Appealing the death sentences of the Doce, São Francisco and Amazonas rivers: stopping the Mining Lobby and creating ecosystem services reserves

The Brazilian Mining Lobby uses Congress to weaken the Mining Code. In November 2015, the Fundao Dam, which was retaining a reservoir of mining waste, collapsed in Minas Gerais State, causing the largest socio-environmental disaster in Brazilian history. We propose actions for the restoration of the ecosystems of the Doce River Basin based on maps of taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of plants as potential providers of vital ecosystem services. To achieve these goals, a databank will be established by compiling existing databases on the vegetation of the Doce River Basin. We propose mapping biodiversity potential for ecological restoration and the conservation of ecosystem functions and services. Such mapping will facilitate the identification and establishment of ecosystem services reserves. Only with this effort will actions to restore and maintain the ecosystem services of the basin be achievable. The same effort can be applied to other impacted river basins such as those of the Sao Francisco and Amazonas rivers.