Effects of habitat degradation on gray brocket deer populations in the Arid Chaco of Argentina

ABRAHM CELINA; PERIAGO MARIA E; RUETE ALEJANDRO; LEYNAUD GERARDO C.

Praga

Congreso; 2nd European Congress of Conservation Biology; 2009

The Chaco biome of Córdoba province has been undergoing severe environmental degradation due to a long history of deforestation and overgrazing. This process has resulted in the almost complete loss of the herbaceous layer of the original forest, affecting the status of many vertebrate populations, including the gray brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira). To assess the degree of impact on gray brocket populations, we measured the presence of fecal pellets groups in two different environments: undisturbed forest inside Chancaní Reserve and degraded areas outside the Reserve. The Generalized Linear Models fitted showed a negative effect of grazing on the presence of fecal pellet groups of gray brocket deer. The effect was more evident in areas with a higher degree of degradation (qualitative grades). Although we used presence of fecal pellet groups as a proxy for the population presence, there is evidence that the loss in habitat quality is affecting negatively on the presence of gray brocket populations in the region. As for Chancaní Forest Reserve, it seems to fulfil its role in conserving gray brocket deer populations in the region.