Abstract
Habitat destruction and the over-exploitation of species are perhaps thetwo most important processes threatening biodiversity. Whilst the growing humanpopulation puts considerable pressure on biological resources, a number ofsocial and economic factors tend to augment over-exploitation of theseresources. Here we show that the over-exploitation of the tropical palm treeEuterpe edulis Mart., as a consequence of social problems,has contributed significantly to its extinction in several forest fragments andalso to the disappearance of many wild animal species which used to be found inareas of the Atlantic Rain Forest (Brazil). Some of these species have been lostas a direct result of people hunting the animals when they went harvestingE. edulis while others disappeared as a consequence of thedecrease in food availability or by alterations in the trophic structure.
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Silva Matos, D.M., Bovi, M.L. Understanding the threats to biological diversity in southeastern Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation 11, 1747–1758 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020344213247
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020344213247