Phylogenetic diversity and conservation challenges in Brejos de Altitude: assessing threatened areas of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Brejos de Altitude, ecosystems of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest (hotspot), preserve ancient clades currently threatened by logging and agricultural expansion. Given the risk of phylogenetic ruptures and loss of option values for future generations, this study employs Faith’s Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) to identify priority conservation areas within these ecosystems while also providing a comprehensive view of the management of phylogenetic resources in this region. For this purpose, 28 Brejos de Altitude Forest areas were selected and a calibrated phylogeny was constructed with 826 species to calculate the PD of each location. The PD values were subsequently overlain with shapefiles containing information on the region’s Conservation Units (UCs) to identify conservation gaps. We found that 67.85% of the areas are within UCs, most of which allow for sustainable resource use. However, most UCs exhibit management deficiencies, such as the lack of a management plan. Moreover, eight among the ten areas that present the highest PD values belong to UCs, and seven of these have sustainable use. In contrast, three areas with the lowest PD values belong to UCs, with two of them lacking a management plan and participatory management mechanisms. These findings demonstrate that high PD areas remain unprotected in the region, but the implementation of UCs alone may not ensure the conservation of phylogenetic heritage. Establishing well-managed UCs in high PD areas is necessary, as is strengthening the management of existing UCs by allocating financial resources and involving various sectors of civil society in decision-making processes.