Tijuca NaTioNal Park : Two PioNeeriNg resToraTioNisT iNiTiaTives iN aTlaNTic ForesT iN souTHeasTerN BraZil

as a contribution to the environmental history of the Tijuca National Park, we report on two pioneering restorationist initiatives and list its the mammal species now found in this urban park. The Tijuca National Park (TNP), a 3,200 ha urban park covered by secondary tropical forest, is located within rio de janeiro, in southeastern Brazil. The two restorationist initiatives were a pioneer tropical forest restoration project in the nineteenth century and a fauna management project in the 70’ s. The mammal list presented here was based on specimens in the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro and on publications. The mammal community of TNP is composed of 49 species, of which 11 are on regional red lists, and four are on the 2003 iucN red list of Threatened species. occurrence of these threatened species and the park history itself made the TNP a priority site for studying conservation, management, and monitoring. Besides maintaining fauna and flora (including threatened species) diversity, the park benefits the population of rio de janeiro by providing water, green areas, and recreational and touristic opportunities.


INTRODUCTION
Historical ecology encompasses all data, techniques, and perspectives derived from paleoecology; land use history, based on archival and documentary research; and long-term ecological research, involving monitoring and experiments extending over decades (swetnam et al., 1999).However, studies of this type are few with respect to tropical forests.The general lack of historical data about such regions makes studies of their environmental history unusually challenging.in addition, the results of such research on a regional or global scale increases our appreciation of the dynamic nature of landscapes, and provides a frame of reference within which to examine changing patterns and processes (simmons, 1993;Dean, 1996;swetnam et al., 1999).
in Brazil, monitoring studies have resulted in experimental designs and development of improved methodologies appropriate to local characteristics, in addition to which forest regeneration initiatives have been carried out (garay & Dias, 2001;cullen jr. et al., 2003;Parrotta & knowles, 1999;almeida, 2000;Primack & rodrigues, 2001;camargo et al., 2002;kageyama & gandara, 2003) (Primack & rodrigues, 2001;Fernandez et al., 2003).all of these projects and studies may gain perspective through a knowledge of environmental history as related to particular study sites.
as a contribution to the environmental history of the Tijuca National Park, we here report on two pioneering restorationist initiatives and list the mammal species currently found within the park, and which may be part of the long-term results of these initiatives.
The climate is tropical with rainy summers and dry winters.a thermal gradient of 0.4 °c/100 m was calculated for temperature variation with altitude (80 m to 1,021 m) (Mattos et al., 1976).Below 500 m high, precipitation exceeds 2,000 mm yearly, mean temperature of the warmest month is above 22 °c, and that of the coldest is higher than 18 °c.at areas above 500 m, precipitation is similar and mean temperature of the coldest month is less than 18 °c (Mattos et al., 1976).The TNP vegetation is typical of tropical rain forest, characterized by big trees, palms, ferns, epiphytes, and lianas.The more frequent plant families are leguminosae, sapotaceae, Bombacaceae, euphorbiaceae, Meliaceae, lauraceae, lecythidaceae, Moraceae, and Melastomataceae (ccN, 1966).

PIONEERING TROPICAL FOREST RESTORATION IN BRAZIL
From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, tropical forest in rio de janeiro was gradually substituted by sugarcane, coffee plantations, and pastureland (Dean, 1996;amador, 1997).intense land use and deforestation caused problems in the city's water supply (ccN, 1966;castro Maya, 1967;scheiner, 1976;Drummond, 1988).Mainly for this reason, Manuel gomes archer was hired at the end of the nineteenth century by emperor D. Pedro ii to start a flora restoration project (scheiner, 1976;Dean, 1996;amador, 1997;Drummond, 1997;Pádua, 2002).From 1862 to 1874, archer and a few slaves planted about 72,000 seedlings of native and exotic tree species, e.g., palms, bamboos, cedro rosa (Cedrela fissilis), jacaranda (Machaerium sp.), sapucaia (Lecythis pisonis), jaqueira (Artocarpus integrifolia), and eucaliptus (Eucalyptus spp.) (ccN, 1966;Drummond, 1997).seedling sources were located in the Paineiras Forest, archer's farm in guaratiba, and in the Botanical garden of rio de janeiro.This reforestation project of archer did not include the whole of what is presently Tijuca National Park; however in the area within the original project and which then became part of TNP, the result was an environment conducive to natural forest regeneration (Drummond, 1988;coimbra-Filho et al., 1973;Dean, 1996).This was because heterogeneous and predominantly native species of trees were used in this project, unlike the procedure usually followed in forest plantation at that time (Drummond, 1988).
subsequently, archer's successor, gastão luís Henrique D'escragnolle concentrated on park infrastructure, which resulted in turning Tijuca Forest into an area appropriate for public recreation (Drummond, 1988).
in 1861, the first conservation area in Brazil was established in Tijuca Forest and Paineiras (Brasil, 1998). in 1961, to protect the water reservoir of rio de janeiro, this area became the Tijuca National Park (scheiner, 1976;Drummond, 1997;Brasil, 1998).

THE SECOND RESTORATION PROJECT: FAUNA
in the nineteen-seventies, adelmar coimbra-Filho and antonio aldrighi and their group began a fauna restoration project in Tijuca National Park, in the course of which an imbalance in populations of some species was observed.For instance, the marmoset Callithrix jacchus (callitrichidae, Primates), an introduced species from the Brazilian northeast, reproduced so quickly that bird populations were being threatened because of egg predation (coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1971).Their project consisted of recovering reptiles, birds, and mammals; cultivating plant species (such as bromeliads and orchids) present in the diet of these fauna; reintroducing vanished species; and controlling predator populations and hunters (coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1971).The species chosen fit criteria specifying (1) a population compatible with, and having a home range smaller than, the area of Tijuca National Park; (2) habits not conducive to soil erosion; and (3) being a seed dispersor or a prey of rare predators (coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1971;coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1972;coimbra-Filho et al., 1973).
From 1969 to 1973, the fauna restoration project reintroduced one reptile species (Boa constrictor), 25 bird species, and 7 mammal species (Table 1).The group of coimbra-Filho and aldrighi introduced five snakes, 914 birds, and 58 mammals that had been captured by hunters in other forests of rio de janeiro state (coimbra-  cyanocephala. coimbra-Filho (2000) recorded the recovery of the toucan Ramphastus vitellinus 30 years after the project's implantation.But coimbra's group also experienced some setbacks: the species Cacicus haemorrhous and Icterus cayanensis were not subsequently found (Coimbra-Filho et al., 1973). in commenting on these results, they cited lack of control measures against hunters and ornamental plant collectors.

UPDATED RESULTS OF BOTH PROJECTS
The project of archer and the aldrighi and coimbra Filho group were pioneering and ambitious, and resulted in one of the world's largest urban parks, which is singular in being covered by secondary tropical forest and modified by high occurrence of exotic species (Drummond, 1997).aldrighi and coimbra Filho's species introduction project introduced, sometimes successfully, various species.Together, these projects have promoted in TNP a process of succession into mature forest (oliveira, 2002) in which many vertebrate species now are found as a result of introduction or migration.This study presents in tables 1 and 2 a list of these species, which is based in part on studies (coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1971;coimbra-Filho & aldrighi, 1972;coimbra-Filho et al., 1973;Bueno, 1998;esbérard, 1999) and in part on specimens the data for which was recorded from 1940 to 1999 and is now in the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro.records show the presence of 8 species of Didelphimorphia, 3 of Xenarthra, 25 of chiroptera, 3 of Primates, 4 of carnivora, and 6 of rodentia (Table 2) in Tijuca National Park. of these 49 species, 7 are classified as threatened and are included on the red list of the Municipality of rio de janeiro (conde et al., 2000), 7 species are on the red list of rio de janeiro state (Bergallo et al., 2000), 2 are on the Brazilian red list (Brasil, 2003) and 4 are on the 2003 iucN red list of Threatened species (iucN, 2003a).
Leopardus wiedii and Myotis ruber were on all three regional red lists, whereas Monodelphis aff.theresa, Caluromys philander, Chironectes minimus, and Monodelphis americana were included in 2003 iucN red list (Table 2).The occurrence of these threatened species within this park has made the Tijuca National Park a prioritized site for studying conservation and management of tropical atlantic forest.we suggest further studies to evaluate vulnerability of vertebrate species populations.another topic for study is possible effects of exotic plant species on native ones, e.g., between jaqueira (Artocarpus integrifolia) and seedlings of native species, which may impede the successional process.

THE IMPORTANCE OF TIJUCA NATIONAL PARk
Besides TNP being an important urban park because it maintains fauna and flora diversity, which includes threatened species, this park also contributes to the well-being of rio de janeiro's population of almost six million people (iBge, 2003).coles & Bussey (2000) advocated that, to benefit human neighborhoods, woodlands should be within a 5-10 min walking distance of residences, of a size natural to woodland environments (a 2 ha minimum), and older than 25 years.The Tijuca National Park meets this description and is, therefore, a significant tourist attraction (Drummond, 1997).Moreover, the park is a source of the city's water supply and has one of its lowest air-pollution levels because of reduced traffic density and effects of the wind patterns and abundant vegetation (Barcellos et al., 1998;azevedo et al., 1999).

CONCLUSION
The restorationist projects of both archer and coimbra-Filho and his group are of historical importance, since they ultimately resulted in making Tijuca National Park into one of the world's largest urban parks.
while some of the techniques and methods previously used are now outdated and been replaced by others, their effects carry over until the present time, and they are part of the historical framework in which to view modern projects having the same aim (almeida, 2000;Primack & rodrigues, 2001;iucN, 2003b;kageyama & gandara, 2003).it is hoped that in describing these two projects and their results over time, others may inspire similar projects for tropical forests of developing countries.
Finally, we stress the great relevance of Tijuca National Park's environmental history to the current mammal community composition.if no forest had been recovered through archer's reforestation project, and coimbra-Filho and aldrighi had not undertaken their restoration project, it is probable that Tijuca National Park as it is today would not exist.(conde et al., 2000); srj = red list of rio de janeiro state (Bergallo et al., 2000); Br = Brazilian red list (Brasil, 2003); iucN = 2003 iucN red list of Threatened species (iucN, 2003a); PeX = Probably extinct, i.e., no records in last 30 years (Bergallo et al., 2000); ce = critically endangered (iucN, 1994); vu = vulnerable (iucN, 1994); vu/a1c = vulnerable, i.e., population reduction whether observed, estimated, inferred, or suspected of at least 20% over the last 10 years or three generations, whichever is the longer, based on a decline in area of occupancy, extent of occurrence, and/or quality of habitat (iucN, 1994); sT = Presumed threatened, i.e., species requiring heightened conservationist attention (Bergallo et al., 2000); and lr/nt = lower risk/Near Threatened (iucN, 1994).

Parque Estadual do Morro do Diabo (são Paulo state), and Leontopithecus rosalia in Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas and Reserva Biológica União (rio de janeiro state)
. Moreover, various projects exist on fauna reintroduction and management of the tamarins Leontopithecus chrysopygus (callitrichidae, Primates) in

TABLE 2 List of mammal species presently occurring in Tijuca National Park and their threat status.
Mrj = red list of Municipality of rio de janeiro