Situación de conservación del pecarí del Chaco o tagua (Catagonus wagneri)

ALTRICHTER MARIANA; SALDIVAR-BALLESAI SILVIA; DECARRE JULIETA; CAMINO MICAELA; CAMPOS KRAUER JUAN; YANOSKY ALBERTO; LEUS KRISTIN; FERRAZ KATIA; SILVA ANGELIERI CINTIA CAMILA; DESBIEZ ARNAUD; CUELLAR ROSA LENY; CARTÉS JOSÉ; GIORDANO ANTHONY; THOMPSON JEFFREY; VELILLA MARIANELA; TORRES RICARDO; NERIS NORA; CABRAL HUGO

Paraquaria Natural

Asociación Guyra Paraguay

Lugar: Asunción; Año: 2017 vol. 4

2309-5237

Tagua (Catagonus wagneri) is an endemic species of the American Chaco that is in danger of extinction. The situation of the species is in deterioration as a result of the loss and transformation of its habitat and of the excessive hunting that is evident in all its area of distribution. This article presents the results obtained and the information gathered during the workshop "Regional Strategy for the Conservation of Tagua", held in the city of Asunción, Paraguay, during March 2016. The information available in the literature was systematized and analyzed together with unpublished data provided by the workshop participants and external collaborators. Based on biological data, population parameters, habitat conservation status and points of presence, the situation of the species in each country was described, the habitat suitability and potential distribution of the species were modeled and population viability models were obtained for different scenarios of hunting pressure. The ecorregión of Chaco has one of the highest rates of global deforestation due to the expansion of productive activities such as cattle ranching and agriculture. This results in a loss of habitat that represents the greatest threat to the species´ survival. It is estimated that the tagua populations that survive in the central and south-west of the Paraguayan Chaco are in recession, persisting in small isolated groups, under a high hunting pressure. In Argentina the lack of information on the species is striking. However, rapid changes in land use and shortcomings in the implementation of regulations that protect the habitat of tagua indicate that the future of the species could be compromised. The information available for the species in Bolivia is mainly restricted to the Kaa-Iya National Park where species appear at the park boundaries. However, there are large well preserved areas inside and outside the Park. This indicates that in the Bolivian Chaco there may be large areas of suitable habitat for the species and the tagua could be present in zones that have not been surveyed yet. Models of current distribution and habitat suitability showed that soil cover, isothermality and elevation were the variables most correlated with the presence of the species. According to the model, about 42% of the area of the Gran Chaco would be suitable for the species, while less than 17% of that area is protected. According to the model that simulates the future of the species, minimum populations of between 1000 and 1300 individuals are required, in the absence of threats of human origin (eg hunting), so that the species survives for at least 100 years without losing genetic variation . When 20% and 10% hunting rates are incorporated into the model, it is observed that the species should be extinguished in 20 and 100 years, respectively. However, a hunt that harvests 5% of the population could be sustainable if there was no habitat loss. The dramatic conversion of natural surfaces throughout the range of the species coupled with the reduced surface area of protected areas and hunting pressure determines that the long-term conservation of the tagua is threatened. Given the scarce information available, we believe it is essential to ensure the continuity of research that allows obtaining quality data to enable management and sustainable management of the species. The tagua is characteristic of the Chaco and has the potential to become an symbol of biodiversity conservation.