Amazonian freshwater habitats experiencing environmental and socieconomic threats affecting subsistence fisheries

ALHO, C.J.R.; REIS, R.E.; AQUINO, P.P.U. 2015. Amazonian freshwater habitats experiencing environmental and socieconomic threats affecting subsistence fisheries. AMBIO 44(5):412-425. doi: 10.1007/s13280-014-0610-z

Abstract. Matching the trend seen among the major large rivers of the globe, the Amazon River and its tributaries are facing aquatic ecosystem disruption that is affecting freshwater habitats and their associated biodiversity, including trends for decline in fishery resources. The Amazon’s aquatic ecosystems, linked natural resources, and human communities that depend on them are increasingly at risk from a number of identified threats, including expansion of agriculture; cattle pastures; infrastructure such as hydroelectric dams, logging, mining; and overfishing. The forest, which regulates the hydrological pulse, guaranteeing the distribution of rainfall and stabilizing seasonal flooding, has been affected by deforestation. Flooding dynamics of the Amazon Rivers are a major factor in regulating the intensity and timing of aquatic organisms. This study’s objective was to identify threats to the integrity of freshwater ecosystems, and to seek instruments for conservation and sustainable use, taking principally fish diversity and fisheries as factors for analysis.

Perceptions of human-carnivore conflicts in the High Andes of Argentina

LUCHERINI, M.; MERINO, M.J. 2008. Perceptions of human-carnivore conflicts in the High Andes of Argentina. Mountain Research and Development 28(1):81-85. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1659/mrd.0903

Abstract. The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobitus), one of the world’s most threatened felids, forms part of the little known carnivore guild occurring in the dry areas of the High Andes. Although human–carnivore conflicts are among the major causes of carnivore population decline, no data are available on this issue for the High Andes. We report here the results of the first survey of human perceptions of, and attitudes towards, carnivores in the high-altitude Andes of Argentina. Interviews with 50 adults and 226 schoolchildren revealed that pumas (Puma concolor) and foxes (Lycalopex culpaeus) are considered pests for preying upon livestock and are actively hunted by adults. Although perceptions of the Andean cat and the Pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo) were more positive, especially among schoolchildren, they are also frequently killed by local people. We suggest that, contrary to what was previously thought, hunting might be affecting the conservation status of the Andean cat and of some puma populations in the High Andes of Argentina, and that education strategies may help to improve human attitudes, particularly in the case of the endangered Andean cat.

Composição e caracterização da fauna de mamíferos de médio e grande porte em uma pequena reserva de Cerrado em Mato Grosso, Brasil

ROCHA, E.C.; DALPONTE, J.C. 2006. Composição e caracterização da fauna de mamíferos de médio e grande porte em uma pequena reserva de Cerrado em Mato Grosso, Brasil. Revista Árvore 30(4):669-678.

Abstract. This study was carried out at the "Mario Viana" Municipal Biological Reserve in Nova Xavantina, MT, aiming to make an inventory and evaluate the abundance and diversity of terrestrial mammals of medium and large size. Thus, two monthly visits were made to a 2.820 m long transect throughout 2001 to acess tracking and other evidences of mammals. Twenty-nine species were recorded in the study area, with 22 in the transect and two individual tracking sequences being quantified for calculation of Shannon-Wiener (H') abundance and diversity indices. According to the abundance indices, the species were classified as rare, common and abundant. Among other species, onça-parda (Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)) and tatu-canastra (Priodontes maximus (Keer, 1792) were classified as rare; jaguatirica (Leopardus pardalis (Linnaeus, 1758)) and tamanduá-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla Linnaeus, 1758) as common; and cutia (Dasyprocta azarae (Lichtenstein, 1823)) and tapetí (Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758)) as abundant species. The H' index found was 2.40, which was considered significant. This work shows that despite being small (470 ha), the area studied plays an important role in the preservation of the mammalian fauna in the region of Nova Xavantina, MT.

Journals: Conservation Biology

Conservation Biology

- Abreviatura: Conserv. Biol.

- Home Page: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1523-1739

- Qualis CAPES: A1 (Biodiversidade, Ciências Biológicas I), A2 (Ciências Biológicas II).

- Taxa de Publicação: Não há.

- Idiomas: Inglês.

- Disponibilidade: Restrito. Apenas os artigos do fascículo corrente são disponibilizados.

- Submissão: Online, pelo sistema ScholarOne Manuscripts, com acesso na home page.

Conservation Biology é o mais influente e frequentemente citado periódico em sua área. O periódico publica artigos inovadores e é fundamental na definição de questões chave, contribuindo com a ciência e a prática de conservar a diversidade biológica da Terra.

A Conservation Biology encoraja submissões que enfatizam questões relativas a qualquer ecossistema da Terra ou região geográfica e que apliquem diversas abordagens nas análises e resolução de problemas. No entanto, manuscritos com relevância para a conservação que transcendam o ecossistema particular, espécies, ou situações descritas serão priorizadas para publicação.

An ecology-based method for defining priorities for large mammal conservation: the tiger as case study

WIKRAMANAYAKE, E.D.; DINERSTEIN, E.; ROBINSON, J.G.; KARANTH, U.; RABINOWITZ, A.; OLSON, D.; MATHEW, T.; HEADAO, P.; CONNER, M.; HEMLEY, G.; BOLZE, D. 1998. An ecology-based method for defining priorities for large mammal conservation: the tiger as case study. Conservation Biology 12(4):865-878.

Abstract. The disappearance of large vertebrates in the tropical belt may be the next biological insult of the global extinction crisis. Large predators and their prey are at particular risk in Asia, where they are threatened by poaching and habitat loss. To facilitate the best use of limited conservation recources, we created and objective, ecology-based method for identifying priority areas for conservation that incorporates both habitat representation and landscape-level features. Using tigers as an example, our method captures the range of ecological habitats where they occur, accounting for ecological, demographic, genetic, and behavioural differences. Our analysis is hierarchical. We divided the tiger range into distinct bioregions and identified tiger habitat types within each. we then delineated tiger conservation units throughout the bioregions and ranked the units based on habitat integrity, poaching pressure, and tiger population trends. To maintain representation of tiger populations and their ecology in the different tiger habitats, we made comparisons only among tiger conservation units from the same tiger habitat types nested within the same bioregion. We identified 159 tiger conservation units in three bioregions - the Indian subcontinent, Indochina, and Southeastern Asia. We ranked the units in three categories that reflect the probability of long-term persistence of tiger populations (highest in level I units). Twenty-five tiger conservation units were classified as level I, 21 as level II, and 97 as level III. An additional 16 tiger conservation units for which little information is available were identified for immediate surveys. Levels I, II and those identified for immediate surveys are the priority areas for immediate funding and for a regional tiger conservation strategy. One feature emerging from the study showed that protected areas cover only small areas of tiger conservation units; If the long-term prospects for tiger conservation are to improve, poaching must be stopped and protected areas increased in number, linked, and buffered by natural habitats. To enhance landscape integrity, the priority tiger conservation units that straddle international borders should be managed as transboundary reserves, giving tiger conservation a stronger regional structure. Like tigers, populations of other wide-ranging mammalian carnivores and large herbivores also are declining due to poaching and loss of habitat. The method we present for tigers can be adapted readly to improve conservation strategies for these species as well.

New records of the red-rumped mouse Juliomys pictipes (Osgood, 1933) (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) in coastal Atlantic Forest of Paraná, southern Brazil

CERBONCINI, R.A.S.; JUNIOR, C.M.M.; TIEPOLO, L.M.; PASSOS, F.C. 2014. New records of the red-rumped mouse Juliomys pictipes (Osgood, 1933) (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) in coastal Atlantic Forest of Paraná, southern Brazil. Biotemas 27(1):159-164.

Abstract. Juliomys pictipes is a Sigmodontinae rodent endemic to the Atlantic Forest. Herein, we report the first records of the species on the coast of the state of Paraná, filling a gap in the species’ distribution. Records at low altitudes in the eastern part of the Serra do Mar conirm that the coastal mountains are not a barrier to the species’ distribution.

Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in native and reforested areas in Rancho Alegre, Paraná, Brazil

GALLO, P.H.; REIS, N.R.; ANDRADE, F.R. 2010. Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) in native and reforested areas in Rancho Alegre, Paraná, Brazil. Revista de Biología Tropical 58(4):1311-1322.

Abstract. Generally, natural environments have been transformed into small forest remnants, with the consequent habitat loss and species extinction. The North Paraná State is not an exception, since only 2 to 4% of the original ecosystem occurs in small fragments of Stational Semidecidual Forest. We studied the species richness and abundance of bats in two forest fragments from the Fazenda Congonhas, in Rancho Alegre city, Paraná State, Brazil. Four samplings were undertaken in a legally protected native area (107.8 ha) and in a reforested area (11.8 ha) between April 2007 and March 2008. Samplings began at nightfall and lasted six hours, during two consecutive nights in each location. The individuals were captured using eight mist nets, with the same capture effort in both environments. A total of 397 individuals, 14 species and 10 genera were captured in the native area; while in the reforested area, 105 individuals, six species and four genera. Artibeus lituratus was the most common species in both fragments (n= 328, 65.3%), followed by Artibeus fimbriatus (n= 44, 8.8%) and Artibeus jamaicensis (n= 30, 6.0%). Other species including Platyrrhinus lineatus, Carollia perspicillata, Sturnira lilium, Chrotopterus auritus, Desmodus rotundus, Michronycteris megalotis, Phyllostomus hastatus, Phyllostomus discolor, Myoti levis, Myotis nigricans and Lasiurus blossevillii, accounted for 19.9% of the captures. The native area presented higher values of species richness (S=14) and diversity (H’=1.4802) in comparison to the reforested area (S=6, H’=0.57015). The t-test evidenced a significant difference between diversity among the sites (t=7.1075). Chao 1 index indicated that the sampling effort recorded approximately 78% from the total species richness for the native area and 75% for the reforested area. Therefore, the preservation of the forest fragment is essential since it provides habitat for a diverse community of bats. Forest management and reforestation actions may prevent drastic changes in the microclimate of neighboring areas within the forest fragment, and could allow the occupation of available niches in the area, by opportunistic and generalist species.

Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil

CHIARELLO, A.G. 1999. Effects of fragmentation of the Atlantic forest on mammal communities in south-eastern Brazil. Biological Conservation 89:71-82.

Abstract. Six Atlantic forest reserves, two large (c. 20,000 ha each), two medium-sized (c. 2,000 ha each) and two small (c. 200 ha each), located in northern Espírito Santo, south-eastern Brazil were censured for mammals from October 1994 to April 1996. Diurnal and nocturnal line-transect sampling was used for censusing mammals > 1 kg body weight, and the relative abundance of species in the six fragments was compared. The number of mammal species recorded in the reserves was strongly related to the forest area, the richest community being recorded in the two large reserves and the poorest in the two small reserves. The large reserves had a structurally more complex community, with top predators, large, terrestrial frugivores and large myrmecophages. The mammal community of the small and the medium-sized reserves was impoverished and less complex. Frugivores were numerically predominant in both large and medium-sized reserves, whereas herbivores dominated the mammal community of the small reserves, mainly through the absence of agoutis Dasyprocta leporina and the high density of maned sloth Bradypus torquatus in the two small reserves. The lack of predators and the proliferation of secondary vegetation and lianas throughout the small reserves are probably the main causes for the success of arboreal folivores there. Illegal hunting was found to reduce the encounter rates of mostly large, terrestrial frugivores such as agoutis, pacas Agouti paca, peccaries Pecari tajacu and Tayassu pecari and deer Mazama spp., and is contributing to keep the population of the surviving species low.

Interactions between short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the winter pelagic pair-trawl fishery off Southwest England (UK)

BOER, M.N.; SAULINO, J.T.; LEOPOLD, M.F.; RIJNDERS, P.J.H.; SIMMONDS, M.P. 2012. Interactions between short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and the winter pelagic pair-trawl fishery off Southwest England (UK). International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation 4(13):481-499. doi: 10.5897/IJBC12.016

Abstract. During offshore and onshore studies (2004 to 2009), the interactions between pair-trawls and shortbeaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were studied to better understand the impact of bycatch. A ‘hotspot’ area where pair-trawls overlapped with high dolphin abundance was identified. We made comparisons between boat-based data collected in absence and presence of pair-trawlers. The relative abundance and group-size of dolphins was significantly higher in the presence of pair-trawlers. Dolphins were observed associating with towing and hauling procedures. Significantly, more carcasses occurred in areas with hauling-activity than those without. Body-temperatures obtained from carcasses found near operating pair-trawlers indicated that bycatch mostly occurred at night. During necropsy studies, difficulties were encountered in identifying the fishing-gears responsible. Strandings data highlighted that the number of dead stranded dolphins was probably much higher than previously reported and there was a significant difference in the age and gender-composition of carcasses. Mature/sub-adult males appeared at greater risk from entanglement in pair-trawls offshore, whilst females with young appeared more vulnerable to inshore gillnets. Our findings show that the overlap between pelagic fisheries and the common dolphin hotspot is causing direct mortality through bycatch and, together with recent range-shifts, may have contributed to a localised decline of this species in this winter hotspot since 2007.

Biologia e Conservação de Baleias-Franca

Using the dead to monitor the living: can road kill counts detect trends in mammal abundance?

GEORGE, L.; MACPHERSON, J.L.; BALMFORTH, Z.; BRIGHT, P.W. 2011. Using the dead to monitor the living: can road kill counts detect trends in mammal abundance? Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 9(1):27-41.

Abstract. Counts of animal corpses resulting from road traffic collisions can give useful information on changes in animal abundance if there is a correlation between the population density of the species in neighbouring habitats and the number of road kills observed. Collection of data on mammal road casualties can be carried out by untrained volunteers; it can be collected across large areas; and it is cost effective in terms of time and expense. We carried out a study to determine if road casualty data can be used to monitor mammal abundance and distribution using one of the most commonly recorded road casualty species in the UK, the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), as an example. We found a direct relationship between the numbers of rabbit road casualties and the numbers living in the wider landscape. Nearly 60% of the deviance in the live rabbit density index could be explained using only rabbit road casualty, landclass group and traffic flow data. Therefore the use of road casualty data is a cost effective method of monitoring rabbits and, by implication, other species over a large area in the UK, and is a highly effective means of monitoring terrestrial mammals.

Mamíferos: Diversidade, ecologia, métodos de estudo e conservação

O Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos da Unisinos está promovendo o curso Mamíferos: Diversidade, ecologia, métodos de estudo e conservação nos dias 23, 24 e 31 de agosto de 2013, na Unisinos - São Leopoldo/RS. As inscrições estão abertas! Visite www.unisinos.br/eventos para maiores informações.

A demo-genetic analysis of a small reintroduced carnivore population: the otter (Lutra lutra) in the Netherlands

SEIGNOBOSC, M.; HEMERIK, L.; KOELEWIJN, H.P. 2011. A demo-genetic analysis of a small reintroduced carnivore population: the otter (Lutra lutra) in the Netherlands. International Journal of Ecology, v. 2011, Article ID 870853, 11 pages. doi: 10.1155/2011/870853.

Abstract. Assessing the viability of reintroduced animal populations is a complicated task. Reintroductions are usually carried out with a small number of individuals, thereby, limiting the possibilities for monitoring because of the possible negative effects of intensive monitoring on survival and reproduction. Moreover, reintroduction studies are part of a socioeconomic interplay of forces, thereby, also limiting monitoring possibilities. Also, knowledge of population demography and abundance can be incomplete or unattainable. Here, we illustrate how we combined traditional telemetry and novel non-invasive genetic methodology to construct a detailed life table of a small reintroduced otter population in The Netherlands. Combining an appropriate capture-mark-recapture framework with a matrix modelling approach provides, in general, useful insights for such populations. The data indicated that (i) male survival is lower than female survival, (ii) the reintroduced population is currently growing (estimated λ = 1.26: range [1.06, 1.42]) and seems viable, (iii) increasing adult survival is currently the critical stage at which efforts of field managers should concentrate, and (iv) the modelling framework allowed us to determine the boundary conditions for the vital rates under which the population would go extinct. The applied approach directs at measurements that help field managers to implement the right conservation strategy after reintroductions.

Responses of bats to forest fragmentation in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Arkansas, USA

MEDLIN JR., R.E.; CONNIOR, M.B.; GAINES, K.F.; RISCH, T.S. 2010. Responses of bats to forest fragmentation in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, Arkansas, USA. Diversity 2(10):1146-1157. doi: 10.3390/d2101146.

Abstract. Intense conversion of bottomland hardwood forests to rice and soybeans in the Mississippi River Valley of Arkansas has restricted the remaining forest to isolated fragments. Habitat fragmentation has proven to be detrimental to population sustainability of several species, and is the subject of intense study with often species and latitude specific responses. We compared both coarse land area classes and landscape fragmentation metrics from six 30 km × 30 km subsets centered on publicly owned management areas to bat captures obtained from a 2005 population study. Patch density was the strongest predictor of total captures (R2 = 0.801, p = 0.016) and of Myotis austroriparius captures (R2 = 0.856, p = 0.008). Our findings indicate that patch density and area are important predictors of bottomland bat captures.

Revisão sobre o fenômeno da hibridização em cetáceos e pinípedes

SCHAURICH, M.N.; LOPES, F.R.V.; OLIVEIRA, L.R. 2012. Revisão sobre o fenômeno da hibridização em cetáceos e pinípedes. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 7(3):199-209.

Abstract. The hybridism is the result of mating between two individuals from different and reproductively isolated gene pools accepted as species that usually generate infertile offspring. The evolutionary consequences of this phenomenon vary depending on the mating system, hybrid’s frequency, the degree of reproductive isolation and the genetic differences between the parental species as well as their speciation process. Hybrids have been recorded frequently in aquatic and terrestrial mammals, both in nature and captivity. We review studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1940 and 2010, in which hybrid cases were reported for cetaceans and pinnipeds. We found 37 scientific papers recording 1,201 hybrids: 57 in cetaceans (nature = 27; captivity = 30) and 1,144 in pinnipeds (nature = 1,137; captivity = 7). A possible explanation for this phenomenon in the wild could be the close phylogenetic relatedness between parental species and also the potential absence of conspecific breeding partners. This last factor could be a result of population decline due to commercial exploitation occurred in the past. This fact is valid for pinnipeds, but especially true for blue whales, Balaenoptera musculus. It is important to note that about 99% of pinniped hybrids were reported in sympatric breeding colonies along the subantarctic islands, which facilitate the hybridization. Outbreeding depression followed by loss of genetic variability and reduction of evolutionary potential and consequently increasing the risk of extinction are the most important results of the hybridism.

Bone accumulations of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta, Erxleben, 1777) as indicators of diet and human conflict; Mashatu, Botswana

KUHN, B.F. 2012. Bone accumulations of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta, Erxleben, 1777) as indicators of diet and human conflict; Mashatu, Botswana. International Journal of Ecology, v. 2012, Article ID 178348, 6 pages. doi: 10.1155/2012/178348.

Abstrac. In a region where free ranging domestic species mix with wildlife, it is imperative to determine what, if any, predation may have occurred on domestic stock. As human settlements continuously encroach upon wild habitats, determining the types of predatorhuman conflicts that exist can be crucial to conserve numerous predator species. The partial diet of spotted hyaenas (Crocuta crocuta) of the Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana, was established via analyses of faunal remains associated with four dens to determine predation/scavenging on wild or domestic species. Domestic species composed less than 3%of identified faunal remains. We acknowledge that this methodology is biased against small mammals, but, when combined with sociological studies, this methodology will aid in determining alleged predation on domestic stock by spotted hyaenas. Results indicated that the spotted hyaenas in question feed primarily on wild species.

Genome-wide loss of diversity in the critically endangered hawaiian monk seal

SCHULTZ, J.K.; MARSHALL, A.J.; PFUNDER, M. 2010. Genome-wide loss of diversity in the critically endangered hawaiian monk seal. Diversity 2(6):863-880. doi: 10.3390/d2060863.

Abstract. Threatened species often exhibit low genetic diversity as a result of selective sweeps, historical bottlenecks, or persistent small population size. Whereas selective sweeps create localized reduction of variation at a chromosome, population bottlenecks result in the loss of rare alleles throughout the genome. Heterozygosity is lost more slowly and is severely impacted only when populations are small for an extended period of time. We test the hypotheses of selective sweep, historical bottleneck and persistently small population size to explain extremely low genetic diversity in the critically endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Monachus schauinslandi). Of 163 microsatellite loci isolated from the species’ genome, only 17 are polymorphic. Mapping 98 monomorphic and 12 polymorphic loci to 35 chromosomes throughout the dog genome, we reject the selective sweep hypothesis. Genotyping 2,423 Hawaiian monk seals at the 17 polymorphic loci plus a locus previously isolated from another pinniped species, we find evidence for a recent bottleneck (P = 0.04). This is consistent with historical records describing intense hunting in the 19th century; however, the bottleneck was not of sufficient severity and duration to explain the genome-wide depletion of genetic diversity (HO = 0.05; A = 1.1). Long-term population size restriction is a more likely explanation. Though at least two of the polymorphic loci appear to be candidates for selection, the low genetic diversity of the species may further threaten chances for survival of this critically endangered species in a changing world.

Modeling impacts of climate change on giant panda habitat

SONGER, M.; DELION, M.; BIGGS, A.; HUANG, Q. 2012. Modeling impacts of climate change on giant panda habitat. International Journal of Ecology, v 2012, Article ID 108752, 12 pages. doi: 10.1155/2012/108752.

Abstract. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are one of the most widely recognized endangered species globally. Habitat loss and fragmentation are the main threats, and climate change could significantly impact giant panda survival.We integrated giant panda habitat information with general climate models (GCMs) to predict future geographic distribution and fragmentation of giant panda habitat. Results support a major general prediction of climate change—a shift of habitats towards higher elevation and higher latitudes. Our models predict climate change could reduce giant panda habitat by nearly 60% over 70 years. New areas may become suitable outside the current geographic range but much of these areas is far from the current giant panda range and only 15% fall within the current protected area system. Long-term survival of giant pandas will require the creation of new protected areas that are likely to support suitable habitat even if the climate changes.

Feeding ecology of the maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815) (Mammalia: Canidae), in the Ecological Station of Itirapina, São Paulo State, Brazil

BUENO, A.A.; BELENTANI, S.C.S. MOTTA-JUNIOR, J.C. 2002. Feeding ecology of the maned wolf, Chrysocyon brachyurus (Illiger, 1815) (Mammalia: Canidae), in the Ecological Station of Itirapina, São Paulo State, Brazil. Biota Neotropica 2(2):http://www.biotaneotropica.org.br/v2n2/pt/abstract?article+BN01802022002.


Abstract. The feeding ecology of the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) was studied from 1998 to 2002 in the Ecological Station of Itirapina, São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, including estimates of prey number and biomass consumption. A total of 325 faecal samples was collected in the area. The species is omnivorous, with a broad diet including 68 species or morphospecies of fruits and animals. Armadillos (Dasypodidae), wolf’s fruit (Solanum lycocarpum) and small mammals (mostly Clyomys bishopi) were the bulk of the diet, comprising 72.8 % of the total estimated biomass consumed (185,323.4 g). In terms of frequency of occurrence, on the other hand, only small mammals and other miscellaneous fruits yielded 43.4% of the total occurrences (N = 1,054). Animal prey ranging from 0.01 and 0.1 Kg were the most captured category, resulting in 44.2 % of 507 captured animals. The maned wolf seems to be seasonally opportunistic, at least for fruits and insects, as indicated by the variation of the consumption of these items along the year. The higher consumption of fruits and animals characteristic of savannah can be an important factor to consider in future management plans for the species.

The status of the jaguar in the Pantanal

CAVALCANTI, S.M.C.; AZEVEDO, F.C.C.; TOMÁS, W.M.; BOULHOSA, R.L.P.; CRAWSHAW JR., P.G. 2012. The status of the jaguar in the Pantanal. CATnews Special Issue 7:29-34.

Abstract. The Pantanal is considered an important area for the conservation of jaguars Panthera onca in the long-term. In comparison to other biomes in Brazil, the Pantanal can be considered still relatively well preserved. According to a recent study, the original vegetation cover remains intact in 85% of the Pantanal plain. However, in the uplands of the Upper Paraguay watershed over 50% of the original vegetation has been altered. This situation is worrisome as this area harbors the headwaters of the rivers that are responsible for maintaining the wet and dry cycles of the Pantanal. As opposed to previously reported, only about 63% of the Pantanal biome is actually occupied by jaguars. Habitat fragmentation caused by human presence and intensification of land use is a threat to jaguars in the Pantanal. Other threats include high levels of retaliation from ranchers due to livestock depredation and the lack of enforcement by wildlife authorities, illegal hunting tourism activity, pasture management through the use of annual fires, and the mining industry. The first estimate of a jaguar population in Brazil was conducted in the southern Pantanal (6.5-7.0 jaguars/km2), although the distribution of the species is heterogeneous, which precludes an accurate estimation of the current population size in this biome. Authorities should recognize the cost associated with grazing cattle in an area where jaguars exist in considerable numbers and regularly prey on cattle. A unique regional policy could address some of the problem, perhaps in the form of tax benefits, special lines of credit, or a regional increase in beef prices. It is important that environmental actions be implemented to increase market value of cattle raised in the region without changing the main characteristics of the Pantanal.