CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Building on the existing protected area (PA) network represents the most practical approach for the conservation of biodiversity. The first step in this process is to determine the degree to which biodiversity elements are represented in existing PAs (commonly known as GAP analysis). The next step implies the identification of the elements that need further protection using reserve selection tools. In this study, we assess the effectiveness of the existing PAs for the conservation of the terrestrial mammals of Argentina, and identify alternative conservation areas for expanding the current network. Probability distribution maps for 316 species were used. These maps were derived from range polygons which were transformed to probabilities through the weighted Mahalanobis typicality method and 14 environmental variables. Additionally, we included point distribution data for 10 species with very restricted ranges. All 326 species were included in the reserve selection analysis. The existing PA network covers approximately 6% of the country. We found 34 species not represented in any PAs (gap species); mostly range-restricted species. Of these, 31 are endemic to Argentina, 8 are included in one of the IUCN threatened categories, and 1 is near threatened. Interestingly, 50% of the gap species belong to the genus Ctenomys. To represent at least 1% of the distribution of all species 7.5% of the countrys area would be needed. Increasing species representation to 5% would require 14% of the land. We present maps showing the areas of highest priority for conservation of Argentine terrestrial mammals. Given that the majority of the gap species are endemic to the country, it is crucial that they are considered when planning the implementation of future protected areas.