Poaching promotes the ecological extinction of large felids and ungulates in the Atlantic Forest

PAVIOLO, A.; DE ANGELO, C. D.; DI BLANCO, Y. E.; AGOSTINI, I.; PIZZIO, E.; MELZEW, R.; FERRARI, C.; PALACIO, L.; DI BITETTI, M. S.

Mendoza

Congreso; The 10th International Mammalogical Congress; 2009

Hunting of wildlife is a widespread activity in neotropical forests. Intense hunting can even cause local extinctions of isolated mammal populations. To evaluate the effect of hunting on the big felids (jaguar, puma, ocelot) and ungulates (tapir, collared and white-lipped peccaries, red and dwarf brocket deer), we conducted five camera-trap surveys (216 camera-trap stations, 13,929 trap/days) in three areas with different level of protection in the Green Corridor of Misiones, Argentina, the biggest remnant of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest. We estimated the density of the felids using capture-mark-recapture models. We evaluated the effect of the distance to the access routes used by poachers and the level of protection of the area on the probability of recording the five ungulates using logistic regression models that included sampling effort as a covariate. The density of the three felids was inversely correlated with the level of protection of the area, being 2-8 times higher in the better-protected areas. The probability of recording tapirs and red brocket deer was higher in the better-protected areas and at greater distances to the access routes of poachers. Collared peccaries were more abundant in better-protected areas. The dwarf brocket was the only species that showed the opposite pattern. White-lipped peccaries were only recorded in Yabotí Biosphere Reserve, an area with high poaching intensity. However, within this area, the probability of recording this species was higher in the better-protected sites and increased with the distance to the main access routes used by poachers. Poaching is affecting the populations of large felids and most ungulates. Considering the importance of these species in diverse ecological processes, their extinction may affect the structure and functions in this community. Activities aimed at reducing poaching are essential to conserve large mammals and their habitat in the Atlantic Forest.