Mammals of an agricultural landscape of oil palm in the floodplains of the Orocué River, Casanare, Colombia

The llanos region in eastern Colombia exhibits great biodiversity, and is being threatened by agro-industrial processes such as oil palm plantations. However, information about the mammals associated with these landscapes is very limited. We measured richness and capture frequencies of medium and large sized mammals using camera traps in an oil palm plantation and surrounding natural ecosystems, in the seasonally flooded savannas of the Department of Casanare, Colombia. We identify 16 medium to large mammals, and two species of mice, with a survey effort of 3937 camera/days. Capture frequencies varied according to the land cover type. All species were present in the gallery (riparian) forest. Nine species were also detected inside the oil palm plantation and six in savannas. The mammals we found in the plantation were mainly mesopredators and generalist species, while the mammals detected in forest have more restricted diets. We discuss the importance of the gallery forests and artificial lagoons as landscape tools that could enhance diversity in these agro-ecosystems

Mamíferos de un agropaisaje de palma de aceite en las sabanas inundables de Orocué, Casanare, Colombia

The llanos region in eastern Colombia exhibits great biodiversity, and is being threatened by agro-industrial processes such as oil palm plantations. However, information about the mammals associated with these landscapes is very limited. We measured richness and capture frequencies of medium and large sized mammals using camera traps in an oil palm plantation and surrounding natural ecosystems, in the seasonally flooded savannas of the Department of Casanare, Colombia. We identify 16 medium to large mammals, and two species of mice, with a survey effort of 3937 camera/days. Capture frequencies varied according to the land cover type. All species were present in the gallery (riparian) forest. Nine species were also detected inside the oil palm plantation and six in savannas. The mammals we found in the plantation were mainly mesopredators and generalist species, while the mammals detected in forest have more restricted diets. We discuss the importance of the gallery forests and artificial lagoons as landscape tools that could enhance diversity in these agro-ecosystems.La región de los Llanos, al oriente de Colombia, alberga una gran biodiversidad, pero al mismo tiempo está siendo blanco de fuertes procesos agroindustriales como el de la palma de aceite. Sin embargo, el conocimiento relacionado con la biodiversidad asociada a estos cultivos y su posible repercusión sobre la fauna silvestre nativa es mínimo. Por medio de fototrampeo se determinó la riqueza y frecuencia de captura de los mamíferos medianos y grandes asociados a una plantación de palma de aceite y sus ecosistemas naturales circundantes, en las sabanas inundables del departamento de Casanare, Colombia. Con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 3937 días/cámara se detectaron 16 especies de mamíferos medianos y grandes, y dos especies de ratones, cuyas frecuencias de captura variaron según el tipo de cobertura. Todas las especies estuvieron presentes en el bosque de galería; nueve de ellas estuvieron asociadas a palma y seis a sabana. Los mamíferos encontrados en la plantación fueron principalmente especies de mesodepredadores y generalistas, mientras que los de interior de bosque tienen dietas más restringidas. Se discute la importancia de los bosques de galería y las lagunas artificiales como herramientas de paisaje que mejorarían la diversidad en este tipo de agroecosistemas

Wildlife- friendly livestock management promotes mammalian biodiversity recovery on a semi-arid Karoo farm in South Africa

Agriculture is an essential production system used to feed the growing human population, but at the same time has become a major driver of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation. Employing production methods that restore degraded landscapes can have a positive impact on biodiversity, whilst improving food production. We assessed how mammalian biodiversity, specifically richness and their relative abundances varied on five Karoo farms in South Africa that had been amalgamated and subjected to a transition from traditional livestock grazing techniques (sporadic rotational grazing and lethal predator control) to wildlife-friendly non-lethal predator management, using human shepherding of livestock under a high-density short-duration grazing regime. We used camera trap data collected over a 4-year period, to measure mammalian species richness, distribution and relative abundance on the wildlife-friendly farm to investigate temporal changes throughout the conversion from traditional farming practices. In the last year of the study (2019) additional cameras were used to provide a spatial comparison of mammalian species on the wildlife-friendly farm to two neighboring farms, a traditional livestock farm using lethal predator controls, and a game farm. We found that mammalian species richness increased year on year resulting in a significant increase of 24% over the duration of the study. Herbivores showed an increase of 33% in the number of species detected over the years, while predator species increased by 8%. The relative abundance and distribution of most species also showed increases as the conversion process took place. For example, 73% of the herbivore species detected throughout the study increased in their relative abundance. Similarly, 67% of all species showed an increase in the number of sites occupied over the years. In the final year of the study the wildlife-friendly farm had more mammalian species compared to the game farm and traditional livestock farm, with the latter two sites having a similar number of species when compared to the commencement of the conversion of the wildlife-friendly site. These broad improvements in mammalian biodiversity demonstrate that livestock production can benefit local mammalian biodiversity through a combination of herder grazing management and wildlife-friendly farming

Effects of oil palm and human presence on activity patterns of terrestrial mammals in the Colombian Llanos

The ability of animals to adjust their behaviour can influence how they respond to environmental changes and human presence. We quantified activity patterns of terrestrial mammals in oil palm plantations and native riparian forest in Colombia to determine if species exhibited behavioural changes depending on the type of habitat and the presence of humans. Despite the large sampling effort (12,403 camera-days), we were only able to examine the activity patterns of ten species in riparian forests and seven species in oil palm plantations, with four species (capybara, giant anteater, lesser anteater and common opossum) being represented by enough records (i.e. n > 20) in both oil palm and forest to allow robust comparisons. Only capybaras showed an apparent change in activity patterns between oil palm plantations and riparian forests, shifting from being crepuscular in forest to predominantly nocturnal inside oil palm plantations. Further, capybaras, giant anteaters and white-tailed deer appeared to modify their activities to avoid human presence inside oil palm plantations by increasing nocturnality (temporal overlap Δ ^ ranged from 0.13 to 0.36), whereas jaguarundi had high overlap with human activities [Δ ^ =0.85 (0.61–0.90)]. Species pair-wise analysis within oil palm revealed evidence for temporal segregation between species occupying the same trophic position (e.g. foxes and jaguarundi), whereas some predators and their prey (e.g. ocelots and armadillos) had high overlaps in temporal activity patterns as might be expected. Our findings shed light on the potential behavioural adaptation of mammals to anthropogenic landscapes, a feature not captured in traditional studies that focus on measures such as species richness or abundance

Land management strategies can increase oil palm plantation use by some terrestrial mammals in Colombia

While the conservation role of remaining natural habitats in anthropogenic landscapes is clear, the degree to which agricultural matrices impose limitations to animal use is not well understood, but vital to assess species’ resilience to land use change. Using an occupancy framework, we evaluated how oil palm plantations affect the occurrence and habitat use of terrestrial mammals in the Colombian Llanos. Further, we evaluated the effect of undergrowth vegetation and proximity to forest on habitat use within plantations. Most species exhibited restricted distributions across the study area, especially in oil palm plantations. Habitat type strongly influenced habitat use of four of the 12 more widely distributed species with oil palm negatively affecting species such as capybara and naked-tailed armadillo. The remaining species showed no apparent effect of habitat type, but oil palm and forest use probabilities varied among species. Overall, generalist mesocarnivores, white-tailed deer, and giant anteater were more likely to use oil palm while the remaining species, including ocelot and lesser anteater, showed preferences for forest. Distance to nearest forest had mixed effects on species habitat use, while understory vegetation facilitated the presence of species using oil palm. Our findings suggest that allowing undergrowth vegetation inside plantations and maintaining nearby riparian corridors would increase the likelihood of terrestrial mammals’ occurrence within oil palm landscapes

Registros de puma (Puma concolor Linnaeus, 1771) en zona rural de San Carlos de Guaroa, Meta, Colombia / Records of cougar (Puma concolor, Linnaeus, 1771) in the countryside of San Carlos de Guaroa, Meta, Colombia

Abstract (Spanish): El conocimiento de la distribución de las especies de carnívoros en Colombia es limitado, sobre todo en áreas dominadas por actividades humanas. A través de un muestreo con cámaras trampa en 56 sitios a lo largo de un paisaje dominado por palma de aceite (Elaeis guineensis) en los Llanos Orientales de Colombia, confirmamos la presencia de puma (Puma concolor) únicamente en los alrededores del municipio de San Carlos de Guaroa. Los resultados son un llamado de atención sobre la escasa presencia de puma en la región y resaltan el papel de los bosques de galería para la conservación de esta especie en paisajes agropecuarios. Abstract (English): The Knowledge of carnivores distribution in Colombia is limited, especially in human-dominated landscapes. Using camera trapping to detect mammals in 56 sites across an oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) dominated landscape in the eastern plains of Colombia, we confirmed the presence of puma (Puma concolor) only in the outskirts of San Carlos de Guaroa. My results bring to attention the scarcity of puma in the region and highlights the role of riparian forests for the conservation of this species in agricultural landscapes

Integral analysis of environmental and economic performance of combined agricultural intensification & bioenergy production in the Orinoquia region

Agricultural intensification is a key strategy to help meet increasing demand for food and bioenergy. It has the potential to reduce direct and indirect land use change (LUC) and associated environmental impacts while contributing to a favorable economic performance of the agriculture sector. We conduct an integral analysis of environmental and economic impacts of LUC from projected agricultural intensification and bioenergy production in the Orinoquia region in 2030. We compare three agricultural intensification scenarios (low, medium, high) and a reference scenario, which assumes a business-as-usual development of agricultural production. The results show that with current inefficient management or with only very little intensification between 26% and 93% of the existing natural vegetation areas will be converted to agricultural land to meet increasing food demand. This results in the loss of biodiversity by 53% and increased water consumption by 111%. In the medium and high scenarios, the intensification allows meeting increased food demand within current agricultural lands and even generating surplus land which can be used to produce bioenergy crops. This results in the reduction of biodiversity loss by 8-13% with medium and high levels of intensification compared to the situation in 2018. Also, a positive economic performance is observed, stemming primarily from intensification of cattle production and additional energy crop production. Despite increasing irrigation efficiency in more intensive production systems, the water demand for perennial crops and cattle production over the dry season increases significantly, thus sustainable management practices that target efficient water use are needed. Agricultural productivity improvements, particularly for cattle production, are crucial for reducing the pressure on natural areas from increasing demand for both food products and bioenergy. This implies targeted investments in the agricultural sector and integrated planning of land use. Our results showed that production intensification in the Orinoquia region is a mechanism that could reduce the pressure on natural land and its associated environmental and economic impacts

Mamíferos, historia natural y colecciones

In this issue of Mammalogy Notes, we feature three notes on range extension, seven notes on natural history, and four inventories of mammals. Contributions come from Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil, and Venezuela. Additionally, we include three new contributions from the special series on biological collections of Colombian mammals. In this way, Mammalogy Notes keeps growing, improving, and contributing to the knowledge of neotropical mammals.En este número de Mammalogy Notes presentamos tres notas sobre extensiones de distribución, siete notas de historia natural y cuatro inventarios de mamíferos. Las contribuciones provienen de Colombia, Perú, México, Brasil y Venezuela. Adicionalmente, incluimos tres nuevos trabajos de la serie especial sobre colecciones de mamíferos de Colombia. De esta forma Mammalogy notes continúa creciendo, mejorando y aportando al conocimiento de los mamíferos neotropicales

Using global remote camera data of a solitary species complex to evaluate the drivers of group formation

We would like to thank Megan Whatton, Belden Giman, Hongliang Bu, Dajun Wang, Fang Wang, Roland Kays, Jillian Kilborn, and New Hampshire Fish and Game for their roles in contributing data that was used in this analysis. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.Peer reviewe

Mamíferos de un agropaisaje de palma de aceite en las sabanas inundables de Orocué, Casanare, Colombia / Mammals of an agricultural landscape of oil palm in the floodplains of the Orocué River, Casanare, Colombia

La región de los Llanos, al oriente de Colombia, alberga una gran biodiversidad, pero al mismo tiempo está siendo blanco de fuertes procesos agroindustriales como el de la palma de aceite. Sin embargo, el conocimiento relacionado con la biodiversidad asociada a estos cultivos y su posible repercusión sobre la fauna silvestre nativa es mínimo. Por medio de fototrampeo se determinó la riqueza y frecuencia de captura de los mamíferos medianos y grandes asociados a una plantación de palma de aceite y sus ecosistemas naturales circundantes, en las sabanas inundables del departamento de Casanare, Colombia. Con un esfuerzo de muestreo de 3937 días/ cámara se detectaron 16 especies de mamíferos medianos y grandes, y dos especies de ratones, cuyas frecuencias de captura variaron según el tipo de cobertura. Todas las especies estuvieron presentes en el bosque de galería; nueve de ellas estuvieron asociadas a palma y seis a sabana. Los mamíferos encontrados en la plantación fueron principalmente especies de mesodepredadores y generalistas, mientras que los de interior de bosque tienen dietas más restringidas. Se discute la importancia de los bosques de galería y las lagunas artificiales como herramientas de paisaje que mejorarían la diversidad en este tipo de agroecosistemas. The llanos region in eastern Colombia exhibits great biodiversity, and is being threatened by agro-industrial processes such as oil palm plantations. However, information about the mammals associated with these landscapes is very limited. We measured richness and capture frequencies of medium and large sized mammals using camera traps in an oil palm plantation and surrounding natural ecosystems, in the seasonally flooded savannas of the Department of Casanare, Colombia. We identify 16 medium to large mammals, and two species of mice, with a survey effort of 3937 camera/days. Capture frequencies varied according to the land cover type. All species were present in the gallery (riparian) forest. Nine species were also detected inside the oil palm plantation and six in savannas. The mammals we found in the plantation were mainly mesopredators and generalist species, while the mammals detected in forest have more restricted diets. We discuss the importance of the gallery forests and artificial lagoons as landscape tools that could enhance diversity in these agro-ecosystems