NOVE DE JULHO LINEAR PARK: TWO DECADES OF RESEARCH AND CITIZEN SCIENCE REVEAL THE IMPORTANCE OF AN URBAN GREEN AREA FOR LOWLAND BIRDS IN SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Abstract

The state and city of São Paulo are among the most studied ornithological regions in Brazil. Some of the resulting information was produced in the floodplains of the city of São Paulo during the 19th and 20th centuries. These studies were resumed in the 1980s and are extremely relevant, since urban growth has led many species to possible extinction regionally. Data from scientific research and citizen science over a 24-year period in Parque Linear Nove de Julho (PLNJ), a municipal green area located adjacent to the Guarapiranga reservoir in the south of the city of São Paulo, were compiled, organized and analyzed. A total of 261 bird species are recorded for PLNJ, including 14 Atlantic Forest endemics, eight threatened with extinction and 30 that are migratory, 18 of which come from the Northern Hemisphere. Even with a high richness of forest bird species, including winter visitors and birds of passage, PLNJ stands out for its species of humid and grassland floodplain environments, being one of the main stopping and resting areas for Nearctic migratory birds in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. Its potential for conservation and bird watching is high and requires its implementation as an urban park, including the resolution of its conflicts, investments in infrastructure, territorial demarcation and implementation of its Management Plan and must consider the weaknesses of a flood-prone area with high species richness and abundance for its urban context.