The high biodiversity of the Serra de Baturité Environmental Protection Area, Ceará, Brazil

Abstract

Abstract The present work carried out an inventory of species in the Environmental Protection Area (EPA) of Serra de Baturité. Five kingdoms of living beings were recorded, analyzing 135 publications and using Jardim’s virtual herbarium online platform Botanist of Rio de Janeiro. Data includes occurrence, conservation status, endemism and exotic and migratory species. In total, 1,338 taxa distributed in nine phyla, 20 classes, 92 orders and 261 families. Of these, 672 species belong to the Kingdom Animalia, 654 to Kingdom Plantae, 10 to Kingdom Fungi, one to Kingdom Monera and one to the Protista Kingdom. Were identified 206 species endemic to Brazilian territory and 110 species threatened at national and international level. Additionally, 39 species of exotic animals and plants and 33 migratory birds were recorded. These numbers highlight the Serra de Baturité EPA as a priority area for preservation, of extreme biological importance. The region has great biodiversity and a rich distribution of taxa, facilitating scientific dissemination and research, in addition to contributing to the conservation and preservation of biodiversity in the face of overexploitation of natural resources.