Flora vascular da área de relevante interesse ecológico de Santa Helena, PR

Abstract

The National System of Conservation Units (SNUC) establishes that every Conservation Unit (UC) must have a management plan, a technical document that delineates it and sets the rules for use and management. However, several UCs lack this plan or present it inadequately, for example, with incomplete floristic lists. Floristic surveys in UCs are essential to provide primary and quality data about local real biodiversity. The objective of this study was to conduct a broad floristic survey of the Santa Helena Relevant Ecological Interest Area (ARIE-SH), a UC created by Itaipu Binacional in the 1980s in western Paraná. The survey also aimed to provide data for the new Management Plan, currently being updated, and to incorporate the species list into the "Catálogo de Plantas das Unidades de Conservação do Brasil" project. The ARIE-SH covers approximately 1.480 hectares and is located in the homonymy city, along the banks of the Paraná River on the border with Paraguay. The UC is situated in the Atlantic Forest domain and is covered by Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in various successional stages. Collections took place over 33 visits between November 2016 and September 2024 and are deposited in the SHPR herbarium with duplicates in the UFG herbarium. The samples were identified using specialized literature, comparisons with online herbaria exsiccates, and consultation with specialists. The species were evaluated regarding their habit, origin, and conservation status. Additionally, the results were compared to the species list of the current Management Plan, from 2010. 214 species were found, between collections and secondary data, distributed across 69 families, with emphasis on Fabaceae (25) and Asteraceae (13). Most of the species are herbaceous (31.78%), followed by arboreal habit (29.91%) and climbing (20.56%). We recorded 201 native species, with 15 considered endemic to Brazil, and 13 exotic, of which ten are naturalized and three cultivated. Thirteen species are classified as threatened at the national and state levels. Compared to the current Management Plan, there are only 40 families and 31 species in common. Our survey inventoried 183 previously unrecorded species, representing almost a 100% increase over the current list. The survey contributed to the knowledge of the regional flora, and the results fill existing gaps in the floristic knowledge of the ARIE-SH. This study emphasizes the importance of updating floristic lists in management plans and the deposit of botanical material in herbaria.