Reserve Selection Based on Vegetation in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Brazilian Atlantic Forest is recognized as a hottest hotspot of biodiversity, and plant endemism is a key criterion used to this definition. In this biome, although geographic range of most plant species is unknown, it is possible to define limits of vegetation types. Here we performed a reserve selection analysis using vegetation types for Brazilian Atlantic Forest, more specifically in Rio de Janeiro State. The area of 19 vegetation types was calculated in each of the 5 km x 5 cells km superimposed to the Rio de Janeiro State. The representation targets established in the reserve selection procedure was 30% of the total area for more common vegetation types, and a higher target was established for rare vegetation types. The final network that represents all the targets for vegetation types with the smaller possible number of cells contains 351 cells. Many cells selected are coincident with current strictly protected areas, but this study shows the urgency to increase the number of protected areas mainly in the North and Northeast regions of Rio de Janeiro State. Twenty three cells are coincident with priority areas indicated to be created as strictly use reserves by a government agency. However, there are several important cells selected in our analysis that are not covered by the actual strictly reserves system. Four vegetation types are not represented in the current strict use reserve system. Further analyses based on vegetation could be blended with scattered data of species geographic distribution to obtain more comprehensive results and strategies.