Progress in the environmental risk assessment of plant protection products in Brazil: An overview of birds and mammals and soil organisms proposals

Since 2019, the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has actively developed pesticide environmental risk assessment (ERA) frameworks adapted to Brazil's specific ecological contexts. This initiative, supported by funding from the Brazilian Ministry of Justice and in partnership with academic institutions, has led to a concerted effort to establish ERA protocols for various taxa, including birds and mammals, soil organisms, aquatic organisms, and reptiles and amphibians. The outcomes of this initiative were disseminated in two distinct workshops held in February and November of 2023, where the agency showcased its research to the technical-regulatory community. This article synthesizes the proposals for birds and mammals and soil organisms. First, we summarize the agency's proposals for both focal and generic species to be incorporated into the ERA and the methodologies for calculating exposure of these taxa to pesticides through agricultural practices, encompassing seed treatment and foliar applications. On this occasion, IBAMA also disclosed the risk assessment tool that the agency is developing for birds and mammals. IBAMA highlighted the knowledge gaps that must be bridged to progress from preliminary (lower-tier) to more comprehensive (higher-tier) assessments. Regarding soil organisms, during the workshop, the presenters shared findings on the most prevalent species of earthworms and enchytraeids in Brazil. They emphasized the need for additional data collection on a regional scale. The agency has also proposed methods for estimating soil organism exposure to pesticides at a screening level and identified specific data gaps that could be addressed to refine assessments at higher tiers. In summary, the workshop communicated the progress in establishing ERA guidelines, which we encapsulate here to benefit the technical-regulatory community. (c) 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). This brief communication summarizes the key messages conveyed at the workshop organized by the Brazilian Environmental Regulatory Agency (IBAMA) on ERA frameworks for birds and mammals in Brazil. This brief communication summarizes the key messages conveyed at the workshop organized by IBAMA on ERA frameworks for soil organisms in Brazil. The information summarized in this brief communication is a part of a very important shift in the Brazilian regulatory paradigm and may serve as a reference to the technical-regulatory community, not only in Brazil but in Latin America as well. This brief communication may be very useful to the technical-regulatory community in other regions (e.g., USA and Europe) by helping them to follow up on the regulatory changes in Brazil.