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The global and massive urbanization of territories is one of today’s most important ecological phenomena. The standards used in urban growth are vital for the conservation of biological diversity, and also affects the provision of a reasonable quality of life for urban populations. Contrary to the perception held by many biologists and other academics, where cities are sterile environments and the opposite of natural, the recent development of urban ecology, a necessarily interdisciplinary science, shows that cities are heterotrophic ecosystems that need to be planned in a manner that reduces their impacts on the biosphere, and that in parallel increases their ability to sustain biodiversity.

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Canine coronavirus (CCoV) has been reported causing enteric disease mainly in young pups. In this study, to investigate immunity and exposure to CCoV, was estimated the frequency of serum antibodies to CCoV in 121 dogs in the Pelotas, South of Brazil, by serum neutralization test (SN): 22 had not been vaccinated, 69 had been vaccinated at least once, and 30 had unknown vaccination history. Antibodies were present in 47,8% (33/69) of the vaccinated dogs, in 45,5% (10/22) of the unvaccinated, and in 43,3% (13/30) of the dogs with unknown historical vaccination. There was no significant relationship between these antibodies and sex, age, habitat, and season of collection. The results proved the circulation of the CCoV among this dog population and indicated that the infection affects a significant group of animals. The large proportion of seronegative vaccinated dogs indicates failure of CCoV vaccine in inducing neutralizing antibodies, suggesting that immunizations to CCoV should be reevaluated. The authors indicate the need for further studies in order to evaluate the impact of the infection caused by CCoV, as well as to propose and evaluate preventive measures. Key words: Canine coronavirus, antibodies, vaccine, immunity ResumoCoronavírus canino (CCoV) foi relatado como causa de doença entérica principalmente em cães jovens. Nesse estudo, para investigar imunidade e exposição ao CCoV, foi estimado a frequência de anticorpos em 121 cães de Pelotas, sul do Brasil, pelo teste de soro-neutralização (SN): 22 não haviam sido vacinados, 69 haviam sido vacinados com pelo menos uma dose, e 30 possuíam histórico de vacinação desconhecido. Foram detectados anticorpos em 47,8% (33/69) dos cães vacinados, em 45,5% (10/22) dos não vacinados, e em 43,3% (13/30) dos cães com histórico de vacinação desconhecido. Não houve associação significativa entre os anticorpos e sexo, idade, habitação e estação da coleta. Os resultados confirmam a circulação do CCoV entre essa população de cães e indicam que a infecção acomete população significativa de animais. A grande proporção de cães vacinados soronegativos indica falha da vacina em indução de anticorpos neutralizantes, sugerindo que as imunizações para CCoV devam ser reavaliadas. Os autores por meio de seus dados indicam ainda a necessidade de posteriores estudos para avaliar o impacto da infecção causada pelo CCoV, bem como para avaliar e propor mediadas preventivas.

The Blue-and-yellow macaw (Ara ararauna) is a charismatic and easily recognized species. While they are classified as being of “least concern” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, their populations are declining. In Brazil, the accelerated destruction of one of its key habitats, the Cerrado biome, is a principal cause of their decreasing abundance. As with other species affected by loss of the Cerrado, active conservation measures are required. While usually rare in urban ecosystems, Ara ararauna occurs and breeds in small numbers in the city of Rondonópolis, a medium-sized city located in Mato Grosso, Central-West Region of Brazil. Blue-and-yellow macaw pairs nest in the tops of dead palm trees, but as the macaws are nest-site limited and suitable dead trees are scarce in urban areas, the installation of artificial nest sites in domestic backyards could help that urban population to thrive. To investigate whether local people would be willing to engage with conservation efforts and in particular to support macaw conservation, we surveyed the attitudes of Rondonópolis residents to measure: (1) citizens’ preferences among the bird species that occur in the city; (2) the average area of their yards, and (3) the willingness of residents to: (a) plant fruit trees to attract macaws to their yards and (b) to install artificial nests in their yards. Larger and more colorful birds (Ara ararauna, the Red-and-green macaw Ara chloropterus and Toco Toucan Ramphastos toco) were the bird species most valued across all socio-economic groups, suggesting that the charismatic species would be more likely to be supported by urbanites. Overall, people had good biodiversity knowledge, with respondents being able to identify half of our sample of local bird species, on average, and almost half had seen a nest site. The great majority were willing to plant fruit trees (78%) and provide nest sites (70%) for macaws. This willingness to engage was not affected by socioeconomic differences. These data indicate that a municipal macaw conservation program could be successful in Rondonópolis, and we argue that macaws could be a flagship species which would benefit wider efforts to engage Brazilian urbanites in active engagement with nature.