Preliminary valuation of environmental importance of brazilian sites, with regards to ecological and sociocultural axes

Abstract The objective of this article is to prioritize sites of environmental importance in Brazil, according to their need for protection or conservation. For this, a methodology was applied in the sites that presented geographical overlap or proximity between protected areas and ethnic communities were selected to be evaluated taking into account criteria that define their ecological, social and cultural importance, such as: area of influence, integrated areas, anthropic pressure, species conservation status, Ramsar sites, hotspot, biosphere reserve, IBA and KBA sites, natural heritage, status of recognition and relationship between indigenous lands and quilombos, historical value, archaeological sites and cultural heritage. As a result, 1651 sites were identified, 249 were selected and evaluated, obtaining 14 with high, 91 medium and 144 low priority. With this information, the objective is to generate technical support that serves as an input for the generation of public policies aimed at its protection and conservation.