Ecology and conservation of Panthera onca and Puma concolor in the Semiarid argentine chaco

QUIROGA, V. A.; DI BITETTI, M. S.; NOSS, A. J.; BOAGLIO, G. I.; DI BLANCO, Y. E.; MIRAS, C.

Mensoza

Congreso; The 10th International Mammalogical Congress; 2009

Research on jaguars and pumas in the Argentine Chaco is extremely limited and this information vacuum is an important obstacle to conservation efforts. The Argentine semi-arid Chaco is unique for its environmental characteristics and was identified by WCS as one of the highest priority areas for jaguar conservation. The region has suffered severe environmental deterioration and the populations of jaguars and pumas are declining and threatened. However, the factors behind this decline are still unknown. Our general objective was to estimate the density of jaguars and pumas and explore potential threats (lack of prey, carnivore-human conflict, etc.) for these felids in one site of the semi-arid Chaco, the Reserva Aborigen. We conducted a two month-long cameratrap survey (30 stations, 1680 camera-trap days), line transect surveys (268 km) and interviews with local people (N=10). We confirmed the presence of jaguars through records of their tracks (0.37 tracks/100 km) and reliable reports from local people, but we obtained no photographic records of this species during the camera-trap survey, which indicates an extremely low density. Intensity of habitat use by pumas was much higher than by jaguars (14.5 tracks/100 km). We estimated a density of pumas between 0.7±0.2 and 1.1±0.2 pumas/100 km2. Our density of pumas is much lower than estimates for similar regions, like the Bolivian Chaco, where density estimates range from 12.4±4.9 to 19.4±6.2 pumas/100 km2. Local people reported no predation by jaguars within the last ten years (which further indicate that the density of this cat is very low). Local people persecute both jaguars and pumas, though pumas less intensely, and hunt most of their prey. It is necessary to take management measures that include reduce hunting, implement and create reserves and corridors,and develop educational programs to prevent the local extinction of jaguars and pumas.