The Fundão tailings dam held back approximately 50 million cubic meters of tailings from an Fe ore mine in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The dam failed on 5 November 2015, releasing tailings into the Rio Doce watershed and causing an environmental disaster in a biodiversity hotspot. To guide conservation action following the event, Brazilian authorities demanded an impact assessment focused on terrestrial species threatened by extinction. Postdisaster impact assessment is substantially more challenging than predevelopment impact assessment. Predisaster baseline data were sparse, and much was unknown about how the Fundão dam failure impacted terrestrial species threatened with extinction. Baseline reconstruction and impact pathway validation and characterization was critical. Ecosystem reconstruction revealed that 1580 ha of terrestrial ecosystems were destroyed, including approximately 480 ha of Atlantic rainforest. Collaboration with local experts identified 346 species of vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular plants threatened with extinction that were impacted or potentially impacted. Species composition and impacts varied within 4 distinct segments of the Rio Doce watershed. Nine potential impact pathways were identified using data and literature review combined with information provided by regulators, experts, and media. Not all were valid. Validating and characterizing each pathway within each watershed segment involved data evaluation, an ecological risk screening, and field assessments. Impact pathway evaluation proved critical to dispelling misconception, accurately understanding postdisaster impacts, and directing conservation action; the importance of this step cannot be overemphasized. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:676–680. © 2020 SETAC

中文翻译：

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灾后影响评估方法：Fundão大坝破坏对濒临灭绝的陆地物种的影响的案例研究。

Fundão尾矿坝从巴西米纳斯吉拉斯州的一处铁矿中截留了约5000万立方米的尾矿。大坝于2015年11月5日倒塌，将尾矿释放到里约多西河流域，并在生物多样性热点地区造成了环境灾难。为了指导事件发生后的保护行动，巴西当局要求进行针对灭绝威胁的陆地物种的影响评估。灾后影响评估比开发前影响评估更具挑战性。灾前的基线数据很少，关于Fundão大坝的破坏如何影响濒临灭绝的陆地物种还不清楚。基线重建以及影响途径的验证和表征至关重要。生态系统重建表明，共有1580公顷的陆地生态系统遭到破坏，其中包括约480公顷的大西洋雨林。与当地专家的合作确定了346种濒临灭绝的脊椎动物，无脊椎动物和维管植物，这些物种受到影响或潜在影响。物种组成和影响在里约多西河分水岭的四个不同部分内变化。利用数据和文献综述以及监管机构，专家和媒体提供的信息，确定了九种潜在影响途径。并非全部有效。验证和表征每个流域段内的每个路径都涉及数据评估，生态风险筛查和田间评估。事实证明，影响路径评估对于消除误解，准确了解灾后影响，并指导保护行动；此步骤的重要性不可过分强调。Integr环境评估管理2020； 16：676-680。©2020 SETAC