Conflictos con el puma en el sur del Espinal argentino

LUENGOS VIDAL E.; GUERISOLI M.; CARUSO N.; CASANAVE E.; LUCHERINI M.

Conflictos entre felinos y humanos en América Latina

Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt

Año: 2016; p. 363 - 375

We simultaneously explored the effects of predation on livestock and those of anthropogenic activities on puma populations in the Argentine Espinal. Data were collected in 2007-2015 through 213 semi-structured interviews, four workshops with local people and photo trapping in 49 sites. Ranchers mentioned that depredation was the major cause of livestock losses and that the intensity of depredation was increasing, primarily because of reduced human presence in farms. 41.1% of ranches reported puma attacks, which caused an average loss of 1465 USD (SD=2526 USD). The majority of the interviewees considered pumas as a pest (15.5%) and admitted to kill them regularly (75.2%); 51.1% corralled sheep at night and 7.7% used guard animals. The puma was one of the least common carnivores and it preferred conserved areas with intermediate levels of fragmentation while avoiding areas with greater human activity. Only 16.3% of the study area was classified as ?highly suitably? for pumas by a habitat suitability model. Our results confirmed the presence of strong conflicts between ranchers and pumas that are producing economic losses to the livestock industry and threatening the persistence of the top predator of the region. We conclude that both mitigation measures and awareness actions are urgently needed.