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The decline of Jaguars Pantheraonca in the Argentine Chaco
Abstract
We assessed the distribution and status of jaguar Panthera
onca in the Argentine Chaco, one of the least known areas within its range. Current jaguar distribution in the Chaco encompasses parts of central and western Formosa, western Chaco, eastern Salta and north-eastern Santiago del Estero Provinces. Jaguar range was reduced following colonization of the semiarid Chaco even though there has been little deforestation. Jaguars have not been observed over the last 15 years in areas where colonization occurred more than 35 years ago, probably reflecting hunting pressure. Livestock predation is lower now than when the area was first settled in the 1920s. This may indicate low jaguar densities as the livestock management system has not changed. Local people, however, continue to hunt jaguars with the intention of exterminating them. Education, enforcing jaguar hunting laws, increasing control of poaching in protected areas, and creating more protected areas may be the most efficient strategies to preserve the jaguar population of the Argentine Chaco.
... Of the nine studies that evaluated direct jaguar-human interactions, two publications reported attacks on humans, (92,93) four studies presented reports of hunting (94)(95)(96)(97) and three other studies analyzed the intention to hunt the feline by ranchers and residents of areas adjacent to jaguar habitat. (98)(99)(100) Among the 16 publications that focused on perceptions of the jaguar, 12 studies evaluated the meaning and perspectives that people have about the jaguar and its conservation, (90,(101)(102)(103)(104)(105)(106)(107)(108)(109)(110)(111) and four studies analyzed perceptions of the cat associated with livestock predation and potential retaliation. (112)(113)(114)(115) Of the 23 investigations that included the impact of human activities on the jaguar, four studies evaluated the response of jaguars and their populations to dif- ferent human activities, (116)(117)(118)(119) nine studies determined jaguar habitat use and the factors that affect its distribution according to changes induced by human activity in different scenarios (120)(121)(122)(123)(124)(125)(126)(127)(128) and finally, 10 studies analyzed the effect of habitat loss, fragmentation and transformation of jaguar habitat due to human activities. ...
... In contrast, ranchers and people living in urban areas perceive the jaguar as a predator of livestock and as an animal they are afraid of, so they would intend to kill a specimen; for the most part, their opinions were based on their own experiences and not on situations they have experienced. (90,101) Rural populations do not perceive the jaguar as a threatening species, although some ranchers believe the opposite. Indigenous populations see the jaguar as a species with which they can share their habitat but also as an animal that they can use for food, medicinal purposes and ornaments, although in some cases, it is also perceived as a dangerous animal. ...
... Contrasting results were found on some topics because some sources of evidence evaluated the possible negative impacts of anthropogenic activities on the jaguar and suggest that the cats may not adapt to the changes and perish as a result. (101,128,137) However, other studies have mentioned that the jaguar has the capacity to adjust to disturbances coming from ecotourism by modifying its periods and activities (123,126) and using constructed trails. (76) However, it is also possible that the adaptation is due to the level and intensity of the disturbance, (121)(122)(123)(124) and to the differentiated behavior between females and males. ...
A scoping review was conducted to map, summarize, and understand the extent of evidence on jaguar (Panthera onca) food resource use and its interaction with humans. A total of 105 studies were identified in electronic databases: 57 analyzed jaguar food resource use, and 48 described jaguar interactions with humans. The studies were published in 51 journals, mainly in English, from 1993–2021 in 14/19 countries where jaguars live. The evidence demonstrated the variability and prey consumption of the jaguar; there are contrasting results regarding the diversity of prey consumed. The frequency of livestock predation was found to be related to the abundance and availability of natural prey and the distance of ranches from the jaguar habitat. The interaction of the jaguar with humans presented an interesting and contrasting picture, since the perception of the jaguar varied depending on the sociocultural context and the study site. The results showed a negative effect of human activities on the distribution and density of the feline, and there was evidence of poaching and attacks on humans, although the information was insufficient to determine the causes in depth. More research and dissemination are needed on these issues at the local level in the regions where the jaguar lives, as these are the areas where decisions and actions are needed to conserve the jaguar in coexistence with communities and livestock.
... The top predator in the Chaco, the jaguar (Panthera onca), occurs in low densities there (<1 individual/km 2 ) and depends on very large home range areas (400-2,900 km 2 ; Giordano, 2015;McBride & Thompson, 2018;Noss et al., 2012;Romero-Muñoz, Noss, Maffei, & Montaño, 2007). The Chaco contains some of the most southern jaguar populations, but these have declined in many areas of the Chaco recently and the species is facing widespread extirpation from the Chaco (Altrichter, Boaglio, & Perovic, 2006;Cuyckens, Perovic, & Herrán, 2017;Giordano, 2015;Quiroga, Boaglio, Noss, & Di Bitetti, 2014;Rumiz, Polisar, & Maffei, 2011). However, a high-resolution, Chaco-wide assessment of where core jaguar habitat remains, which factors threaten jaguars in these areas and whether remaining core areas are protected or not is missing. ...
... Additionally, overhunting is causing widespread defaunation, particularly of larger mammals (Altrichter, 2005;Periago et al., 2014). The Chaco's large predators, especially the jaguar and puma (Puma concolor), are often killed, mainly by subsistence and commercial ranchers due to real or perceived risk of attacks on livestock (Altrichter et al., 2006;Arispe, Rumiz, Venegas, & Noss, 2009;Quiroga et al., 2014). Jaguars historically occupied the entire Chaco, but their range has declined significantly during the last century (Altrichter et al., 2006;Cuyckens et al., 2017;Rumiz et al., 2011). ...
... The Chaco's large predators, especially the jaguar and puma (Puma concolor), are often killed, mainly by subsistence and commercial ranchers due to real or perceived risk of attacks on livestock (Altrichter et al., 2006;Arispe, Rumiz, Venegas, & Noss, 2009;Quiroga et al., 2014). Jaguars historically occupied the entire Chaco, but their range has declined significantly during the last century (Altrichter et al., 2006;Cuyckens et al., 2017;Rumiz et al., 2011). Two Jaguar Conservation Units (JCU), the Gran Chaco JCU in the north and the Chaco JCU in the centre, and corridors to connect them, have been proposed for the Chaco to protect important jaguar populations, (Rabinowitz & Zeller, 2010;Zeller, 2007). ...
Aim
Understanding how habitat loss and overhunting impact large carnivores is important for broad‐scale conservation planning. We aimed to assess how these threats interacted to affect jaguar habitat (Panthera onca) between 1985–2013 in the Gran Chaco, a deforestation hotspot.
Location
Gran Chaco ecoregion in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia.
Methods
We modelled jaguar habitat change from 1985–2013 using a time‐calibrated species distribution model that uses all occurrence data available for that period. We modelled habitat as a function of resource availability and hunting threats, which allowed us to separate core (high resource availability and low hunting threat), refuge (low resources but safe), attractive sink (high resources but risky) and sink (low resources and risky) habitat for 1985, 2000 and 2013.
Results
Jaguar core areas contracted by 33% (82,400 km²) from 1985–2013, mainly due to an expansion of hunting threats. Sink and attractive sink habitat covered 58% of the jaguar range in 2013 and most confirmed jaguar kill sites occurred in these areas. Furthermore, habitat loss and hunting threats co‐occurred in 29% of jaguars’ range in 2013. Hunting threats also deteriorated core areas within protected areas, but 95% of all core areas loss occurred outside protected lands. About 68% of the remaining core areas in 2013 remained unprotected, mostly close to international borders.
Main conclusions
Our study highlights the synergistic effects that habitat loss and hunting threats exert on large carnivores, even inside protected areas, emphasizing the need to consider the geography of threats in conservation planning. Our results also point to the importance of areas along international borders as havens for wildlife and thus the urgent need for cross‐border planning to prevent the imminent extinction of jaguars from the Chaco. Opportunities lie in reducing jaguar mortality over the widespread attractive sinks, particularly in corridors connecting core areas.
... La especie ha desaparecido en aproximadamente 40% de la distribución original en el Chaco argentino (Altrichter y Boaglio, 2004;Altrichter, 2006), y las poblaciones remanentes están fragmentadas y en disminución. En el 2002, la población en la Argentina fue estimada en 3.200 individuos. ...
... En el 70% de las áreas donde la especie ocurre en Argentina, sus poblaciones han sido categorizadas como con media o baja posibilidad de supervivencia (Taber et al., 2008). Las poblaciones del Chaco están disminuyendo debido a la modifi cación del hábitat por parte del hombre y la caza no sustentable (Altrichter y Boaglio, 2003;Altrichter, 2006). Sin embargo, estas mismas son las principales amenazas en otras regiones de su distribución. ...
... Existen registros de hasta 200 individuos en el pasado, pero en la actualidad, los comentarios de los campesinos mencionan que no superan los 100 individuos. El hecho de formar tropas grandes y ser conspicuos en sus movimientos en el bosque, los hace fácilmente detectables por cazadores, quienes suelen matar a más de un individuo en la tropa (Altrichter, 2006). Comentarios: Esta especie tiene la distribución más amplia de los ungulados nativos presentes en la Argentina y se la encuentra en las Yungas, Chaco seco y húmedo y la Selva Paranaense. ...
... En el 70% de las ?reas donde la especie ocurre en Argentina, sus poblaciones han sido categorizadas como con media o baja posibi- lidad de supervivencia ( Taber et al., 2008). Las poblaciones del Chaco est?n disminuyendo debido a la modifi caci?n del h?bitat por parte del hombre y la caza no sustentable (Altrichter y Boaglio, 2003;Altrichter, 2006). Sin embargo, estas mismas son las principales amenazas en otras regiones de su distribuci?n. ...
... Existen registros de hasta 200 individuos en el pasado, pero en la actualidad, los comentarios de los campesinos men- cionan que no superan los 100 individuos. El hecho de formar tropas grandes y ser conspicuos en sus movimientos en el bosque, los hace f?cilmente detectables por cazadores, quienes suelen matar a m?s de un individuo en la tropa (Altrichter, 2006). Comentarios: Esta especie tiene la distribuci?n m?s amplia de los ungu- lados nativos presentes en la Argentina y se la encuentra en las Yungas, Chaco seco y h?medo y la Selva Paranaense. ...
... del bosque, perturbaci?n y a la caza (Altrichter y Boaglio, 2004). Tambi?n su productividad es m?s alta respecto a las otras dos especies de pecar?es (Altrichter, 2006). Sin embargo, de toda su dis- tribuci?n (desde el sur de Estados Unidos hasta el centro-norte de la Argentina), esta especie es menos com?n en nuestro pa?s debido a la alta tasa de deforestaci?n ...
... However, presence data and distribution maps alone are not sufficient to determine the conservation status of threatened species (Can & Togan, 2009;Karanth et al., 2011b). Altrichter et al. (2006) provided information on the range of the jaguars in the region up to 2003 but they focused on interviewing local residents, and did not have information about whether reports represented a few wandering male jaguars or a reproducing population. We evaluated the density of the jaguar in areas of various categories of legal protection and intensities of hunting and ranching in the Argentine Chaco using the first large-scale camera-trap survey in the region. ...
... Twelve field trips of 15-45 days each were focused specifically on interviews. Interviews were undertaken in three regions ( Fig. 1) that included the camera-trap sites and the region identified by Altrichter et al. (2006) as having the highest probability of jaguar presence (Fig. 1). In the interviews we asked about (1) current and historical jaguar presence in the area, (2) the number of years since the last encounter (direct sighting or tracks) with the species, (3) conflicts between jaguars and livestock, (4) the number of jaguars killed recently or historically in the area and the motives for the killings, and (5) skins or other remains of jaguars killed. ...
... Data from unreliable informants and which we could not corroborate were discarded. Thus our records from informants were collected in a similar manner to those reported by Altrichter et al. (2006), with which we compare our results. ...
The population of jaguars Panthera onca in the semi-arid Chaco Province is the least well-known in Argentina. Its status in the region is described only from interviews that confirmed its presence until 2003. To update information on the distribution and population density of this species we undertook three camera-trap surveys, combined with searches for sign, at sites across latitudinal and protection gradients, and 156 interviews with local inhabitants across three larger areas. The camera-trap sites were located in areas with the highest density of records in the Argentine Chaco: Copo National Park (1,204 trap days, 24 stations, 344 km of transects), Aborigen Reserve (1,993 trap days, 30 stations, 251 km of transects) and El Cantor (2,129 trap days, 35 stations, 297 km of transects). We did not obtain any photographs of jaguars. We recorded very few jaguar tracks, and only in the Aborigen Reserve (n = 3) and El Cantor (n = 1). The map of distribution points confirmed through interviews suggests that the jaguar range has not changed significantly in the past 10 years; however, the camera-trap and sign surveys suggest that densities are extremely low. Before our study the Chaco population was thought to be the largest in Argentina. This perception was incorrect: the Chaco jaguar population is the most threatened in the country. Systematic, intensive studies are essential to provide the necessary information for decision-making for the management and conservation of threatened species.
... However, presence data and distribution maps alone are not sufficient to determine the conservation status of threatened species (Can & Togan, 2009;Karanth et al., 2011b). Altrichter et al. (2006) provided information on the range of the jaguars in the region up to 2003 but they focused on interviewing local residents, and did not have information about whether reports represented a few wandering male jaguars or a reproducing population. We evaluated the density of the jaguar in areas of various categories of legal protection and intensities of hunting and ranching in the Argentine Chaco using the first large-scale camera-trap survey in the region. ...
... Twelve field trips of 15-45 days each were focused specifically on interviews. Interviews were undertaken in three regions ( Fig. 1) that included the camera-trap sites and the region identified by Altrichter et al. (2006) as having the highest probability of jaguar presence (Fig. 1). In the interviews we asked about (1) current and historical jaguar presence in the area, (2) the number of years since the last encounter (direct sighting or tracks) with the species, (3) conflicts between jaguars and livestock, (4) the number of jaguars killed recently or historically in the area and the motives for the killings, and (5) skins or other remains of jaguars killed. ...
... Data from unreliable informants and which we could not corroborate were discarded. Thus our records from informants were collected in a similar manner to those reported by Altrichter et al. (2006), with which we compare our results. ...
The population of jaguars Panthera onca in the semi-arid Chaco Province is the least well-known in Argentina. Its status in the region is described only from interviews that confirmed its presence until 2003. To update information on the distribution and population density of this species we undertook three camera-trap surveys, combined with searches for sign, at sites across latitudinal and protection gradients, and 156 interviews with local inhabitants across three larger areas. The camera-trap sites were located in areas with the highest density of records in the Argentine Chaco: Copo National Park (1,204 trap days, 24 stations, 344 km of transects), Aborigen Reserve (1,993 trap days, 30 stations, 251 km of transects) and El Cantor (2,129 trap days, 35 stations, 297 km of transects). We did not obtain any photographs of jaguars. We recorded very few jaguar tracks, and only in the Aborigen Reserve (n 5 3) and El Cantor (n 5 1). The map of distribution points confirmed through interviews suggests that the jaguar range has not changed significantly in the past 10 years; however, the camera-trap and sign surveys suggest that densities are extremely low. Before our study the Chaco population was thought to be the largest in Argentina. This perception was incorrect: the Chaco jaguar population is the most threatened in the country. Systematic, intensive studies are essential to provide the necessary information for decision-making for the management and conservation of threatened species.
... Thresholds remain controversial, but there is evidence in theoretical and empirical studies that habitat loss has a significant effect on species occurrence within landscapes (Martensen et al. 2012;Johnson 2013). The existence of a threshold zone in structural connectivity may imply changes in natural vegetation dynamics, decreased availability of food resources, increased contact with humans and potentially human-jaguar conflicts (Altrichter et al. 2006;Rumiz et al. 2012;Young et al. 2014). Although jaguars may move across fragmented landscapes, they tend not to use small patches (<200 ha) as they prefer natural vegetation patches > 2000 ha (Ramirez-Reyes et al. 2016). ...
... The impact of agriculture and the recent surge of gold mining in the Amazon (Tobler et al. 2013) are likely to exacerbate the reduction in vegetation extent with long-term impacts on jaguar population. This may be compounded by hunting and other potential humanjaguar conflicts (Altrichter et al. 2006;Rumiz et al. 2012). The effects of deforestation and loss of natural habitat are affecting a large number of species around the world. ...
Abstract Introduction Deforestation significantly impacts large carnivores that depend on large tracts of interconnected forest habitat and that are sensitive to human activities. Understanding the relationship between habitat use and spatial distribution of such species across human modified landscapes is critical when planning effective conservation strategies. This study assessed the presence of potential landscape connectivity thresholds resulting from habitat fragmentation associated with different deforestation patterns using a scale-based approach that links species-specific home ranges with the extent of anthropogenic activities. The objectives were (1) to quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of natural vegetation for five common deforestation patterns and (2) to evaluate the connectivity associated with these patterns and the existence of potential thresholds affecting jaguar dispersal. The Bolivian lowlands, located within jaguar conservation units, were analysed with landscape metrics to capture the spatial and temporal changes within deforested areas and to determine potential impact on jaguar connectivity and connectivity thresholds for dispersal. Results Over the period of 1976–2005, the amount of natural vegetation has decreased by more than 40% in all locations with the biggest changes occurring between 1991 and 2000. Landscape spatial structure around jaguar locations showed that jaguars used areas with mean proportion of natural areas = 83.14% (SE = 3.72%), mean patch density = 1.16 patches/100 ha (SE = 0.28 patches/100 ha), mean patch area = 616.95 ha (SE = 172.89 ha) and mean edge density = 705.27 m/ha (SE = 182.19 m/ha).We observed strong fragmentation processes in all study locations, which has resulted in the connectivity of jaguar habitat decreasing to
... However, applying an optimistic cost-weighted limit to movements of 1000 km indicated that as early as 2000, the JCUs in the Atlantic forest, the Argentine Chaco and the Yungas in Argentina and Bolivia had been effectively isolated from each other and from other JCUs. This interpretation is supported by the distribution and population genetics of jaguars in these systems (Altrichter et al. 2006, Haag et al. 2010. Current density within the least-cost linkage networks between Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) for 2000 and 2014 displayed for 25 km cost-weighted distance from the least-cost paths. ...
... The use by jaguars of defined corridors between the Baritú-Calilegua, Chaco and Gran Chaco JCUs has, however, been demonstrated to be extremely limited in the Bolivian Yungas and the Bolivian and Argentine Chaco (Thompson & Martinez 2015). This supports the validity of our approach to cost-limit linkages between JCUs, which is further reinforced by the critically endangered status of the jaguar population in the Argentine Chaco (Altrichter et al. 2006, Quiroga et al. 2014). 117 Fig. 4. Percent increase in current density within the least-cost linkage networks (displayed for 25 km cost-weighted distance from the least-cost paths) between Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) for 2000 and 2014, without (left) and with (right) a 1000 km cost-weighted distance limit between JCUs. ...
We employed least-cost and circuit theory modeling to model connectivity among previously defined Jaguar Conservation Units (JCUs) at the southern limit of the jaguar’s range in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay, to assess the effects of deforestation and land use change from 2000 to 2014. Due to uncertainty over possible limitations to jaguar dispersal, we examined connectivity where linkages were not cost-limited and limited to 1000 km cost-weighted distance. When linkage length was not cost-limited, total linkage area decreased by 9%, mean least-cost distance and mean effective resistance increased by 6% and 31%, respectively, from 2000 to 2014. Limiting linkages to 1000 km cost-weighted distance indicated that the southern- and eastern-most JCUs were isolated as early as 2000 and that the number of linkages between the other JCUs decreased during 2000–2014, causing the linkage area to decrease by 27%, while the least-cost distance of the remaining linkages increased by a mean of 4% and effective resistance increased on average by 44%. By limiting linkages to a plausible cost-weighted distance, we demonstrated that JCUs in the Atlantic Forest, Argentine Chaco and the Argentine/Bolivian Yungas have been isolated since at least 2000, a loss of connectivity through eastern Bolivia, increased resistance in the remaining linkages and a constriction of all but one linkage to a minimum width of <8 km. Our results are consistent with an observed loss of genetic diversity in jaguar populations within portions of our study area and indicate a need for further research to better quantify jaguar dispersal.
... This article included 326 individuals irrespective of their past experience with livestock depredation. Experience with livestock depredation, however, may not predict individuals' acceptance of killing (Conforti and Azevedo 2003), but rather the individuals' negative attitudes and fear toward the species (Altrichter et al. 2006;Jedrzejewski et al. 2011). However, when people value the existence of the wildlife species for future generations, fear may not predict acceptability of killing a big cat (Porfirio et al. 2016). ...
... Previous research highlights the sensitivity and complexity of this issue. For example, in some places a puma would not be killed for being close to residential areas (i.e., Manfredo et al. 1998;Thornton and Quinn 2010), while in other places the animal would be killed simply because their tracks have been seen in the forest (Altrichter et al. 2006), or inside the farm boundary (Jedrzejewski et al. 2011), or because people want to avoid future attacks on livestock (Zimmermann et al. 2005). The fact that killing big cats was unacceptable in scenarios 1 and 2 suggests a level of tolerance between people and big cats in the region (see Frank et al. 2015 for discussion of tolerance). ...
We explored the overall acceptability of killing jaguars and pumas in different scenarios of people-big cat interactions, the influence of attitudes toward big cats on acceptability, and the level of consensus on the responses. Data were obtained from 326 self-administered questionnaires in areas adjacent to Intervales State Park and Alto Ribeira State Park. Overall, people held slightly positive attitudes toward jaguars and pumas and viewed the killing of big cats as unacceptable. However, individuals that held negative attitudes were more accepting of killing. As the severity of people-big cat interactions increased, the level of consensus decreased. Knowing whether killing a big cat is acceptable or unacceptable in specific situations allows managers to anticipate conflict and avoid illegal killing of big cats.
... Understanding the extirpation process could help in conservation planning and potentially in preventing further reduction of jaguar range. Altrichter et al. (2006) showed that the time since jaguar extirpation in various localities in Argentina was related to the age of human settlements, suggesting that the growth of human populations is the decisive factor in jaguar declines. Similarly, it has been proposed that extinction rates of large carnivores can be predicted based on human densities alone (Purvis et al., 2000, Cardillo et al., 2004. ...
... Interview data have been used in other studies modelling jaguar distribution, location of ecological corridors, and jaguar extirpation rates (e.g. Altrichter et al., 2006, Zeller, 2007, Zeller et al., 2011, Tôrres et al., 2012, Zeilhofer et al., 2014. Further details on the process of collecting and validating our interview data are provided in the Appendix A. ...
... Los grandes felinos en Palmar exhibieron las densidades más bajas halladas hasta ahora en el Parque Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco, en contraste con la del ocelote que fue una de las más altas. Aunque varios factores pueden regular las poblaciones de los felinos, aparentemente la ganadería es uno de ellos en este sitio, ya sea por el conflicto depredadores-ganaderos ( Rabinowitz 1986, Hoogesteijn et al. 1993, Altrichter et al. 2006, Michalski et al. 2006) y/o la depleción de sus presas que asimismo puede incrementar la competencia entre gatos y ganaderos y estimular la depredación sobre el ganado (Karanth y Stith 1999, Treves y Karanth 2003. Esto es razonable ya que al tener en el Chaco en general bajas densidades en relación a otros sitios del Neotrópico, los jaguares y pumas pueden ser más vulnerables a actividades humanas. ...
... Los resultados de Palmar sugieren que esta práctica podría tener un efecto negativo sobre las densidades de los jaguares y pumas. La caza de los felinos, especialmente de los grandes, en zonas ganaderas como respuesta al conflicto por la depredación de ganado está extendida por todo el Neotrópico ( Rabinowitz 1986, Franklin et al. 1999, Mazzolli et al. 2002, Sanderson et al. 2002c, Conforti y Azevedo 2003, Zimmermann et al. 2005, Altrichter et al. 2006, Michalski et al. 2006) y es una de las principales amenazas para la conservación de estas especies (Swank y Teer 1989, Nowell y Jackson 1996, Sanderson et al. 2002c). Además, la depleción de las presas naturales de los gatos, aparte de ser un problema en sí misma, puede crear un escenario de mayor conflicto al fomentar a los gatos a cazar ganado doméstico ). ...
Las poblaciones de felinos Neotropicales están constantemente amenazadas principalmente por la destrucción de hábitats y el conflicto depredadores-ganaderos. En el presente estudio se realizaron dos muestreos para estimar las densidades de jaguares (Panthera onca) pumas (Puma concolor), ocelotes (Leopardus pardalis) y gatos monteses (Leopardus geoffroyi) en dos sitios del Parque Nacional Kaa-Iya, donde ya se han realizado estudios previos con trampas cámara en cinco campamentos. Uno de los sitios de estudio,
Estación Isoso, fue estudiado en la previa estación húmeda, mientras que el otro, Palmar de las Islas, representa un nuevo sitio de investigación ya que no se lo había estudiado anteriormente y tiene la peculiaridad de presentar influencia de ganadería en sus márgenes. Además de las estimaciones poblacionales, este tipo de muestreos son útiles para estudiar otros parámetros ecológicos y de comportamiento, como la separación temporal entre especies y el solapamiento espacial.
Los jaguares y pumas exhibieron en Palmar las densidades (en N° de individuos /100 km2 ±EE) más bajas halladas hasta ahora en el Chaco (1,30 ±0,22 y 2,13 ±0,89, respectivamente), mientras que los ocelotes mostraron algunas de sus densidades más altas en este sitio (66,00 ±14,91). En Estación Isoso II, por otro, lado los jaguares y pumas tuvieron densidades cercanas al promedio del Chaco (3,93 ±2,30 y 4,25 ±1,24,
respectivamente), mientras que los ocelotes mostraron una de las menores densidades del Chaco (5,86 ±2,88). En este sitio el gato montés tuvo densidades relativamente bajas (10,85 ±3,58), mientras que no fue posible estimar sus densidades en Palmar.
Los jaguares y pumas de Palmar estuvieron activos de día y noche, mientras que los ocelotes y gatos monteses de ambos muestreos fueron principalmente nocturnos y los yaguarundis (Puma yagouaroundi) fueron principalmente diurnos. Sin embargo, en Estación Isoso II (época seca), los jaguares fueron principalmente nocturnos mientras que los pumas fueron principalmente diurnos. Esto es indicativo de una separación temporal entre ambas especies probablemente debida al incremento de la competencia en la época seca de este sitio. En cuanto al comportamiento espacial, existió un amplio solapamiento entre individuos de todas las especies e individuos de diferentes especies tanto al observar sus áreas mínimas de acción como al evaluar el número de individuos de cada especie en cada estación de trampas-cámara.
La densidad de los ocelotes tuvo una relación negativa significativa con la densidad de grandes felinos (jaguares + pumas) a través del Chaco, lo que sugiere que estas especies imponen cierto límite al crecimiento poblacional de los ocelotes a través de interacciones de competencia. Ninguna otra relación entre especies fue significativa. Esto, sumado a las densidades de Palmar, sugieren que la ganadería, junto a los problemas que generalmente la acompañan, como el conflicto depredadores-ganaderos y depleción de presas, podría ser
un factor que influya negativamente a las poblaciones de grandes felinos, los que con sus bajas abundancias crean un escenario para una compensación de densidades en el ocelote, que exhibe sus mayores densidades en este sitio. Esto, a su vez, puede causar efectos en cascada en otros carnívoros. El PN Kaa-Iya podría funcionar como fuente y sus alrededores como sumidero, lo que hace que sea importante incrementar los esfuerzos binacionales de conservación de estas poblaciones de gatos globalmente importantes.
... To make matters worse, livestock ranching is one of the principal factors of human-driven land-use change within the jaguar's distribution, and livestock may be an important component of their diet (Polisar et al. 2003;Azevedo 2008;Cavalcanti and Gese 2010). Livestock depredation results in retaliatory killing and intensifies human-wildlife conflict (Azevedo and Murray 2007b;White and Lowe 2008), which is one of the main threats for jaguar conservation (Altrichter et al. 2006;Mazzolli 2009). ...
... Any effort to increase jaguar populations could intensify cattle depredation and decrease regional public acceptance for conservation efforts. Public acceptance is fundamental for the conservation of jaguars-or indeed any other species-since it is human activity that in many places has led to the species' local extinction (Altrichter et al. 2006;Morrison et al. 2007;Mazzolli 2009). In this way, the design of jaguar conservation strategies is probably dependent on our comprehension of cattle depredation patterns; so, much greater effort must be designated to understanding this topic, particularly at different scales of analysis. ...
Human activities affect large carnivores worldwide by increasing mortality due to destruction and fragmentation of habitats, decrease of prey availability, and hunting pressure. The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a large carnivore strongly influenced by these threats, with poaching of predators being primarily a retaliatory response that is motivated by depredation of domestic animals. We investigate the distribution of jaguars and cattle depredation in 21 sampling units located in Central Brazil. We consider native and domestic prey availability as well as landscape configuration and composition as possible contributory factors. We removed correlated variables and conducted a set of logistic regressions in a step-wise approach. We used the difference between χ2 of the newest and the previous model to evaluate if the addition of a variable increased the explanatory power of the newest model. Jaguar occurrence was influenced by prey richness, which is correlated with habitat aggregation in the landscape, revealing the attributes that can act as proxies for environmental quality for jaguar. The relationship between jaguar and prey richness also suggests that jaguar can act as a surrogate for the presence of other species. Jaguar occurrence is also related to the availability of non-native prey such as cattle, but not cattle depredation, suggesting that cattle depredation could be an opportunistic event. Patterns of cattle depredation warrant further study because human-wildlife conflict is one of the greatest threats to jaguar conservation.
... This proposal must be evaluated in depth, where the effects of globalizing thought and changes in perception towards nature are manifested. These changes are a reflection of colonialist pressure that traditional peoples or societies have suffered (Vertovec and Posey 2020)In the case of felines meat consumption, it is a phenomenon little described, with some reports in Argentina (Altrichter et al. 2006;Lucherini and Merino 2008), Brazil (Schulz et al. 2017), Colombia (Payán and Trujillo 2006;Balaguera-Reina and González-Maya 2007;González-Maya et al. 2010;Chacón and González-Maya 2013;González-Maya et al. 2013;Pacheco and González-Maya 2013;Aya-Cuero et al. 2021), Venezuela y Mexico (Contreras-Díaz and Pérez-Lustre 2008;García-Alaniz et al. 2010;Estrada et al. 2018). In Mexico, the consumption of felines meat has been documented in mestizo communities in the Lacandon jungle in Chiapas (García-Alaniz et al. 2010), in the Mixteca Poblana Region (Estrada et al. 2018), and in Zapotec communities in the Sierra Madre de Oaxaca (Contreras-Díaz and Pérez-Lustre 2008). ...
La relación humano-felino ha sido evaluada principalmente desde la perspectiva de la biología de la conservación. Sin embargo, es importante conocer las relaciones socioecológicas, desafortunadamente, estas han sido poco exploradas, a pesar de la documentación e importancia de estos depredadores. En este estudio se documentaron las percepciones y conocimientos, así como la evaluación de los roles culturales de uso que realizan los habitantes nahuas de la región noreste del estado de Hidalgo, México; hacia las seis especies de felinos silvestres. Se aplicaron 150 entrevistas semiestructuradas y se tomaron fotografías de la evidencia de felinos o sus partes en posesión de los informantes. Los felinos silvestres se identifican con un nombre en náhuatl y en español. La especie que presentó mayor frecuencia de mención, así como valor de importancia cultural, fue el ´trigrillo´ (margay, Leopardus wiedii). Se identificaron nueve categorías de uso, siendo el uso ornamental el más relevante. Además, documentamos el consumo de carne de león (puma, Puma concolor) como un fenómeno socioecológico complejo, derivado de retaliación. Así como la cacería de un cachorro de tigre (jaguar, Panthera onca), capturado de manera lúdica, pese a manifestar pleno conocimiento de que se trata de una especie en peligro de extinción, protegida por la legislación mexicana y su caza es ilegal. Los felinos silvestres, pese a su declive por causas antropocéntricas, siguen desempeñando un papel socioecológico relevante y forman parte de la diversidad biocultural de los pueblos indígenas. Desafortunadamente, las percepciones negativas y la sobrevaloración de las especies incentivan indirectamente la caza o extracción ilegal.
... This eradication is often carried out as a preventive or retaliatory strategy against jaguars that may threaten livestock or domestic animals (Zimmermann et al. 2005;Jędrzejewski et al. 2017;Marchini et al. 2017). Fear of potential harm to local communities and families also motivates jaguar hunting (Altrichter et al. 2006). Predation on livestock and domestic animals by jaguars is often linked to habitat loss, extensive agriculture, and the lack of wild prey (Azevedo and Murray 2007). ...
The jaguar (Panthera onca) tourism (JT) has expanded across Latin America, but its impacts on sustainability dimensions remain unclear. This systematic review analyzed 88 studies on JT impacts published between 1989 and 2022. Database searches yielded 3,401 initial studies, refined to 88 relevant documents meeting review criteria. Results were compiled into impact tables categorizing 98 specific positive and negative environmental, economic, and sociocultural JT impacts. Key findings demonstrate that, while JT can bring conservation benefits, economic growth, and cultural appreciation of jaguars, negative impacts like habituation, culture commo-dification, and limited economic reach also occur. Environmental impacts accounted for 41.8% of documented effects, economic impacts 23.5%, and sociocultural impacts 34.7%. Half were positive and half negative. The review reveals the complex trade-offs involved in JT. A comprehensive sustainability approach is needed that minimizes harms and maximizes benefits across all dimensions. This requires policies and regulations to promote responsible practices, ongoing impact monitoring and research, and active local community participation. Our findings provide key insights to inform jaguar conservation and tourism management strategies in Latin America. ARTICLE HISTORY
... Third, we were also unable to explicitly account for human-caused mortality, a decisive factor impacting gene flow resistance with important implications for functional connectivity. There is scarce data on anthropogenic jaguar mortality across the species range (Altrichter et al. 2006;Jędrzejewski et al. 2017a, b;Romero-Muñoz et al. 2019), especially in Central America (Moreno et al. 2015). We rely on built-up area and tree cover maps to encompass the effects of this anthropogenic-driven mortality in the absence of appropriate data, supported by the fact that jaguar extirpation is mostly driven by anthropogenic activities, such as deforestation, cattle breeding, and retaliatory killing (Jędrzejewski et al. 2017a, b). ...
Context
Preserving functional connectivity is a conservation priority to secure the long-term viability of geographically dispersed subpopulations, such as the jaguar (Panthera onca) populations in Central America. However, managing connectivity in this region is limited due to the scarcity of local assessments of the connectivity between existing populations, some of which exhibit low levels of gene flow and genetic admixture.
Objectives
We selected the jaguar as a model species to understand how gene flow of large carnivores is shaped in a heavily human-impacted landscape in the Neotropics. We assessed the impact of landscape features and spatial scale on jaguar gene flow across northern Central America, predicted synoptic, landscape-wide functional connectivity across the region; and compared connectivity predictions based on models of gene flow, habitat suitability, and expert knowledge.
Methods
We employed genetic data based on 335 faecal samples collected from 72 individual jaguars. We parameterized gene flow resistance surfaces using linear mixed effects models and the maximum likelihood population-effects method. We evaluated nine landscape variables at six spatial scales, selecting the optimal scale and transformation for each variable according to univariate models and AIC. To predict jaguar gene flow, we developed multivariate models and implemented resistant kernels to forecast functional connectivity between jaguar populations across the study region under three dispersal distance scenarios. Furthermore, we compared the connectivity estimates based on gene flow against those based on habitat suitability and the corridors delineated by expert knowledge in the region.
Results
Low resistance to jaguar gene flow was associated with greater tree cover and vegetation, lower areas of built-up, and intermediate distances from water bodies. Notably, tree cover affected jaguar gene flow on a smaller scale compared to the rest of variables. Higher connectivity, indicated by lower resistance, was found within and around the largest jaguar conservation units (JCUs) such as the Reserva-de-Biosfera-Transfronteriza, Selva-Maya and Maya-Mountains. This contrasted with the smallest JCUs, like Sierra-Santa-Cruz and Sierra-de-las-Minas in eastern Guatemala, and Cordillera-Nombre-de-Dios in Honduras. Across the region, lower connectivity was observed in the Caribbean connection between eastern Guatemala and midwestern Honduras, as well as in the Honduran and Nicaraguan Miskito area. Models based on gene flow and habitat suitability were similar in their predictions of areas of high connectivity; however, the habitat suitability models predicted larger areas of low connectivity than did the gene flow models. Moreover, the expert knowledge corridors were consistent with areas of high and medium connectivity as predicted by the gene flow model.
Conclusions
Gene flow of jaguars is positively driven by the presence of forest and water sources, while human impact (built-up and non-vegetation areas) has a negative effect. Areas of lowest resistance largely correspond to the location of JCUs, which serve as crucial reservoirs of high-quality jaguar habitat within the region. While the largest JCU in the region displayed high connectivity, the low connectivity between the smallest JCUs (i.e. Sierra-Santa-Cruz, Sierra-de-las-Minas and Cordillera-Nombre-de-Dios) underscores the need for conservation attention in these areas. Conservation and management actions such as habitat loss-prevention/restoration and anthropogenic impact mitigation should be prioritized in the binational region of Guatemala-Honduras, a key connectivity bottleneck between the species’ northern and southern ranges. Similarly, attention is warranted in the Honduran-Nicaraguan Miskito area.
... Forest cover was one of the strongest positive factors in the jaguar distribution models at the continental scale (Jędrzejewski et al. 2018(Jędrzejewski et al. , 2023a, indicating that deforestation and other habitat transformations are indeed the main threat for jaguars. In the analysis of jaguar historical records, the largest declines of jaguar population coincided with the periods of the highest levels of deforestation and human expansion (Altrichter et al. 2006, Jędrzejewski et al. 2017a. ...
Jaguars Panthera onca in South America are now found in only about half of the area they occupied in the early 20th century, and the rate of their decline is still high. The two most important drivers of the current decline are: a) deforestation and other habitat transformation and fragmentation, and b) killing jaguars related to conflicts with cattle ranching. Other important threats include illegal hunting and trade in jaguar body parts, increasing road density, and the rapid expansion of uncontrolled mining. Among the most important conservation achievements obtained so far are legal regulations that have eliminated legal jaguar hunting and trade in their parts in all countries, and the establishment of a network of protected areas across the jaguar range. The most urgent problems to solve are effective solutions to stop deforestation and stop the killing of jaguars in areas of conflict with cattle ranching. More protected areas are needed; however, it is also necessary to improve the functioning of protected areas. Ecological corridors have to be properly identified and implemented.
Other important needs include enforcement of laws to eliminate the illegal jaguar hunting and trade, implementation of a system of environmental education, and the development of ecotourism. A coherent and effective common system of nature protection across South America would help to achieve the conservation goals. A number of international conventions and agreements support the conservation of jaguars, and in the recent years, significant new international initiatives have arisen to elevate the profile of jaguar conservation. We present and discuss needs for research, conservation solutions, and actions to stop the decline of South America’s jaguars.
... The jaguar population in Chaco region was assumed to be the largest in Argentina, due to the vast extension of this biome, but extensive surveys showed it to be the sparsest and most threatened in the country (Altrichter et al., 2006;Quiroga et al., 2014). Population numbers are increasing slowly in Atlantic Forests although they remain small . ...
The Yungas ecoregion supports an important jaguar population, of particular conservation relevance due to its location in the extreme SW of the species distribution, with potential for range extension and population recovery. Detailed population estimates are lacking. To evaluate jaguar density in the Argentine Yungas we conducted a camera trap survey in Baritú National Park and surrounding private lands. We deployed 32 sampling stations with a pair of camera traps each, obtaining a sampling effort of 2,080 trap/nights. Camera malfunction translated in several individual jaguars’ photo-captured only from one side, thus preventing unequivocal identification to apply traditional spatially explicit capture-recapture models. We used 2-flank SPIM, a partial identity spatially explicit capture-recapture model, we estimated a density of 0.75 jaguars per 100 km2 , with a probability of detecting one side and both sides of 0.01 and 0.02 respectively. Our density estimates are low, but within the
range of other studies, especially those on the fringes of the species distribution and support the idea of Yungas offering a stronghold for Argentina’s jaguars. This study offers a baseline for a monitoring program, much needed in a priority jaguar population.
... The statements of Redford et al. (1990) were prescient as they foresaw the forthcoming deforestation in the Dry Chaco and its implications for conservation that were to occur during the twenty-first century. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research on the effects of deforestation on multiple taxa and communities in the Dry Chaco (Periago et al. 2014;Cartes et al. 2015;Núñez-Regueiro et al. 2015;Semper-Pascual et al. 2018Camino et al. 2020Camino et al. , 2022de la Sancha et al. 2021), including the jaguar ( Fig. 10.1) (Altrichter et al. 2006;Noss et al. 2012;Quiroga et al. 2014;Thompson and Velilla 2017;McBride and Thompson 2018;Romero-Muñoz et al. 2019;Thompson et al. 2020Thompson et al. , 2021Thompson et al. , 2022. Importantly, for the jaguar, although forest availability is key, it is not the sole factor determining jaguar occurrence in the Dry Chaco. ...
Habitat loss and human-caused mortality have led to an approximate 50% reduction of the distribution of the jaguar (Panthera onca). The large contraction in the jaguar’s occurrence points to a need to understand its population size and habitat preferences to apply to the species’ conservation. Typically, jaguar densities are estimated with capture–recapture modeling of photographic captures of individually identifiable individuals, while habitat selection is estimated from telemetry data. However, advances in spatial capture-recapture modeling now permit the simultaneous estimation of density and habitat selection based solely upon photographic detection data from camera-trapping grids. Here, we used data from 356 double camera-trap stations across five sites in the Paraguayan Dry Chaco to simultaneously estimate jaguar density and resource selection. We found that jaguar densities ranged from 0.58 to 1.39 individuals/100 km2. At the spatial scale of our analysis, jaguars showed a strong preference for forest cover, while space use was not affected by the Human Footprint Index. Our density estimates were consistent with previous estimates based upon a subset of our data, as well as with estimates for jaguar populations in other dryland ecosystems. Furthermore, the strong selection for forest was also consistent with range-wide patterns in jaguar space use and habitat selection derived from telemetry data. Due to extensive and ongoing deforestation in the Dry Chaco, combined with high human-caused mortality, the jaguar is critically endangered in Paraguay. Although we show that jaguars can persist in anthropogenically altered landscapes in Paraguay, their long-term survival at the national level is strongly dependent upon the effective enforcement of the national jaguar conservation law, and application of the national jaguar management plan, to mitigate negative population effects from habitat loss and human-caused mortality.
... También, se han realizado numerosos estudios a lo largo del territorio, atendiendo a necesidades urgentes como disminuir el conflicto con los humanos por la predación de ganado doméstico y disminución de presas nativas. Por éste motivo, se evaluaron los efectos de las actividades humanas sobre las poblaciones de carnívoros, tal es el caso de los efectos directos e indirectos del ganado (Novaro et al. 2000a, Pia y Novaro 2005, Novaro y Walker 2005, predación sobre el ganado doméstico (Bellati 1986, von Thungen 1997, Schiaffino et al. 2001), transmisión de enfermedades (Beldomenico et al. 2005, y la caza (Perovic y de Bustos 2001, Altrichter et al. 2006. Actualmente, y con el desarrollo de herramientas tecnológicas como los Sistemas de Información Geográfica y Teledetección, comenzaron a analizarse los efectos conjuntos de variables, ya sean ambientales o antrópicas, sobre las poblaciones de éstos carnívoros con el objetivo de ser utilizados en la delineación de planes de conservación y manejo (Kissling et al. 2009, De Angelo 2009). ...
At present, the ecology of carnivore populations is largely shaped by human intervention. In much of Argentina, the role of puma and culpeo fox has been changed due to human-induced changes in prey base and the availability of suitable habitat to survive, among others. The objective of this thesis was to determine how induced changes in the environment by some human activities affect the carnivore occurrence and diet. The study was conducted in the Sierras Grandes of Córdoba, considered a biogeographic island with a temperate climate, mean annual temperature of 8 ºC and average rainfall of
850 mm per year. The Sierras are protected in different categories of conservation (Quebrada del Condorito National Park and Achala Provincial Hidric Reserve), and top carnivores are represented by the puma (Puma concolor) and culpeo fox, an endemic subspecies (Pseudalopex culpaeus smithersi).
Signs of top carnivores were counted from transects to determine their occurrence in both areas, and with a Geographic Information System (GIS) were measured the explicative variables as indicators of human disturbance (distance to settlements and roads) and vegetation types. The association between the occurrence of carnivores and the explicative variables were analyzed with generalized linear models. For the analysis of diet, feces were collected and analyzed for both carnivores. We described the dietary niche breadth, the dietary niche overlap and mean body masses of prey to assess their long-term response. Also, we analyzed the carnivore-human conflict magnitude and
its impact on the carnivore’s occurrence and diet.
We found that signs of both carnivores were higher in areas far away from human settlements and roads. Furthermore, the presence of signs was higher in the protected area with active conservation (national park). Therefore, areas with low vegetation cover and near-human presence are expected to represent threat sites or barriers to the movement of these carnivores. Small rodents were the most frequent food item consumed by pumas and culpeo fox. Both carnivores, showed a low trophic breadth
and a high niche overlap in their diets. The mean body mass of prey consumed, showed the greatest interest in medium and large prey by the puma, as when they were available, were consumed. Puma behaved like a generalist predator, changing your diet according to changes of large prey availability, instead acquiring great importance the small preys. The culpeo fox continued his specialized habits in small mammals, as observed in previous years. Pumas have the classic adaptability, changing your diet
in relation to prey changes, and dispersing to reoccupy areas where they were once persecuted, as in the ranches that actually form the national park. The problem of livestock predation by pumas and culpeo foxes is a source of major conflict that threatens the carnivore conservation and thus alters its occurrence and diet.
The park could be play the role of refuge, where the habitat quality for survival is good (higher vegetation cover and less human impact), but in the case of the pumas, this area for breeding may be poor by the scarcity of large prey. Apparently, carnivores were benefit from the national park in terms of conservation, and less access to livestock, helping to reduce the human conflict, but the prey assemblage is still altered. The results are encouraging in terms of resilience of at least some components of the predator-prey mammalian assemblage. It was observed that the effect of livestock on the small mammal’s abundance and both carnivores diet can be reversed quickly, given the short
time occurred since the livestock removal in the park.
... In addition to Costa Rica, studies have found jaguars were killed regularly in Argentina (Altrichter et al. 2006), Brazil (Carvalho and Pezzuti 2010;Marchini andMacdonald 2012), andMexico (Navarro-Serment et al. 2005). Research in the Brazilian Amazonia found jaguars were killed in retaliation for livestock, in chance encounters, when hunting for other species, when felines were near the village, and when swimming in the river (Carvalho and Pezzuti 2010). ...
... Altrichter et al. 2006;Rumiz et al. 2011;Cuyckens et al. 2017). Two Jaguar Conservation Units (JCU), the Gran Chaco JCU in the north and the Chaco JCU in the centre, and corridors to connect them, have been proposed for the Chaco to protect important jaguar populations,(Zeller 2007;Rabinowitz & Zeller 2010). ...
Die Hauptursachen für die derzeitige weltweite Krise der biologischen Vielfalt sind Lebensraumzerstörung und Übernutzung. Wir wissen jedoch nicht, wie sich diese beiden Faktoren einzeln und zusammen auf die verschiedenen Aspekte biologischer Vielfalt auswirken und wie sie sich im Laufe der Zeit verändern. Da beide Bedrohungen weit verbreitet sind, verhindern dies die Entwicklung wirksamer Schutzstrategien. Das übergeordnete Ziel dieser Arbeit war räumliche und zeitliche Veränderungsmuster der Auswirkungen von Lebensraumzerstörung und Übernutzung auf die biologische Vielfalt zu verstehen. Ich habe diese Bedrohungsgeographien mit hoher räumlicher Auflösung und über drei Jahrzehnte hinweg für verschiedene Aspekte biologischer Vielfalt untersucht: Arten, Lebensgemeinschaften und taxonomische, phylogenetische und funktionale Facetten biologischer Vielfalt. Ich konzentrierte mich auf den 1,1 Millionen km² großen Gran Chaco, den größten tropischen Trockenwald der Welt und einen globalen Entwaldungs-Hotspot. Meine Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich im Laufe von 30 Jahren die räumlichen Auswirkungen der einzelnen Bedrohungen auf größere Gebiete ausdehnten als nur auf die abgeholzte Fläche. Dies führte zu einem Verlust an hochwertigen und sicheren Gebieten für den Jaguar, die gesamte Großsäugergemeinschaft und alle Facetten der Säugetiervielfalt. Beide Bedrohungen trugen wesentlich zum Rückgang biologischer Vielfalt bei, ihre relative Bedeutung variierte jedoch je nach Art und Facette der biologischen Vielfalt. Zudem haben die Gebiete, in denen beide Bedrohungen zusammenwirken, im Laufe der Zeit zugenommen, was den Verlust der biologischen Vielfalt wahrscheinlich noch verschlimmert hat. Diese Arbeit unterstreicht, wie wichtig es ist, die Auswirkungen mehrerer Bedrohungen im Laufe der Zeit gemeinsam zu bewerten, um den menschlichen Einfluss auf die biologische Vielfalt besser verstehen zu können und wirksame Schutzstrategien zu finden.
... Some local settlers acknowledged that the lack of appropriate husbandry practices facilitates the occurrence of conflictive situations: without the company and presence of herders, livestock remain exposed to predators, which increases the probability of predation [82]. At the same time, in this new context, deaths or losses related to other causes, such us diseases, may also be attributed to wild predators such as Pumas, Jaguars and Andean condors, that may have in fact consumed the remains of these animals in an opportunistic manner [21,50,83,84]. This may produce an increase in the perception of risk and reinforce negative attitudes towards predators [24], leading to further retaliation against carnivores. ...
Simple Summary
Human-Wildlife conflict (HWC) has become an important threat producing biodiversity loss around the world. As conflictive situations highly depend on their unique socio-ecological context, evaluation of the different aspects of the human dimension of conflicts is crucial to ensure wildlife conservation and people’s well-being at the same time. Raptors have been historically involved in HWC because some of them are considered livestock predators. We conducted interviews to evaluate the existence, extent and characteristics of human-raptor conflicts in the Southern Yungas region in Northwestern Argentina, identified as a priority area for raptor research. Our results suggest that conflict is only concentrated in certain high-profile raptor species—particularly those considered cattle predators—with a general high tolerance towards poultry predators. Livestock and poultry rearing are the only socio-demographic variables associated with the existence of HWC, independently of age, gender and occupation of interviewees. Andean condor, a Vulnerable species persecuted in some regions of Argentina, was the most conflictive species as it is locally considered a livestock predator. Though reports of Condor persecution were scarce in our study, negative attitudes towards this species, together with the increasing number of mass poisonings, highlight the need to address this conflict through true intercultural dialogue and transdisciplinary approaches.
Abstract
Wildlife persecution due to human-wildlife conflict has become a serious concern for biodiversity conservation, especially for many endangered species. In this context, conservation approaches need to consider the socio-ecological dimensions of each particular situation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existence, extent and social characteristics of Human-Raptor Conflicts (HRC) in the Southern Yungas region in northwestern Argentina. We conducted 115 semi-structured interviews in 21 sites and analyzed attitudes and associations between sociodemographic variables and the existence of HRC. Forty percent of interviewees showed negative attitudes towards raptors, mainly with those species considered livestock predators rather than poultry predators. A total of 11 species were regarded as conflictive because of predation on domestic animals, of which Andean condors showed the highest conflict. The only socio-demographic factor affecting conflicts was livestock and poultry rearing, independently of age, gender and occupation of interviewees. The fact that only 8.7% of interviewees reported taking direct actions towards conflictive species indicates a relatively peaceful coexistence of people with raptors. Nevertheless, negative attitudes towards Andean condor together with their extreme susceptibility to any increase in non-natural mortality indicate the need of an integral conservation approach to tackle future threats for this species’ conservation in the area.
... As a result, populations of numerous species have drastically declined or suffered local extinctions (Torres et al. 2014;Periago et al. 2017). For instance, jaguars' range in the Chaco has been reduced significantly over the last two decades (Altrichter, Boaglio & Perovic 2006;Romero-Muñoz et al. 2019). Landuse change seems to have affected peccary populations as well, especially the white-lipped and the Chacoan peccary, which currently occur at low densities in the northern part of the Argentine Chaco (Altrichter & Boaglio 2004;Altrichter et al. 2012). ...
Landnutzungswandel ist eine der Hauptursachen von Biodiversitätsverlust. In den Tropen und Subtropen führt eine Ausweitung von Agrarflächen zu vermehrter Abholzung der Wälder. Selbst wenn zukünftige Waldrodungen vermieden werden können, ist ein weiterer Artenrückgang sehr wahrscheinlich, da viele Arten zeitverzögert auf Veränderungen reagieren. Die Hauptziele dieser Arbeit waren die Auswirkungen vergangener und aktueller Landnutzung auf Biodiversität im argentinischen Chaco besser zu verstehen und Ansätze zu entwickeln, um negative Effekte schon vor einem lokalen Aussterben zu erkennen. Der argentinische Chaco ist aufgrund seiner Landnutzungsgeschichte, den hohen Abholzungsraten und der hohen Biodiversität bestens für eine solche Untersuchung geeignet. Meine Arbeit zeigt, dass der Artenreichtum an Vögeln und Säugetieren stark durch vergangene Landschaftsmuster beeinflusst wurde, was auf zeitverzögerte Reaktionen auf Landnutzungswandel hindeutet, sowie darauf, dass ein Teil der momentan vorkommenden Arten durch vergangene Landnutzungsänderungen noch aussterben wird. Die zeitverzögerten Reaktionen sind hauptsächlich eine Folge von Lebensraumfragmentierung, mehr noch als von Lebensraumverlust. Meine Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das Vorkommen von Ameisenbären seit 1985 stark rückläufig ist, insbesondere seit 2000, als die Ausweitung von Agrarflächen besonders stark zunahm. Abschließend konnte ich zeigen, dass Pekaris meist in abgelegenen Regionen mit hohem Waldanteil vorkommen, sowie dass physiologischer Stress bei Pekaris negativ mit Nahrungsverfügbarkeit korreliert, jedoch nicht mit Abholzung. Meine Arbeit legt nahe, dass Abholzung generell zum Artensterben im argentinischen Chaco beiträgt. Während manche Arten sehr schnell verschwinden, sterben andere nicht direkt aus, was ein Zeitfenster für Naturschutzmaßnahmen eröffnet. Die hier vorgestellten Ergebnisse können dabei helfen solche Zeitfenster in von Abholzung bedrohten Gebieten zu identifizieren.
... When an apex predator consumes livestock or is perceived as a threat, retaliatory killings often ensue (Inskip & Zimmermann 2009). For example, carnivores in southern Africa have been targeted with poisons for their perceived threats to humans and livestock (Ogada 2014), and in the Grand Chaco of Paraguay, jaguars (Panthera onca) are often shot illegally in pursuit of 'eradication' for preying on calves (Altrichter et al. 2006). ...
Humans are exerting unparalleled pressures on terrestrial vertebrates through
overexploitation and development. The patterns of human destruction on the natural
environment are especially prevalent within carnivore distributions because they are
subject to not only habitat fragmentation and loss, but they are also perceived as a threat
to human societies leading to direct conflict. Although the perceived negative impacts of
predators and scavengers dominate policy and individual action towards carnivores, there
is a growing body of literature pointing to the potential benefits that predators and
scavengers provide within shared landscapes. The overall aim of this thesis is to
address key gaps in our knowledge on the exposure and contribution of predators and
scavengers to humans and how this information can be used to enhance conservation
initiatives.
Human pressures cause species extinction. These pressures range from over-hunting and
urbanization to other forms of habitat loss such as agricultural development. While human pressures and their threatening processes have been increasingly documented across a range of species and ecosystems, we do not know the extent of intense cumulative human pressures within species’ geographic ranges globally. In Chapter 2, I aim to quantify the exposure of terrestrial vertebrates to intense human pressure, including carnivores. I use the most up-to-date spatial dataset on cumulative human pressure, which takes into account eight pressures known to cause species decline. I find that 85% of the terrestrial vertebrates assessed have more than half of their range exposed to these cumulative pressures, with carnivores having similar exposure. Specifically, carnivores have on average 75% of their ranges overlapping with intense human pressures. This work provides a useful starting point for assessing species at risk of decline, especially for species with limited information on threats.
Carnivore declines impact ecosystem stability that can result in negative impacts on
human well-being. In Chapter 3, I aim to provide the first review of the benefits provided
by predators and scavengers in shared landscapes with humans. I find that predators and
scavengers have been shown to reduce zoonotic disease risk, increase agricultural output, and limit species known to cause injury and death to humans. Through the review process, I found considerable gaps in knowledge regarding the potential benefits of predators and scavengers in shared landscapes, and I discuss future avenues of research, its caveats, and opportunities.
An important knowledge gap identified during the review was the ecological and human
well-being implications of losing apex scavengers. Although there is a great deal of
information about the ecological repercussions of losing apex predators, we know
relatively little about the role of apex scavengers at regulating lower trophic levels and how this can impact ecosystem health and human well-being. In Chapter 4, I describe the
mesoscavenger release hypothesis, the competitive release of mesoscavengers in the
absence of apex scavengers. This work sets the foundation for future studies investigating the consequences of apex scavenger decline on ecosystems and human health and provides a springboard for conservation action on imperilled apex scavengers.
Another key question asked during the review was the potential role of large carnivores at
benefiting humans. Chapters 5-7 focus on addressing this gap. Chapter 5 provides a
case study of one of the most widespread large carnivores, leopards (Panthera pardus), at
reducing bites and rabies risk from feral dogs in Mumbai, India. I discuss the implications
of large carnivores at providing similar services around the world, especially where feral
dogs are a considerable human health hazard in peri-urban environments. In Chapter 6 I
quantify the predation value of two large carnivore species on an overabundant invasive
species, wild pigs (Sus scrofa), known to cause substantial damage to agricultural lands.
This chapter offers important information for assessing the benefits of large carnivore
conservation on agricultural productivity while accounting for livestock loss. In Chapter 7 I
assess the global ramifications of expanding wild pig populations, utilizing information on
predicted wild pig densities and data on soil organic carbon (SOC) storage to quantify their relative impacts on SOC vulnerability. I discuss that wild pig control could be promoted through human-induced management and conservation of native predators. These case studies provide a foundation for future work investigating links between natural predation and human well-being through mitigating health hazards and increasing agricultural productivity in shared landscapes. These studies will also deliver conservation practitioners additional information on the consequences of large carnivore recovery.
This thesis highlights the state of carnivores in shared landscapes with humans and the
potential crucial services they provide. I address key gaps in our knowledge on the
exposure and contribution of predators and scavengers to humans and how this
information can be used to enhance conservation initiatives
... The Chaco fauna is diverse and high in endemics, particularly for large mammals [41,42]. In addition to rapid landscape change, these large mammals face a multitude of other threats common to tropical forests, such as hunting (Figure 1; [43][44][45]). ...
Disparity between the knowledge produced and knowledge required to address complex environmental challenges, such as biodiversity conservation and climate adaptation, continues to grow. Systems thinking under the Open Standards for Conservation framework can help close this gap by facilitating interdisciplinary engagement, advancing
conversations on how environmental systems work, and identifying actions that could be implemented to achieve defined conservation goals. Here, we present a modelling exercise for one of the most endangered forested systems in the world: The Gran Chaco. We focus on unsustainable hunting, a pressing threat to this system. We highlight
knowledge gaps that underpin all parts of an adaptive management process from understanding key relationships in social-ecological systems to design and implementation of strategies for Gran Chaco conservation as well as evaluation of outcomes.
... In addition to Costa Rica, studies have found jaguars were killed regularly in Argentina (Altrichter et al. 2006), Brazil (Carvalho and Pezzuti 2010;Marchini andMacdonald 2012), andMexico (Navarro-Serment et al. 2005). Research in the Brazilian Amazonia found jaguars were killed in retaliation for livestock, in chance encounters, when hunting for other species, when felines were near the village, and when swimming in the river (Carvalho and Pezzuti 2010). ...
This paper presents data about the sociocultural construction of conflict and the killing of jaguars and pumas in a part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC) of Costa Rica. Results from participant observation and 131 interviews revealed cultural differences between Ticos (non-Indigenous people) and Cabécar (Indigenous people) on four separate dimensions of conflict, where large felines were constructed as competitors, food, man-eaters, real and imagined. When compared to Ticos, Cabécar had more conflict, most likely because they live off the land and have frequent “real” encounters with felines. This study makes several contributions: 1) evidence suggests competition is not the only reason for killing large felines; motivations also include constructing them as man-eaters and as food, raising questions about the important role social and cultural factors play in solutions to conflict; 2) meanings from Cabécar are products of a traditional and modernised relationship with large felines; 3) Cabécar include jaguars as food, suggesting future research and conservation management must understand Indigenous Peoples' relations with large predators, including their diets and traditions; 4) potential for conflict may increase between Ticos and large felines as they repopulate; 5) culture is crucial to examine prior to management implementation.
... Devising successful management plans for avoiding or minimizing human conflict with wildlife requires evaluating both ecological and social factors (Manfredo & Dayer, 2004;Sakurai & Jacobson, 2011). Social factors include the underlying cultural variability of the people involved and the social acceptability of management actions that could be used for minimizing impacts of the conflict (Altrichter, Boaglio, & Perovic, 2006;Manfredo & Dayer, 2004;Marchini, 2014;Sakurai & Jacobson, 2011;Sillero-Zubiri & Laurenson, 2001). Minimizing human conflict with wildlife allows conservationists to advance efforts to conserve biological diversity outside protected areas, which has been proposed as the seventh goal in the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2010-2020 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Convention on Biological Diversity [CBD], 2010). ...
Conflicts between humans and wildlife could generate problems for biodiversity, and conflict management is important for avoiding biodiversity loss. Social acceptability of management actions for mitigating these conflicts can influence the success of wild carnivore management. Our study was carried out in southern Chile where we evaluated levels of social acceptability and consensus (using PCI2) for frightening, relocating, and lethal control in different scenarios for conflicts with pumas and foxes (native species), and feral dogs. Frightening or relocating wild carnivores were more socially acceptable than to not carry out any actions. In comparison to non-ranchers, ranchers were more likely to accept lethal control for feral dogs. Finally, ranchers were more accepting of lethal control for feral dogs rather than lethal control for native carnivores. We found that social group (ranchers or non-ranchers), type of encounter scenario, and carnivore type influenced the social acceptability of different management actions.
... Modercin (2010), in a research in the semiarid of the state of Bahia, recorded accounts of numerous Indigenous experienced hunters of the Pankararé tribe paid by farmers to slaughter jaguars that preyed on cattle. The human conflict with the Panthera onca is extensive in various Brazilian biomes (Conforti and Cesar 2003; Palmeira and Barrella 2007; Palmeira et al. 2008; Zimmermann et al. 2005) as well as in other Latin American countries (Altrichter et al. 2006; Polisar et al. 2003). The fur of this species can be used as an adornment or as hunting trophies. ...
Mammals stand out among the main game animals of the world, being exploited by human beings for different ends, and being important for the subsistence of several communities. In semiarid environments, as in the Brazilian Caatinga biome, wild mammals have been exploited by the local human population, including endangered species. In this scenario, beyond biological research of the exploited animals, ethnozoological studies are important for supporting plans for the sustainable management and conservation strategies for the mammalian fauna of the semiarid landscape. This study aims to contribute to new research into the ethnomammalogy of this specific region. It provides a catalogue of the mammals and their ethnozoological importance, including a brief characterization of game mammals of the morphoclimatic domain of the Caatinga. The results show that at least 41 species of wild mammals interact with the population that lives in the semiarid region, as sources of products that can be used for the following purposes: food (31 species), medicinal (38 species), ornamental or decorative purposes (23 species), in magical/religious practices (31 species), and as pets (24 species). Twenty-five species are hunted because of concerns over personal safety or predation on livestock and pests. Among the recorded mammals, 13 (31.7%) are listed in some threatened category (Critically endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable). Hunting is one of the main factors contributing to this situation, which provides evidence that conservation strategies should consider the associated human needs, integrating cultural aspects of the local populations, and ecological aspects associated with the biodiversity of the region.
... This result implies that if food production were maintained at the present level, the puestos (land sharing) can contribute to the conservation of bird populations similarly than under a land-sparing scheme. Previous studies found that the puestos promote degradation of vegetation diversity and biomass, and habitat quality for vertebrates (Altritcher, Boaglio, & Perovic, 2006;Blanco, Biurrun, & Ferrando, 2005;Grau et al., 2008). For birds, the puestos have shown an ambiguous pattern: while the abundance of most bird guilds was higher around the puestos, possibly due to the presence of water, food and open spaces, rare or low abundance species were positively related to the distance to the puestos (Macchi & Grau, 2012). ...
The South American dry Chaco is a mosaic of woody vegetation and grasslands with high deforestation rates in recent decades. Considering forests and grasslands as the main natural habitats, we assessed the trade-offs between bird populations and agricultural production to compare the potential consequences of different land use strategies (‘sharing’, ‘sparing’, and intermediate) for populations of bird species sensitive to agriculture, while attaining a regional production target. We evaluated how populations responded to scenarios with different proportions of forest and grasslands, considering three reference states (100% forest, 80:20% and 50:50% forest and grasslands, respectively); and scenarios capable of meeting three after-farming scenarios, with land destined to reach a regional production target with three variations of forest:grasslands within spared land. We fitted curves to relate bird abundance to agricultural yield along a gradient of meat production intensity; and we classified bird species as ‘losers’ (if their populations were lower than the baseline population in the reference state, at any level of production) and ‘winners’ (if their current populations were higher than the baseline population). At the ‘current’ (c. 2010) level of regional agricultural production, we found a similar number of loser species maximized by land-sparing and land-sharing strategies; while intermediate strategies were the least favourable to balance production and bird populations. Under the most probable scenarios of increases in regional meat production, most loser bird species populations were maximized by a land-sparing strategy, suggesting that if meat production targets are going to increase in the region, this can be more efficiently achieved by combining well-protected forests and grasslands, and high-yielding mechanized agriculture (e.g. soybean). Our results highlight the importance of assessing all the important natural habitats (e.g. forests and grasslands) of a region to explore conservation strategies at a regional scale.
... Los intentos del hombre por limitar las poblaciones naturales de cánidos silvestres generalmente se deben a la pérdida de animales domésticos y a la competencia por las mismas presas. Dadas estas circunstancias, en muchas áreas la coexistencia es negativa (Conforti & Azevedo, 2003;Altrichter et al., 2006). Hasta hace dos décadas, el 58% de las 36 especies de cánidos del mundo había registrado algún tipo de ataque a animales domésticos (Ginsberg & Macdonald, 1990). ...
EL AGUARÁ GUAZÚ EN LA ARGENTINA: Lecciones aprendidas y recomendaciones para su conservación constituye el primer documento que reúne numerosa información publicada e inédita sobre la especie Chrysocyon brachyurus en la Argentina. El libro consta de dieciséis capítulos que son el aporte de diversos especialistas abordando múltiples áreas del conocimiento, disciplinas y aspectos vinculados a proyectos de investigación, educación y acciones de conservación de este carnívoro en sus ambientes naturales y en cautiverio. Se presentan sintetizados los resultados obtenidos durante los últimos 30 años, lo que constituye una base sin precedentes para la Argentina, que podrá ser destinada a orientar las futuras acciones de conservación del aguará guazú y de los ambientes que habita.
... Jaguars were persecuted as soon as their tracks have been observed in the forest. In contrast, pumas were persecuted only after they have attacked domestic livestock (Altrichter, et al., 2006). Also, the preference shown by jaguars for riparian environments, where they can find their main prey species, exposes them to more frequent contact with humans, since local people use rivers to access even the most secluded areas (Crawshaw, 2003). ...
Cattle depredations by large cats were recorded by ranch-hands for six years (1998 - 2003) in the Ouro Branco ranch, central-western Brazil. The mean annual depredation by these large cats represented about 18.9% of the cattle mortality and 0.4% of the cattle stock. Depredation was not occurred at random and was mainly associated with cattle's age class, calving seasons, and spatial location. Some of the large cats depredation (22.3%; n = 69) were checked in the field and distinguished between puma (Puma concolor) and jaguar (Panthera onca) kills, from October 2002 to May 2003. Most of the depredation was caused by pumas (92.75%; n = 64) and few ones were caused by jaguars (7.25%; n = 5). In contrast, jaguars were the main victims of persecution by local poachers. In six years (1998 - 2003), three pumas and five jaguars were killed in the ranch and in three neighboring ranches. In addition, ranchers have offered three cows (USD$ 365) as a reward for each large cat killed by local poachers. This control has become the main reason for the extermination of these large cats, particularly in areas not legally protected. Based on these results, non-lethal techniques should be encouraged to avoid depredations and, calves should be kept as far as possible from forest fragments. Also, it is necessary to have a scientific approach that comprises bio-ecological, socio-economic and cultural aspects to reduce the human-wildlife conflicts caused by depredation. Due to the great complexity of these interactions, a great effort must be made to guarantee large cats' conservation in Brazilian ranches.
... Los intentos del hombre por limitar las poblaciones naturales de cánidos silvestres generalmente se deben a la pérdida de animales domésticos y a la competencia por las mismas presas. Dadas estas circunstancias, en muchas áreas la coexistencia es negativa (Conforti & Azevedo, 2003;Altrichter et al., 2006). Hasta hace dos décadas, el 58% de las 36 especies de cánidos del mundo había registrado algún tipo de ataque a animales domésticos (Ginsberg & Macdonald, 1990). ...
... These results were striking for several reasons: as the largest seasonally flooded landlocked area in the world, the Brazilian Pantanal still is covered by native vegetation over most of its territory and relatively well-connected; the extensive cattle ranching on native pastures (Harris et al. 2005) has maintained some level of habitat quality for jaguars and has provided them with additional sources of prey (Swartz 2000), what may explain the reported high jaguar density (Soisalo and Cavalcanti 2006), even in non-protected areas. However, in some areas of this biome, the genetic patterns we detected in our research support the observations made in earlier work (Altrichter et al. 2006), namely a decrease in the size of some populations and increased isolation. These results are not unexpected because some intensive cattle ranching practices have resulted in a major loss of native habitat and increased direct persecution (i.e., hunting) of jaguars resulting from the increased conflict with cattle ranchers (Crawshaw and Quigley 2002). ...
Over the past century, human activities and their side effects have significantly threatened both ecosystems and resident species. Nevertheless, the genetic patterns of large felids that depend heavily on large and well-conserved continuous habitat remain poorly studied. Using the largest-ever contemporary genetic survey of wild jaguars (Panthera onca), we evaluated their genetic diversity and population structure in natural (Brazilian Amazon) and highly modified habitats (e.g. Cerrado, Caatinga) including those close to the northern (Yucatan, Mexico) and southern (Pantanal) edge of the species' distribution range. Data from our set of microsatellites revealed a pronounced genetic structure, with four genetically differentiated geographic areas. Geographic distance was not the only factor influencing genetic differentiation through the jaguar range. Instead, we found evidence of the effects of habitat deterioration on genetic patterns: while the levels of genetic diversity in the Amazon forest, the largest continuum habitat for the species, are high and consistent with panmixia across large distances, genetic diversity near the edge of the species distribution has been reduced through population contractions. Mexican jaguar populations were highly differentiated from those in Brazil and genetically depauperated. An isolated population from the Caatinga showed the genetic effects of a recent demographic decline (within the last 20–30 years), which may reflect recent habitat degradation in the region. Our results demonstrate that the jaguar is highly sensitive to habitat fragmentation especially in human-dominated landscapes, and that in Brazil, the existing but limited genetic connectivity in the central protected areas should be maintained. These conclusions have important implications for the management of wide-ranging species with high dispersal and low population density. The restoration of ecological connectivity between populations over relatively large scales should be one of the main priorities for species conservation.
... SE = 1.53). The collared peccary is the most resilient peccary species to habitat change (Altrichter et al. 2006, Tejeda-Cruz et al. 2009) and was therefore much more common than the whitelipped peccary (occupancy = 0.97). Habitat use of the grey brocket deer was associated with lower mean and maximum elevations (beta MeanElev = −13.16, ...
Corridors can prevent local extinction of particular species by connecting populations and are crucial for the long-term conservation of large animals and species with large homeranges such as jaguars. To assess the functionality of the proposed Tariquía-Baritú corridor between Bolivia and Argentina, we used the jaguar as a focal species. We conducted 254 interviews with local residents in 103 of 117 sampling units (each 36 km2) from November 2009 to February 2012, regarding the presence of the jaguar Panthera onca and 6 prey species: the whitelipped peccary Tayassu pecari, collared peccary Pecari tajacu, red brocket deer Mazama americana, gray brocket deer Mazama gouazoubira, capybara Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris and agouti Dasyprocta punctata. We applied site occupancy modeling using environmental covariables. Sampling units effective for jaguar and for the future of the corridor were selected based on having a minimum 65% likelihood that the jaguar and at least 4 of 6 prey species use habitat within that unit. The final corridor was 3168 km2 and encompassed 88 of the sampling units, suggesting that connectivity still exists between Tariquía Reserve and Baritú National Park and, therefore, that this corridor qualifies for long-term conservation. Changes in human land use, direct hunting and the presence of a route bisecting the study area are considered the main threats to the future of the corridor. Corridors are an effective conservation measure but must be accompanied by other conservation solutions.
... This result implies that if food production were maintained at the present level, the puestos (land sharing) can contribute to the conservation of 10 L. Macchi et al. bird populations similarly than under a land-sparing scheme. Previous studies found that the puestos promote degradation of vegetation diversity and biomass, and habitat quality for vertebrates (Altritcher, Boaglio, & Perovic, 2006; Blanco, Biurrun, & Ferrando, 2005; Grau et al., 2008). For birds, the puestos have shown an ambiguous pattern: while the abundance of most bird guilds was higher around the puestos, possibly due to the presence of water, food and open spaces, rare or low abundance species were positively related to the distance to the puestos (Macchi & Grau, 2012). ...
The South American dry Chaco is a mosaic of woody vegetation and grasslands with high deforestation rates in recent decades. Considering forests and grasslands as the main natural habitats, we assessed the trade-offs between bird populations and agricultural production to compare the potential consequences of different land use strategies (‘sharing’, ‘sparing’, and intermediate) for populations of bird species sensitive to agriculture, while attaining a regional production target. We evaluated how populations responded to scenarios with different proportions of forest and grasslands, considering three reference states (100% forest, 80:20% and 50:50% forest and grasslands, respectively); and scenarios capable of meeting three after-farming scenarios, with land destined to reach a regional production target with three variations of forest:grasslands within spared land. We fitted curves to relate bird abundance to agricultural yield along a gradient of meat production intensity; and we classified bird species as ‘losers’ (if their populations were lower than the baseline population in the reference state, at any level of production) and ‘winners’ (if their current populations were higher than the baseline population). At the ‘current’ (c. 2010) level of regional agricultural production, we found a similar number of loser species maximized by land-sparing and land-sharing strategies; while intermediate strategies were the least favourable to balance production and bird populations. Under the most probable scenarios of increases in regional meat production, most loser bird species populations were maximized by a land-sparing strategy, suggesting that if meat production targets are going to increase in the region, this can be more efficiently achieved by combining well-protected forests and grasslands, and high-yielding mechanized agriculture (e.g. soybean). Our results highlight the importance of assessing all the important natural habitats (e.g. forests and grasslands) of a region to explore conservation strategies at a regional scale.
... La mayor parte de los animales terrestres que desempeñan el rol de predadores tope, están siendo sistemáticamente eliminados de los ecosistemas naturales de la mayor parte de la superficie terrestre, persistiendo en pequeñas poblaciones fragmentadas. Tal es el caso del tigre (quedan menos de 3500 ejemplares, Morell, 2007), del león (Panthera leo) (en especial el león Asiático P.l.persica) (Chardonnet, 2002;Jackson, 2008), de varias subespecies del leopardo (Panthera pardus) (Shoemaker, 1993), del cheetah (Acinonynx jubatus) (Caro, 1994;Nowell y Jackson, 1996), del leopardo de las nieves (Uncia uncia) (McCarthy y Chapron, 2003), del yaguareté (Panthera onca) (Eizirik et al., 2001;Altrichter et al., 2006) y del lince euroasiático (Lynx lynx) (Breitenmoser y Breitenmoser-Würsten, 1990), por mencio-nar solo algunas especies de la familia a la que pertenece Puma concolor. Desafortunadamente, la merma de una o de pocas especies de carnívoros no implica una perdida sustancial de biodiversidad, más allá de que se cuenta con una cuantiosa cantidad de investigaciones, que destacan la importancia de este tipo de predadores (Di Bitetti, 2008. ...
Resumen. El puma (Puma concolor) es el carnívoro terrestre con la más amplia distribución en el continente americano. Es un carnívoro de gran resiliencia, capaz de subsistir en ambientes modificados por el hombre. No obstante, Puma concolor ha sufrido retracciones en su rango y extinciones locales. Esto ha tenido lugar en la ecorregión Pampeana. Recientemente, luego de más de 60 años sin registros, se ha proporcionado evidencia de poblaciones de pumas para el Sistema de Ventania y para el noroeste y norte del pastizal pampeano. En este trabajo se presentan más de 100 nuevos reportes de pumas procedentes de distintos sectores de la provincia de Buenos Aires, obtenidos mediante entrevistas personalizadas a ganaderos y cazadores. Muchos de estos corresponden a pumas muertos a causa de conflictos con el ser humano. El registro en distintas áreas de especímenes jóvenes y de hembras con cachorros, sugiere que en la ecorregión Pampeana está teniendo lugar un proceso de recolonización por parte del puma. Se recomienda el monitoreo de este fenómeno, tanto en áreas rurales como urbanas, para identificar las problemáticas de conservación y de manejo a enfrentar.
... As in other areas, these species have been severely threatened by recent unsustainable practices of development that have led to a reduction in natural habitat due to agriculture and livestock expansion, consequently causing a decrease in the supply of natural prey (Nowell & Jackson, 1996) and diseases (Furtado et al., 2013;Weber & Rabinowitz, 1996). Poaching, often due to retaliation for losses caused by livestock predation, is another significant threat (Altrichter, Boaglio, & Perovic, 2006;Zimmermann, Walpole, & Leader-Williams, 2005). However, felines play an important role as top predators, maintaining ecosystems by controlling and balancing prey populations and thereby reducing the pressure on plant resources (Pitman, Oliveira, & Paula, 2002). ...
Surveys to assess environmental knowledge are elementary tools to ensure successful environmental education. Felines are considered key components of the environment, acting as flagships for conservation. Nevertheless, they are threatened by loss of habitat, prey reductions, and poaching. In the mosaic of protected areas in the Brazilian Pantanal, where several environmental education activities are supported, felines are a conservation target priority. We present the results of surveys to investigate schoolchildren's knowledge and perceptions of felines. Our results show that larger species are better known than smaller ones, and that negative perceptions are a concern, demonstrating priorities for environmental education.
... It is also assumed that local cooperation can lead to wide-scale national political cooperation between nations, reducing the risk of conflict and the plethora of challenges that this throws up for biodiversity conservation. Such initiatives do require management, law enforcement and the education of nearby human populations in order to ensure sustainable interaction (Altrichter et al., 2006;Jacobsen, 2010). However, the potential socio-economic benefits of TBPAs may not be fully apparent to governments. ...
There are more than 3000 protected areas (PAs) situated on or near international boundaries, and amongst them there is an increasing trend towards the establishment of transboundary cooperation initiatives. Proponents of Transboundary PAs (TBPAs) highlight the potential for biodiversity protection through spatial, management and socio-economic benefits. However, there have been few formal studies that assess these benefits. It is possible that the relaxation of boundary controls to optimise transboundary connectivity may increase the risk of impacts from invasive species or illegal human incursion. We sought to investigate the validity of these proposed benefits and potential risks through a questionnaire survey of 113 PAs, of which 39 responded and met our inclusion criteria. 82% felt that transboundary cooperation has benefits for biodiversity and, across PAs, the self-reported level of transboundary communication was positively associated with some improved spatial, management and socio-economic benefits. However, 26% of PAs reported that they never communicated with their internationally adjoining protected area, indicating unrealised potential for greater gains.
У навчальному посібнику детально розглянуто представників чоти-рьох родин хижаків, зокрема ведмедевих, псових (вовчих), котових (котя-чих) і мустелових (куницевих). Подано загальні відомості про тварин, ареа-ли їх поширення, спосіб життя, розмноження, харчування. Висвітлено про-блеми збереження і приналежність до видових категорій згідно з Червоним списком Міжнародного союзу охорони природи.
Для студентів і викладачів географічних факультетів вищих закладів освіти, майбутніх фахівців у галузі географії і природничих наук, усіх, хто цікавиться життям тварин.
The jaguar Panthera onca is widely distributed throughout South America with its stronghold in the Amazon. It is protected by law in all countries, but some countries have legal loopholes and all lack a strict enforcement of the laws in place. Jaguar killing is common, even in strictly protected areas, but detailed records are lacking. Jaguars have been historically hunted for their pelts, however, inclusion of the species in the CITES Appendix I proved effective to curtail the spotted cat trade in the 1960s and 70s. Over the last few decades, there exists little information on jaguar hunting for trade, but recently reports have surfaced showing increased illegal trafficking of body parts with evidence of domestic and Asiatic demand. Conservation of jaguars in South America has been relatively well-informed by research data. National parks and indigenous lands have been and still are the cornerstones for jaguar conservation throughout the continent, but are hampered, with a few exceptions, by underfunding, understaffing and a lack of governance and political will. Financing the operation of national parks and protected areas, while securing rights of indigenous lands should be a priority for funding agencies, especially in areas where most jaguar populations are restricted to protected areas like Argentina and south-eastern Brazil. In countries where jaguars are still widespread efforts should also be directed toward unprotected areas where threats like habitat loss and killing are higher. There the biggest management challenge is upscaling conflict prevention and mitigation measures. The Jaguar 2030 Roadmap marks a milestone for the species, aiming to join range governments, NGOs and private partners to advance conservation action for jaguars, but getting the initiative off the ground is the current challenge. It is noteworthy to highlight the importance and need for transboundary cooperation and action, especially among the trans-frontier population hotspots. The new, or emerging threats like jaguar part smuggling and man-made fires need extra attention and action to be curtailed. If jaguar conservation is to be effective despite increasing threats, it needs to be streamlined from high level agreements through scalable effects on the ground, combining protected areas, corridors, and local people buy-in.
Habitat loss and degradation are currently the main anthropogenic causes of species extinctions. The root cause is human overpopulation. This unique volume provides, for the very first time, a comprehensive overview of all threatened and recently extinct mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes within the context of their locations and habitats. The approach takes a systematic examination of each biogeographic realm and region of the world, both terrestrial and marine, but with a particular emphasis on geographic features such as mountains, islands, and coral reefs. It reveals patterns useful in biodiversity conservation, helps to put it all into perspective, and ultimately serves as both a baseline from which to compare subsequent developments as well as a standardization of the way threatened species are studied.
Maintaining population connectivity is an important component of jaguar (Panthera onca) conservation. However, the effectiveness of connectivity corridors can be affected by anthropogenic factors. At the southwestern limit of the jaguar's current distribution in the Yungas and Dry Chaco ecoregions, connectivity among jaguar populations has been compromised by extensive deforestation. The extent that jaguars and their prey are using corridors in the region, and the factors that determine their use, however, has not been evaluated. We sampled 105 sites in 7 study areas in connectivity corridors in the Yungas and Dry Chaco ecoregions of Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay for jaguars and six large-bodied principal prey species through interviews with inhabitants and land owners. Using a multi-species community occupancy modeling framework, we examined species occurrence in relation to forest cover and anthropogenic factors. All species were positively associated with increasing forest cover, decreasing number of homesteads, and increasing distance from roads and settlements, with jaguar occurrence most strongly negatively correlated with anthropogenic factors. Mean conditional occupancy of jaguars was high (>75%) in only two study areas, while only two study areas had mean conditional occupancy estimates of jaguars that were consistent with prey occurrence, with other sites having lower jaguar occurrence than expected. Despite high levels of forest cover and sufficient prey availability, the lower than expected jaguar occurrence in most study areas suggests that illegal killing is likely a principal factor determining jaguar occurrence. The probability of site use by jaguars in most study areas was low, and consequently, functional connectivity is reduced in those areas and likely throughout the region. Our findings have range-wide implications for jaguar conservation since we show that despite sufficient habitat and prey availability, jaguar populations are likely reduced or extirpated by illegal killing driven by jaguar-ranching conflict, cultural norms, or fear.
Throughout its range in Latin America, the jaguar Panthera onca is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and by conflict as a result of coexistence with people. This Near Threatened species is a top predator, and is often illegally hunted. Understanding people's attitudes and perceptions and the factors that could influence them is crucial for the conservation of this species. In this study we assess how knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among people in northern Argentina regarding jaguars vary depending on their level of education, age and occupation. We interviewed 810 people living in and around 10 protected areas in northern Argentina. Positive perceptions and attitudes towards the jaguar were associated with economic benefits that people may receive from the species’ presence, such as income from tourism. Unexpectedly, higher levels of formal education were not associated with more positive attitudes and perceptions. Negative attitudes and perceptions towards the species were determined by fear; people see jaguars as a threat to their lives. This study shows that the socio-economic factors that affect the level of tolerance towards jaguars are not related only to economic losses. Our findings provide information for the design, implementation and evaluation of jaguar conservation projects in Argentina.
Nos capítulos 13 e 14 poderá ser encontrado estudos de Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida de Produtos elaborador por Marcelo Langer, Dimas Agostinho da Silva, Julio Eduardo Arce e Silva H. da Rocha
Para atender às demandas da população sobre a qualidade dos produtos e apoiar
a decisão dos gestores dos diferentes setores industriais, algumas técnicas,
metodologias e métodos de avaliação dos processos produtivos e dos produtos
gerados vêm sendo aplicados no mundo. Atualmente, setores produtivos de
vários países estão buscando ferramentas capazes de avaliar as características de
sustentabilidade dos produtos e processos produtivos e suas correlações com o
meio ambiente e a sociedade (LOPES et al., 2011). Essa busca não se restringe
mais à avaliação de produtos ou processos produtivos industriais, mas se estende
ao setor financeiro e ao de serviços, por exemplo, a Resolução nº 4.327/2014, do
Banco Central do Brasil (BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL, 2014).
A técnica de ACV é uma dessas ferramentas e pode contribuir para que os
consumidores saibam como os produtos são produzidos, utilizados, reciclados e
descartados, possibilitando o crescimento do “mercado verde” ou de “produtos
verdes” (STRAKA; LAYTON, 2010; UGAYA, 2013). Sua aplicação está
crescendo em todas as atividades empresariais e governamentais, inclusive no
setor florestal (ZANGHELINI et al., 2014; WILLERS; RODRIGUES; SILVA,
2013; STRAKA; LAYTON, 2010; ZAMAGNI, 2010).
De acordo com a Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations - FAO (2009)
e com Guinée (2016), o crescimento demográfico, a maior concentração da
população em áreas urbanas e a maior expectativa de vida da população mundial
demandarão mais recursos naturais e energia para a produção e consumo de bens,
serviços e alimentos. E segundo FAO, entre 2005 e 2007, foram registrados
impactos alarmantes sobre os espaços naturais e florestais, devido à urbanização
e à produção mundial de alimentos, fibras e energia.
As escolhas individuais e coletivas para obtenção de matéria-prima, alimentos,
energia; bem como, os problemas relacionados à depleção, à escassez de recursos
naturais e ainda, à emissão de poluentes, causam impactos negativos à saúde
humana, diminuem a biodiversidade, acarretam perda da qualidade de vida e
prejudicam a sustentabilidade do planeta (UNITED NATIONS, 2014a;
UNITED NATIONS, 2014b; LANGER, 2015; STRAKA; LEYTON, 2010). No
setor florestal, o desmatamento florestal, as perdas de biodiversidade e da
qualidade dos recursos naturais, o consumo de materiais de madeira sem origem
comprovada, os impactos sociais decorrentes da concentração e da transformação
de terras para monoculturas agrícolas ainda são problemas a serem tratados com
maior atenção (FAO, 2016; UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL
PROGRAM – UNEP, 2015).
Esses problemas determinam a urgência de outras políticas públicas e outros
modelos de produção para consolidar o paradigma da sustentabilidade; além de
outras ferramentas de gestão e metodologias para reduzir os danos resultantes das
ações antrópicas e da degradação do meio ambiente. Ainda, é necessário o desenvolvimento de padrões de consumo ambientalmente conscientes (THE
INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND
DEVELOPMENT – IBRD, 2012; LANGER,2015). Uma das ferramentas
utilizada para apoiar as políticas de sustentabilidade é a aplicação da técnica de
Avaliação do Ciclo de Vida (ACV) de Produtos, tanto para processos como para
produtos – bens e serviços – (BRASIL, 2010; STRAKA; LAYTON, 2010).
Este capitulo tem como objetivo apresentar o surgimento da técnica ACV,
possibilidades e ações necessárias para aplicação no setor florestal.
To preserve biodiversity we need to understand how species are distributed and which aspects of the environment determine these distributions. Human-induced changes in land-cover and loss of habitat threaten many species, particularly large carnivores, in many parts of the world. Differentiating the influence of climate and human land use on the distribution of the jaguar (Panthera onca) is important for the species’ conservation. Historically distributed from the United States to southern Argentina, the jaguar has seen its distribution range decreased at regional and local scales. Here we predict the species’ distribution range using historical records of its presence, climate variables, and MaxEnt predictive algorithms. We focus especially on its southernmost limit in Argentina to indicate the historical limits of this species, and describe its present niche in these edge populations. To estimate the effect of human activity we used a raster of land cover to restrict the jaguar’s distribution. We collected a large amount of presence records through the species’ historical range, and estimated a historical regional distribution ranging from Patagonia up to latitude-50°S. Our findings show the range of the jaguar is decreasing severely in its southern limit and also in its northern limit, and that changes in land cover/use are threats to the species. After subtracting non-suitable land-cover from the studied niche, we found the environmentally suitable area for the jaguar in the study area has decreased to 5.2% of its original size. We thus warn of the high extinction risk of the jaguar in Argentina.
Jaguar and puma depredation on livestock may be influenced by (1) innate and learned behavior; (2) health and status of individual cats; (3) division of space and resources among jaguar and puma; (4) cattle husbandry practices; and (5) abundance and distribution of natural prey. Our study in Los Llanos of Venezuela aimed to establish how all these elements related to cattle being lost to cat depredation. Prey distribution was influenced by forest composition, topographical characteristics, and degree of habitat interspersion. The biomass of natural prey in the study area was adequate to support the resident large cats without a subsidy of livestock. Selective rather than opportunistic hunting by the cats reinforced that conclusion. Puma were responsible for more attacks on livestock than jaguar, frequently in maternity pastures in upland areas of relatively low prey availability. Management recommendations are discussed that may be relevant to other savanna/forest mosaics of South America.
This article develops an approach for exploring the social and cultural aspects of human–wildlife conflict in a global context. The proposed micro-macro level model integrates the cognitive hierarchy theory of human behavior and materialist theory of culture. This model guides research of human behavior in these situations and yields information that can aid conflict prevention and mitigation on the local level and offer suggestions for effective coordinated global, national, or regional efforts. Past applications of the micro (individual level) component and preliminary research and potential areas of future exploration for the macro (cultural level) component are discussed. Cross-cultural research will be highly useful in advancing an understanding of human–wildlife conflict.
Small reserves are especially likely to lose species. Is that because the reserves are small, or because small reserves are located in especially adverse landscapes? It seems that the question has rarely, if ever, been asked. Data on reserve size and location in Africa, and calculations of local (within 50 km) mean human densities from available census records per province per country were the database here used to answer the question. IUCN grade I and II reserves in Africa are located across the range of human densities per country, including in regions of higher than average density. Furthermore reserve size correlates with local human density, such that small reserves are indeed significantly more likely than are large reserves to be located in regions of high human density (n = 169; P < 0.0001). However, while local human density correlates significantly with human-caused mortality of carnivores (the only taxon for which we had data), it does not correlate with detected extinctions in reserves in east Africa (the only region with available data). Rather, area of reserve is the main predictor. Nevertheless, abundant other evidence of the adverse effects of high human density on persistence of species and wilderness indicates that we need to take as a warning the findings reported here that small reserves occur in regions of high human density, and that human density correlates with human-caused mortality. They indicate that small reserves might face the double jeopardy of both their small size, and also their situation in especially hostile surroundings. In effect, small reserves are more isolated in more adverse habitat than current analyses in conservation biology, landscape ecology, or metapopulation analysis usually indicate.
Across its range in Latin America the jaguar Panthera onca is threatened by habitat loss and through conflict with people. In the Pantanal of Brazil, where large areas of land are devoted to cattle ranching, jaguars often attack livestock and are persecuted by ranchers. However, the extent to which livestock predation and/or other socio-economic factors affect ranchers' tolerance of jaguars is unclear. This study examined ranchers' atti-tudes towards jaguars and conservation in the northern Pantanal in order to identify ways of resolving jaguar-rancher conflict. The results suggest that most respon-dents supported the conservation of the Pantanal but that attitudes towards jaguars were mixed and difficult to predict on the basis of socio-economic factors. Attitudes towards jaguars were more closely related to respon-dents' age and relative wealth than to jaguar-related ben-efits through tourism or costs through cattle predation. Whilst efforts to reduce cattle losses are needed, it may be equally as important for conservation initiatives to focus on the inherent appreciation of the natural value of the Pantanal within this ranching community.
We examined quantitatively the interaction of reserve size and surrounding local human density in the United States and their relative effect on extinction of large mammals in 13 national parks of the western United States. Data on reserve size and human density were obtained from publicly available sources. Local human density was calculated as the mean density in the 50- or 100-km zone surrounding the reserves' borders. Reliable extinction data are extraordinarily hard to find. Using a variety of definitions of extinct, we collated information on extinctions of large mammals (>5 kg) that spanned the size of U.S. national parks as a whole. Human density surrounding reserves varies considerably. Overall, small reserves were in areas of higher human density than were large reserves (p < 0.0001, r ² = −0.24, n = 864; excluding Hawaii), and many of the small reserves were at higher local density than the mean for the contiguous United States. Extinction rates of large mammals correlate significantly with local human density, but not with park area. These findings together emphasize that (1) processes occurring outside of a reserve's boundary may unexpectedly strongly affect species within the reserve; (2) small reserves might suffer the double jeopardy of not only their size but also their situation in especially adverse surrounds; and thus (3) small reserves might suffer more intense edge effects and be more isolated than large reserves. If so, conservation workers need to incorporate the relationship into their models and management decisions.
International conservation planning at the end of the twentieth century is dominated by coarse-filter, supra-organismal approaches to conservation that may be insufficient to conserve certain species such as the jaguar (Panthera onca). If we are to retain broadly distributed species into the next century, we need to plan explicitly for their survival across their entire geographic range and through political boundaries while recognizing the variety of ecological roles the species plays in different habitats. In March 1999 the Wildlife Conservation Society sponsored a priority-setting and planning exercise for the jaguar across its range, from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Field scientists from 18 countries reached consensus on four types of information: (1) the spatial extent of their jaguar knowledge, (2) the known, currently occupied range of jaguars, (3) areas with substantial jaguar populations, adequate habitat, and a stable and diverse prey base, and (4) point localities where jaguars have been observed during the last 10 years. During the exercise, these experts also conducted a range-wide assessment of the long-term survival prospects of the jaguar and developed an algorithm for prioritizing jaguar conservation units occurring in major habitat types. From this work, we learned that the known, occupied range of the jaguar has contracted to approximately 46% of estimates of its 1900 range. Jaguar status and distribution is unknown in another 12% of the jaguar's former range, including large areas in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. But over 70% of the area where jaguars are thought to still occur was rated as having a high probability of supporting their long-term survival. Fifty-one jaguar conservation units representing 30 different jaguar geographic regions were prioritized as the basis for a comprehensive jaguar conservation program.
The vast plain known as the Gran Chaco is a natural region of more than 1·3 million square kilometres, the second largest natural biome in South America, with only the Amazon region being larger. It extends over parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and, marginally, Brazil. The original landscape of the region was mostly a park land with patches of hardwoods intermingled with grasslands. Increasing human encroachment, largely by poor campesinos, with associated overgrazing, excessive timber harvesting, charcoal production and over-exploitation of wildlife, is transforming the region into a dense and unproductive shrub land and is contributing to increasing rural poverty. A management system for the sustainable use of the Chaco has been developed based on a multiple-species ranching system that includes beef, timber, charcoal and wildlife production. An evaluation of the management system finds that it is capable of protecting and enhancing the resource base, while providing higher economic returns in a sustainable manner. However, high initial costs, as well as a divergence between the «best» interests of campesinos and society, jeopardize the feasibility of the managed system.
While much information is available about tropical and temperate ecosystems, there is a remarkably little information as to land cover and land use changes in the subtropical biomes of the world. Here, we quantify changes in the spatial patterns of land cover types at the southern edge of the seasonally dry, subtropical Chaco forest of South America during the second half of the 20th century using a vegetation map printed in 1969 and a Landsat TM based digital map produced 30 years later. Results show a massive contraction of forest; ca. 1.2 million ha of original lowland and mountain subtropical dry forests and woodlands, 85% of the total, have been cleared in only 30 years. This loss of Chaco forests of 2.2% year−1 is consistent with or even exceeds, global trends. Forest vegetation now persists as fragments where there was formerly continuous cover. Most of undisturbed Chaco forest has now been converted to pasture or is undergoing secondary succession. Today, these new vegetation types, resulting mainly from agricultural expansion, have increased 10-fold in cover and now represent the commonest land cover types. The increased intensity of agricultural usage, possibly triggered by an increase in annual rainfall during the last decades, has been accompanied by changes in agricultural practices and a relative decline in the rural population.
Con el objeto de determinar la distribución y abundancia del jaguar en el estado de Chiapas, se eligieron y visitaron 1 6 localidades en las que se verificó la presencia de jaguares, Se eligieron dos áreas donde se estimó la abundancia de jaguares. El área de distribución propuesta para 1988 fue estimada en 8,800 km^ y la población entre 241 y 343 individuos.
The mortality of Jaguar (Panthera onca) and Puma (Puma concolor) inflicted by ranchers as a way to control the depredation of domestic animals is presently one of the main factors responsible for the reduction of the remaining populations of these species in Brazil. The purpose of this paper is to outline some of the problems and offer some possible solutions for debate.
The current extinction crisis is caused primarily by human impacts upon wild populations. Large carnivores are especially sensitive to human activity; because their requirements often conflict with those of local people, predators have been actively persecuted in most regions of the world. In this paper, the impact of people upon predators is analysed by relating local carnivore extinctions to past and projected human population densities. There are strong associations between high human density and the loss of carnivore populations from a region. Interspecific variation in ability to survive at high human densities probably reflects species' ability to adapt to human-modified habitats. However, regional and temporal variation in individual species' sensitivity to human density is more likely to reflect the activities of local people than the phenotypes of local carnivores. Local culture, government policy and international trade all influence human attitudes to predators and, therefore, the impact of people upon carnivore populations. The importance of these factors may mean that extinction risks for carnivores will continue to increase, even though human population growth is projected to deccelerate during the new millennium. This points to an urgent need for techniques to resolve conflicts between people and predators at either the local or landscape level.
The decline of the jaguar in the 1970s reflected the large trade in their skins. Since 1973, when the species was listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the threat from the commercial skin trade has abated. However, habitat destruction and opportunistic killing continue. If the jaguar is to persist into the future, local people must be convinced that conserving jaguars has long-term benefits for them.
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@article{ORX:4956220,author = {Swank,Wendell G. and Teer,James G.},title = {Status of the jaguar—1987},journal = {Oryx},volume = {23},issue = {01},month = {1},year = {1989},issn = {1365-3008},pages = {14--21},numpages = {8},doi = {10.1017/S0030605300022547},URL = {http://journals.cambridge.org/article_S0030605300022547},}
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Status of the jaguar—1987
Wendell G. Swank and James G. Teer (1989).
Oryx , Volume 23 , Issue01 , January 1989, pp 14-21
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?aid=4956220
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Status of the jaguar—1987
Wendell G. Swank
and James G. Teer January 1989
Oryx,
,Volume23,
Issue01,
January 1989,
pp 14-21
http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0030605300022547
Wendell G. Swank
and James G. Teer
(1989).
Status of the jaguar—1987.
Oryx,
23,
pp 14-21.
doi:10.1017/S0030605300022547.
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The recent reintroduction of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone signifies a constructive change, but the overall record in the United States on large carnivore conservation remains poor. Many developing countries are determined to do a better job of conserving predators, including their critical habitat and prey populations. We describe current efforts to protect tigers (Panther tigris), jaguars (Panthera onca), and large-scale forest habitat in Asia, Central America, and Africa. These initiatives take a comprehensive approach that includes biological field research, the identification of local human interests, and a growing recognition of the need for cooperation across political lines. Though often supported by U.S. technical assistance, this international experience could be used better to inform and improve carnivore conservation efforts in North America. Failure to improve our domestic performance or to fully appreciate the contributions of far less developed countries could weaken global efforts to maintain and restore populations of large carnivores.
We examined and compared human attitudes toward wolves (Canis lupus), grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis), and mountain lions (Puma concolor) in North America, with an emphasis on the Rocky Mountains of the United States and Canada. Primary research, literature review, and secondary data were included in the analysis. Wolves were historically persecuted by Euro-American settlers, but they have been the focus of a significant attitudinal transformation during the latter half of this century. Many now view the wolf in positive and protective ways. Considerable variation remains, however, in contemporary attitudes. Attitudes toward mountain lions have been highly ambivalent, never assuming the prominence or clarity of views on wolves. The behavior and physiology of the species, along with human psychological factors, are important reasons for the difference in human perceptions of wolves and mountain lions. We also examined attitudes toward grizzly bears. Many indigenous cultures revered grizzly bears, although European settlers were interested in exploiting and eliminating them. Today, perceptions of grizzly bears range from positive to negative. Our recommendations include targeting key groups with education programs, building support through the use of spokespeople within the target groups, integrating human and ecological concerns, and designing species-specific education initiatives in some cases.
This paper reports on efforts to trap jaguars Panthera onca on camera in the dry forests of the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park in Bolivia. Ad hoc camera trapping provided certain information on jaguar presence and habits, but was limited in application. Activity patterns showed that jaguars are active all day, particularly at one of three sites, with peaks in the morning and evening the more common pattern. Minimum observed home range was variable, with males (up to 65 km2) occupying more area than females (up to 29 km2). The authors adapted systematic methodologies first developed to survey tigers in India, based on individually distinctive pelage patterns in tigers and jaguars. Abundance is estimated using capture–recapture statistical analysis, and a sample area defined based on the maximum distance that individual jaguars move during the sample period. The methodology has proved successful for jaguars in dry Chaco forest, population densities of 1/30–45 km2 and 1/20 km2 are estimated in the two most extensive landscape systems of Kaa-Iya. The entire 34 400 km2 protected area is estimated to sustain a population of over 1000 adult and juvenile jaguars, the largest single population of jaguar reported anywhere, and a viable population for long-term jaguar conservation.
Jaguars (Panthera onca) have been killed by local residents within the boundaries and lands surrounding Iguaçu National Park (INP), Brazil. Both jaguars and pumas (Puma concolor) occur in the region, however, livestock predation by pumas has rarely been reported. Our objective was to assess the local perceptions about jaguars and pumas. We identified two major factors that distinguished the perceptions towards the two species: less people feared the puma than the jaguar; and most people believed that jaguars, but not pumas, were released into INP by local authorities. Interestingly, despite those major differences in these perceptions, feelings towards the two species tended to be the same. Perceptions towards jaguars were not influenced by the predation history of the properties, suggesting that the predation impact was not remarkable enough to influence local perceptions towards carnivores. This is apparently the first study on local perceptions towards large carnivores in Brazil.
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