Over 300 animal species threatened in Bahia

More than 300 animal species face different degrees of threat in Bahia state. The State Environment Secretariat (SEMA) has published a list of 331 species of amphibians, birds, mammals, reptiles, continental invertebrates, fish, marine invertebrates, and the so-called “social interest” species—those exploited by traditional communities for sustainable use or subsistence.

A total 2,607 rare, endemic, or threatened animal species were surveyed in Bahia, out of which 331 have been listed for protection in various threat categories—“vulnerable” (140); “endangered” (131);  “critically endangered” (54) and “regionally extinct” (5).

All the species listed under these categories have been granted full protection by environmental agencies, and capture, transport, storage, custody, handling, processing, and marketing of these animals is prohibited. These animals include jaguars, Spix's macaws, harpy eagles, vinaceous-breasted amazons, crowned solitary eagles, hawksbill turtles, green turtles, tarantulas, Amazon false coral snakes, Brazilian green racer snakes, cream-colored woodpeckers, blue spiny starfish, sharks, seahorses, piaba fish, sawfish, bluefin tuna, brown howler monkeys.

The “social interest” species can be exploited subject to regulation and authorization from the Environment and Water Resources Institute (INEMA), based on specific requirements. Threatened “social interest” species include a number of stingless bees (known locally as uruçu, mandaçaia, and jandaíra), swamp ghost crabs, blue land crabs, a freshwater shrimp locally known as pitu, mangrove root crabs, catfish, yellowmouth groupers, jewfish, hammerhead sharks, among others.

Action plans

According to the Environment Secretariat, Bahia has become the seventh Brazilian state to redlist endangered species for protection, a move that has been welcomed as an important incentive for “initiatives and policies that could avert the threats to these species.”

State laws require the red list to be regularly reviewed and updated. The Secretariat is now awaiting the drafts of the action plans for the endangered animals and the final list of endangered plant species, which the secretariat says will be published “soon”.

The survey of endangered species was a collaboration between SEMA, the Dríades Biodiversity Conservation and Research Institute, federal and state universities in Bahia and INEMA, involving a total 115 experts from 40 institutions.

Translated by Mayra Borges