On the possible extinction of bird species in the Upper Paraná River floodplain, Brazil

Abstract

The Upper Paraná River floodplain (UPR) represents the last stretch of the Paraná River in Brazilian territory where a river-floodplain ecosystem still exists. However, the region had been subjected to intense deforestation in previous decades, and more than half of the original floodplain has been lost due to the construction of the Porto Primavera dam, which may have resulted in the local extinction of species. In the present study, we compared the list of bird species recorded before the construction of Porto Primavera dam (1926-1996) to that gotten afterwards (1999-2007) under the Long-Term Ecological Research program (LTER-site 6). We aim to investigate biogeographical and eco- logical traits of species potentially lost in the UPR. Endemism, proximity to the edge of species' geographic range, low tolerance to human-altered habitats and habitat specificity were associated to the potential extinction of birds in the UPR. The region represents an important opportunity for conservation, and should be target of conservation efforts to avoid further loss of species and ecological processes.