Heitor C Sousa

7/7 📲 Let’s act before tipping points lock species into vulnerable states. P.S. Late post, but urgent message! 🌍 #OpenScience #Cerrado

6/7 🙌 Collaboration matters! Huge thanks to @biology.ox.ac.uk @unb-oficial.bsky.social @salgoteam.bsky.social @robsalgo.bsky.social teams and funders. We’ve shared all data to support global fire resilience efforts. 📄 Full code + datasets:
doi.org/10.5281/zeno...

5/7 🚨 Conservation call: We urge fire management that prioritizes HETEROGENEITY—avoiding severe, homogenizing regimes. Protect habitats that boost reproduction for vulnerable species (e.g., viviparous lizards). Policy makers, take note! #ScienceForAction

4/7 ⚖️ Trade-offs revealed:
✅ High-severity fires → ↑ Resistance
❌ But ↓ Compensation & slower recovery.
We found severe fires homogenize habitats, disproportionately affecting species with limited reproductive flexibility.
We show generation time and reproductive output predict resilience. #Ecology

3/7 🦎 Meet our study species:
• _Copeoglossum nigropunctatum_ (viviparous, slow-paced)
• _Micrablepharus atticolus_ (tiny, fixed clutch size)
• _Tropidurus itambere_ (multiple clutches)
#BrazilBiodiversity

2/7 📊 For 14 years, we tracked 3 lizard species in Brazil’s Cerrado savanna under varying fire regimes. Using mark-recapture data + Bayesian models, we linked vital rates (survival, growth, reproduction) to fire severity. Spoiler: Life history drives resilience. #WildlifeScience

Severe fire regimes decrease resilience of ectothermic populations With a long-term, individual-level data, researchers provide evidence for how disturbance regimes shape the life-history strategies and resilience of three lizard species. As predicted by theory, pop...

1/7 🔥🦎 Why now? Due to social media restrictions in Brazil last year (BSKY > X 👀), we couldn’t share this earlier. Thrilled to finally present our findings: Severe fire regimes DECREASE resilience in ectothermic populations. Resistance ≠ recovery. #FireEcology #Conservation
👉 doi.org/10.1111/1365...

**10/ Engage Further**
– Follow #FireEcology #ConservationScience #Brazil
– Support @UFT @UnB initiatives in sustainable fire management.
– Share this thread to spark global conversations! 🌱

**9/ Access the Study**
*“Prioritizing fire management goals in a biodiversity hotspot”*
🔗 [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2025.03.005](doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...)

**8/ Quotes from the authors**
@bioheitorsousa.bsky.social: *“Fire isn’t the enemy—it’s a tool. But we need dialogue to use it wisely.”*
Guarino Colli: *“Brazil’s Cerrado can model how to unite conservation and development.”*

**7/ Global Relevance**
Lessons for fire-prone savannas worldwide:
– **Collaborative governance** (locals + scientists) reduces wildfire risks.
– **Traditional knowledge** is key to sustainable fire use.
– **Climate resilience** depends on balancing ecology and livelihoods.

**6/ Policy Implications**
Brazil’s new **National IFM Plan (Law 14.944/2024)** is a step forward, but success requires:
✅ Training programs for rural communities.
✅ Faster licensing for prescribed burns.
✅ Science-based monitoring of fire regimes.

**5/ Why the gap?**
– **Education matters**: Higher education correlates with prioritizing biodiversity.
– **Age plays a role**: Older residents undervalue fire’s ecological role.
– **Policy barriers**: Lack of training and stigma around fire use persist.

**4/ Key Findings**

– **Perception Gap**: Only ~35% of rural residents see fire as a tool (vs. 72% of specialists).

**3/ Key Findings**

– **IFM Support**: 91.8% of specialists endorse Integrated Fire Management (IFM) in protected areas; 79.5% support it on private lands.

**2/ Key Findings**
– **Shared Priorities**: Both rural residents and specialists ranked **water protection** and **biodiversity conservation** as top fire management goals.

Cerrado landscape with grasses, forests, and waterfalls

**1/ Why focus on the Cerrado?**
– Home to **5% of Earth’s biodiversity**.
– Stores **13.7 billion tons of carbon**.
– A water tower for South America, feeding 8 major river basins.
Yet, unsustainable fires threaten these ecosystems. 🔥

🌎 **NEW STUDY: Bridging gaps in fire management for Brazil’s Cerrado savanna**
Our latest paper in *Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation* reveals how rural communities and experts align—and differ—on fire use in a critical biodiversity hotspot.

doi.org/10.1016/j.pe...

Key findings below 🧵👇