High jaguar densities and large population sizes in the core habitat of the southwestern Amazon

a b s t r a c t Over 80% of the currently occupied range of the jaguar (Panthera onca) lies in the Amazon. However, few density estimates exist for this habitat. Between 2005 and 2010 we carried out six camera trap surveys at three different sites in the department of Madre de Dios in the Peruvian Amazon. We analyzed our data using a Bayesian spatially explicit capture recapture model (SECR) with sex covariates to account for differences in home range size and detection probabilities of male and female jaguars. As several of our camera grids where too small for reliable density estimates, we used estimates for the r parameter from the largest camera grid to correct for the bias. Density estimates for our surveys were similar with an average density of 4.4 ± 0.7 jaguar 100 km À2 . Both home range size and encounter rates varied significantly between sexes with males having a larger home range and higher encounter rate than females. Our estimated sex ratio was 1:1.5 compared to an observed ratio of 1.9:1. Not accounting for sex would have resulted in an underestimation of the true density. The densities found in this study are among the highest documented and show that the Amazon is indeed a core habitat for the jaguar. We estimate that three jaguar conservation units in our study region (areas defined by experts as having a high conservation priority) could harbor as many as 6000 jaguars (CI: 4278-8142)

Camtrap DP: an open standard for the FAIR exchange and archiving of camera trap data

Camera trapping has revolutionized wildlife ecology and conservation by providing automated data acquisition, leading to the accumulation of massive amounts of camera trap data worldwide. Although management and processing of camera trap-derived Big Data are becoming increasingly solvable with the help of scalable cyber-infrastructures, harmonization and exchange of the data remain limited, hindering its full potential. There is currently no widely accepted standard for exchanging camera trap data. The only existing proposal, “Camera Trap Metadata Standard” (CTMS), has several technical shortcomings and limited adoption. We present a new data exchange format, the Camera Trap Data Package (Camtrap DP), designed to allow users to easily exchange, harmonize and archive camera trap data at local to global scales. Camtrap DP structures camera trap data in a simple yet flexible data model consisting of three tables (Deployments, Media and Observations) that supports a wide range of camera deployment designs, classification techniques (e.g., human and AI, media-based and event-based) and analytical use cases, from compiling species occurrence data through distribution, occupancy and activity modeling to density estimation. The format further achieves interoperability by building upon existing standards, Frictionless Data Package in particular, which is supported by a suite of open software tools to read and validate data. Camtrap DP is the consensus of a long, in-depth, consultation and outreach process with standard and software developers, the main existing camera trap data management platforms, major players in the field of camera trapping and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Under the umbrella of the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG), Camtrap DP has been developed openly, collaboratively and with version control from the start. We encourage camera trapping users and developers to join the discussion and contribute to the further development and adoption of this standard. Biodiversity data, camera traps, data exchange, data sharing, information standardspublishedVersio

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc

Sumatran tiger survival threatened by deforestation despite increasing densities in parks

The continuing development of improved capture–recapture (CR) modeling techniques used to study apex predators has also limited robust temporal and cross-site analyses due to different methods employed. We develop an approach to standardize older non-spatial CR and newer spatial CR density estimates and examine trends for critically endangered Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) using a meta-regression of 17 existing densities and new estimates from our own fieldwork. We find that tiger densities were 47% higher in primary versus degraded forests and, unexpectedly, increased 4.9% per yr from 1996 to 2014, likely indicating a recovery from earlier poaching. However, while tiger numbers may have temporarily risen, the total potential island-wide population declined by 16.6% from 2000 to 2012 due to forest loss and degradation and subpopulations are significantly more fragmented. Thus, despite increasing densities in smaller parks, we conclude that there are only two robust populations left with >30 breeding females, indicating Sumatran tigers still face a high risk of extinction unless deforestation can be controlled.Published versio

Collaboration for conservation: Assessing countrywide carnivore occupancy dynamics from sparse data

Aim Assessing the distribution and persistence of species across their range is a crucial component of wildlife conservation. It demands data at adequate spatial scales and over extended periods of time, which may only be obtained through collaborative efforts, and the development of methods that integrate heterogeneous datasets. We aimed to combine existing data on large carnivores to evaluate population dynamics and improve knowledge on their distribution nationwide. Location - Botswana. Methods Between 2010 and 2016, we collated data on African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyaena and lion gathered with different survey methods by independent researchers across Botswana. We used a multi-species, multi-method dynamic occupancy model to analyse factors influencing occupancy, persistence and colonization, while accounting for imperfect detection. Lastly, we used the gained knowledge to predict the probability of occurrence of each species countrywide. Results Wildlife areas and communal rangelands had similar occupancy probabilities for most species. Large carnivore occupancy was low in commercial farming areas and where livestock density was high, except for brown hyaena. Lion occupancy was negatively associated with human density; lion and spotted hyaena occupancy was high where rainfall was high, while the opposite applied to brown hyaena. Lion and leopard occupancy remained constant countrywide over the study period. African wild dog and cheetah occupancy declined over time in the south and north, respectively, whereas both hyaena species expanded their ranges. Countrywide predictions identified the highest occupancy for leopards and lowest for the two hyaena species. Main Conclusions We highlight the necessity of data sharing and propose a generalizable analytical method that addresses the challenges of heterogeneous data common in ecology. Our approach, which enables a comprehensive multi-species assessment at large spatial and temporal scales, supports the development of data-driven conservation guidelines and the implementation of evidence-based management strategies nationally and internationally

FLORISTIC DIVERSITY AND COMPOSITION OF TERRA FIRME AND SEASONALLY INUNDATED PALM SWAMP FORESTS IN THE PALMA REAL WATERSHED IN LOWER MADRE DE DIOS, PERU

Volume: 22Start Page: 615End Page: 63

Peatlands of the madre de dios river of peru: Distribution, geomorphology, and habitat diversity

We present results of research concerning the distribution, depth, volume, geomorphology, and habitat diversity of peatlands in the southern Peruvian Amazon. We identified 295 peatlands covering 294 km2 and ranging in size from 10 to 3,500 ha. Individual peatlands were mostly restricted to the meander belt of the Madre de Dios River. Mean peat depth was 2.54±1.84 m (n0429), however we encountered depths to 9 m and 10% of the measurements exceeded 5 m.We developed a calibration factor to calculate peat volume across the study area, estimating total peat volume within 295 peatlands at 657±119 Mm3. An interpolated depth map of subsurface morphology of a single peatland showed that fluvial features were well-conserved beneath several meters of peat and three distinct subsurface geomophological units defined by peat depth could be identified: the Primary Basin, Secondary Basin, and Intrabasin flats. Subsurface geomorphology resulted in increased within-habitat heterogeneity and explained 35% of the variation of pixel values extracted from Landsat™ imagery. Representing a hydrological link from elevated uplands to the lower floodplains, peatlands in Madre de Dios are especially threatened on local scales by habitat alteration in the uplands and gold mining in the floodplains. © Society of Wetland Scientists 2012

Protected areas maintain neotropical freshwater bird biodiversity in the face of human activity

Because of their accessibility, freshwater ecosystems are particularly sensitive to deforestation and bank habitat fragmentation. Their responses to human activities in general, and specifically to small-scale extractive activities, are not well understood. Protected Areas (PAs) can be an effective tool to secure the conservation of freshwater animal assemblages. Given their ability to respond to changes in site quality and local resources, waterbirds could be suitable wetland ecosystem indicators. To examine the effectiveness of PAs in protecting neotropical biodiversity, we used repeated visual count surveys of freshwater and forest-associated birds, comparing species richness and abundance in protected oxbow lakes with lakes subject to gold mining and fishing activities. Bird community structure was predicted by the proportion of mined area in lake banks and water quality. Bird richness was reduced in unprotected oxbow lakes, and this pattern was stronger for aquatic species. Land protection was the most important predictor of bird abundance. Over half the species (53%) showed markedly reduced abundance in the unprotected sites. Our results provide evidence for the effectiveness of PAs in maintaining freshwater biodiversity and for the impacts of human activities on neotropical wetland bird assemblages. Our findings also suggest that water-associated species may be sensitive to the deterioration in hydrological processes promoted by these activities. By documenting the maintenance of elevated freshwater bird biodiversity within two PAs, our results inform the debate on their effectiveness. We recommend the extension of legal protections for freshwater ecosystems and their banks to prevent further degradation of essential habitats and animal communities, driven by expanding informal and illegal mining activities