Potential contributions of mammals to human well-being in Argentina

ALONSO ROLDÁN, VIRGINIA; CAMINO, MICAELA; ARGOITIA, ANTONELLA; CAMPOS, CLAUDIA M.; CARUSO, NICOLÁS; EDER, ELENA B.; BALDI, RICARDO; BIROCHIO, DIEGO E.; CAPPA, FLAVIO M.; LASSAGA, M. VICTORIA; LUZ OLMEDO, M.; FORMOSO, ANAHÍ; D'AGOSTINO, VALERIA C.; GONZÁLEZ NOSCHESE, CAMILA S.; UDRIZAR SAUTHIER, DANIEL; JUÁREZ, CECILIA P.; DEGRATI, MARIANA; IGLESIAS, MARTÍN; COELHO, LORENA; SOSA DROUVILLE, AILÍN; PRIOTTO, JOSÉ W.

Mastozoología Neotropical

Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos (SAREM)

Año: 2022 vol. 29 p. 1 - 814

Mammals are key components of biodiversity mediating ecosystem functions, mainly 56 because of the diversity of forms and functions of this group. Understanding and making explicit 57 the role of mammals underpinning Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) or directly 58 contributing to human well-being would help to influence policy formulation towards sustainable 59 development and nature conservation. Through a workshop held at the XXXII Jornadas 60 Argentinas de Mastozoología and subsequent collaborative work, we compiled information 61 related to Mammal’s Contributions to People in Argentina (MCP-Arg) based on participants’ 62 interpretation of the available literature and their field experience. Argentinian mammals 63 contribute to 12 of the 18 defined NCPs. We derived numerous MCP-Arg from studies that 64 focused mainly on ecological processes and conservation, revealing an information gap in MCP65 Arg description, quantification, and mapping. All taxa contribute similarly to the overall 66 contributions, highlighting the importance of preserving mammal diversity. Conservation should 67 also be framed at the local community rather than regional scales, aiming to preserve ecological 68 functioning and contributions to human well-being, especially within regulation contributions. 69 Our results show destructive feedback between threats and habitat-related contributions, with 70 habitat degradation being the greatest threat to mammalian contributions and habitat maintenance 71 the most threatened one. Our research indicates that a substantial amount of knowledge about 72 MCP-Arg is available through narratives and interpretations. Considering the NCP approach to 73 mammalian research, we can make significant contributions to both mammal conservation and 74 human well-being