravel ecological processes, test ecological hypotheses, propose public policies, and help decision-makers, especially with regard to human impacts and their consequences on the environment. These studies began with the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (LTER), generating knowledge about Brazilian ecosystems and their biodiversity. However, an integrative methodology was lacking in LTER sites, which was obtained using the RAPELD method developed in an Amazonian LTER site. In 2004, the Biodiversity Research Network Program (PPBio) was created in the Amazon and semiarid biomes, based on the strategy of creating regional hubs that served less favored regions in terms of human resources training and with great potential for biodiversity. In 2012, PPBio was expanded to the other Brazilian biomes. In a relatively short time, PPBio achieved consistent results, largely due to the use of RAPELD as an integrative methodology, which led to greater integration of information on different biotic and abiotic factors, as well as the availability of data in public repositories. LTER and PPBio are complementary networks of great relevance for the knowledge and conservation of Brazilian biodiversity, and their integration needs to be strengthened in the Atlantic Forest.