The Contribution of Ironstone Outcrops to Plant Diversity in the Iron Quadrangle, a Threatened Brazilian Landscape

• Published in: Ambio Vol. 37; no. 4; pp. 324 - 326
• Main Authors: Jacobi, Claudia Maria, Fonseca do Carmo, Flávio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sweden The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 01-06-2008; Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; Brazil; Conservation of Natural Resources; Conservation status; Crops; Crops, Agricultural; Ecosystems; Environmental conservation; Environmental economics; Environmental management; Ferrous minerals; Flora; Flowers & plants; Fossil fuels; GDP; Gross Domestic Product; Heavy metals; Iron; Iron compounds; Iron mining; Iron ores; Lead; Mineral rights; Mines; Mining; Mining industries; National parks; Outcrops; Parks & recreation areas; Plant communities; Plant diversity; Plants; Raw materials; Regions; Species Specificity; Stone; Synopses; Brazil
• ISSN: 0044-7447; 1654-7209
• DOI: 10.1579/0044-7447(2008)37[324:TCOIOT]2.0.CO;2

Following this lead, and with the aim of establishing their identity, an ongoing project at the Federal University of Minas Gerais is devoted to determining the contribution of the flora on ironstone outcrops to the regional plant diversity and to ascertaining the conservation status of these ecosystems throughout the Iron Quadrangle. Recently, this historical regional vocation has been heavily accelerated as a consequence of the economic emergence of China, which has generated unprecedented demand for raw materials worldwide, in particular high-quality iron ore, a phenomenon that has been termed "the China effect" in the commodities jargon.