RESUMO O estado de Minas Gerais vem sofrendo com a exploração de minério desde o começo da colonização no Brasil. Apesar disso, ainda hoje é o estado que mais possui reservas minerais, o que gera um embate entre produção mineral e conservação ambiental, uma vez que a extração do minério gera desmatamento e outros impactos ambientais. O objetivo desse trabalho foi obter um panorama sobre a expansão da mineração e os impactos resultantes dessa atividade ao longo dos anos no estado. Os resultados mostraram que nas últimas décadas houve um grande aumento da expansão de minas no estado, bem como impactos ambientais e de saúde pública nas cidades que abrigam minerações mais antigas. Assim, conclui-se que por ser uma fonte de economia importante para o Brasil, é preciso rever a política ambiental das grandes minerações, bem como aumentar a fiscalização por parte dos órgãos públicos para que possamos assegurar as fontes de minério, bem como qualidade ambiental para as futuras gerações.

ABSTRACT The state of Minas Gerais has been suffering from the mineral exploration since inception of colonization in Brazil. Despite this, today is the state that has more mineral reserves, which creates an encounter between mineral production and environmental conservation, since the mineral extraction generates deforestation and other environmental impacts. The aim of this study was to obtain an overview of the expansion of mining and the resulting impacts of mining over the years in the state. The results showed that in recent decades there has been a large increase in the expansion of mines in the state, as well as environmental and public health impacts in cities that harbor the oldest mining. Thus, it was concluded that to be an important source of savings for Brazil, it becomes necessary to review the environmental policy of large mining and increase supervision by the public agency so that we can ensure the sources of mineral and quality environmental for future generations.

Accurate knowledge of floristic composition is crucial when planning and designing research projects and public policies. In this study, our goal was to assess tree sampling accuracy and to identify sites with higher concentrations of rare tree species, as well as those with the highest tree species richness, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. We determined sampling accuracy using the first-order jackknife and Chao 2 estimators, calculated the number of rare species (singletons and doubletons) and applied sampled-based rarefaction. We found that sample accuracy (estimated vs. observed values) was over 90% for the state as a whole, the best estimates having been obtained for the areas of rain forest (first-order jackknife: 91%; Chao 2: 95%). Of the tree species identified, 16.6% were considered rare in the state and only 4% were found in all forest types. Among the various forest types, semideciduous forests showed the highest proportions of rare tree species. Tree species richness was highest in the rain forests and lowest in the dwarf cloud forests. Our results make an important contribution to the conservation of tree species within one of the "hottest" biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Nosso objetivo foi revisar o papel ecológico das trilhas e inserir essa temática nos projetos de restauração ecológica. Para uma compreensão abrangente desse papel ecológico, abordamos tanto as possíveis aplicações das trilhas para projetos de Educação Ambiental (EA) quanto seus impactos sobre a vegetação. Mostramos que as trilhas ecológicas constituem espaços adequados para a prática de programas de EA. Por outro lado, apontamos uma série de potenciais problemas advindos da abertura e utilização de trilhas, como, por exemplo, compactação do solo e alterações na composição, estrutura e diversidade da vegetação adjacente, para então indicarmos que é possível abordar as trilhas nos projetos de restauração de ecossistemas. Concluímos sugerindo algumas perguntas que poderão nortear os futuros trabalhos sobre trilhas e vegetação, incluindo suas conexões com a restauração ecológica.

We aimed at reviewing the ecological role of the trails and inserting this theme into restoration ecology projects. For a comprehensive understanding of this ecological role, we addressed the applicability of trails to Environmental Education (EE) projects and their impacts on vegetation. We showed that trails are suitable places to practice EE programs. On the other hand, we point out a number of potential concerns arising from the use and opening of trails as, for example, soil compaction and changes in the composition, structure, and diversity of adjacent vegetation. Hence, we indicate that trails can be addressed in restoration projects of ecosystems. We conclude by suggesting some questions that can guide future works on trails and vegetation, including their connections with restoration ecology.