Study Area
Fernando de Noronha is a small archipelago located in the tropical
Atlantic Ocean (3º 51’ S / 32º 25’ W), with a territorial area of 18.6
km² (IBGE, 2019). It has a tropical climate with mean temperatures
around 24°C (R. Dias et al., 2011). The island was discovered in 1503,
but colonization started only in 1630 by the Dutch and in 1736 by the
French. Portuguese colonization followed almost instantly, intensifying
the militarization process of the archipelago, also bringing the first
livestock animals (Grossman et al., 2010). Currently Fernando de Noronha
is part of the Pernambuco State, and it is composed by two federal
protected areas: (a) a marine national park (PARNAMAR), currently
labeled as Category II of the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN), and which covers 53% of the terrestrial area of the main
island and all the secondary islands; and (b) an environmental
protection area (APA), located around the inhabited area of the main
island and labeled as Category VI of the IUCN. The population was
estimated at 3,061 in 2019 (IBGE, 2019), and the concurrent tourist
population is roughly twice the resident population.
The local fauna is relatively diversified; the Noronha skink
(Trachylepis atlantica ) (Gasparini et al., 2007), the Noronha
worm lizard (Amphisbaena ridleyi ) and three land birds
(Elaenia ridleyana, Vireo gracilirostris and Zenaida
auriculata noronha ) are endemic species from the archipelago. House
geckos (Hemidactylus mabouia ), rococo toads (Rhinella
jimi ), chickens, cats, dogs, horses, goats, sheep, cattle and tree
frogs (Scinax sp.) are invasive species also found in the
archipelago, as well as rocky cavies (Kerodon rupestris ) and tegu
lizards (Salvator merianae ) (Dias et al., 2017). Three introduced
rodent species coexist in the archipelago: Rattus rattus ,Rattus norvegicus, and Mus musculus .