Habitat degradation and indiscriminate hunting differentially impact faunal communities in the Southeast Asian tropical biodiversity hotspot

Abstract Habitat degradation and hunting have caused the widespread loss of larger vertebrate species (defaunation) from tropical biodiversity hotspots. However, these defaunation drivers impact vertebrate biodiversity in different ways and, therefore, require different conservation interventions. We conducted landscape-scale camera-trap surveys across six study sites in Southeast Asia to assess how moderate degradation and intensive, indiscriminate hunting differentially impact tropical terrestrial mammals and birds. We found that functional extinction rates were higher in hunted compared to degraded sites. Species found in both sites had lower occupancies in the hunted sites. Canopy closure was the main predictor of occurrence in the degraded sites, while village density primarily influenced occurrence in the hunted sites. Our findings suggest that intensive, indiscriminate hunting may be a more immediate threat than moderate habitat degradation for tropical faunal communities, and that conservation stakeholders should focus as much on overhunting as on habitat conservation to address the defaunation crisis.

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“A Very Noble Crop”: Financial Stability, Agronomic Expertise, and Personal Values Support Conservation in Shade-Grown Coffee Farms

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137227 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7227

Author(s):

Jeannine H. Richards ◽

Ingrid M. Torrez Luna ◽

Alberto Vargas

Keyword(s):

Ecosystem Services ◽

Financial Stability ◽

Personal Values ◽

Nutrient Cycles ◽

Tropical Biodiversity ◽

Social Ecological ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Building Conservation ◽

Aesthetic Values ◽

Conservation Interventions

Shade-grown coffee is an important reservoir for tropical biodiversity, but habitat quality hinges on decisions made by farmers. Our research aims to investigate the link between coffee producers’ decisions and outcomes for biodiversity, using epiphytes as our focal group. Using qualitative methods, we interviewed 33 producers in northern Nicaragua to understand how they connect trees and epiphytes on their farms to ecosystem services and how personal values, access to agronomic expertise, labor supply, and financial stability influence decision-making. We used interview responses to construct six producer typologies. Most producers had strong positive attitudes toward trees and associated them with a variety of important ecosystem services. Smallholders were more likely to connect trees with provisioning services, while producers on larger farms and with greater agronomic knowledge emphasized regulating services. Most producers connected epiphytes primarily with aesthetic values. Across demographics, producers emphasized the restorative potential for shade coffee in repairing damage to soil, water, and nutrient cycles caused by other forms of agriculture. The conservation significance and sustainability of this social-ecological system can be maintained and expanded through economic and capacity-building conservation interventions, especially when those can be connected to values already held by farmers.

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Long-term monitoring of margays (Leopardus wiedii): Implications for understanding low detection rates

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247536 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0247536

Author(s):

Bart J. Harmsen ◽

Nicola Saville ◽

Rebecca J. Foster

Keyword(s):

Detection Rate ◽

Camera Trap ◽

Wide Distribution ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Detection Rates ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

Exclusive Territories ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

Density Population

Population assessments of wide-ranging, cryptic, terrestrial mammals rely on camera trap surveys. While camera trapping is a powerful method of detecting presence, it is difficult distinguishing rarity from low detection rate. The margay (Leopardus wiedii) is an example of a species considered rare based on its low detection rates across its range. Although margays have a wide distribution, detection rates with camera traps are universally low; consequently, the species is listed as Near Threatened. Our 12-year camera trap study of margays in protected broadleaf forest in Belize suggests that while margays have low detection rate, they do not seem to be rare, rather that they are difficult to detect with camera traps. We detected a maximum of 187 individuals, all with few or no recaptures over the years (mean = 2.0 captures/individual ± SD 2.1), with two-thirds of individuals detected only once. The few individuals that were recaptured across years exhibited long tenures up to 9 years and were at least 10 years old at their final detection. We detected multiple individuals of both sexes at the same locations during the same survey, suggesting overlapping ranges with non-exclusive territories, providing further evidence of a high-density population. By studying the sparse annual datasets across multiple years, we found evidence of an abundant margay population in the forest of the Cockscomb Basin, which might have been deemed low density and rare, if studied in the short term. We encourage more long-term camera trap studies to assess population status of semi-arboreal carnivore species that have hitherto been considered rare based on low detection rates.

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Relative abundance and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals in Pacuare Nature Reserve, Costa Rica

UNED Research Journal ◽

10.22458/urj.v9i1.1673 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 15-21

Author(s):

Stephanny Arroyo-Arce ◽

Ian Thomson ◽

Carlos Fernandez ◽

Roberto Salom-Perez

Keyword(s):

Costa Rica ◽

Nature Reserve ◽

Mammalian Species ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Abundant Species ◽

Camera Trap ◽

Central American ◽

Leopardus Pardalis ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

History Of

Located in Costa Rica, Pacuare Nature Reserve has a long established history of wildlife monitoring programs primarily focused on species of nesting marine turtles and the Agami herons (Agamia agami) found within the reserve. Our research represents the first assessment on the local terrestrial mammal populations. Data was collected by using seven camera trap stations distributed within the boundaries of the reserve. From April 2015 to March 2016, and after a total of 1 643 camera trap nights, we were able to identify 11 terrestrial mammalian species distributed in six orders and nine families. The most abundant species was the common opossum (Didelphis marsupialis), followed by the ocelot (Leopardus pardalis). A noticeably absent species, otherwise common throughout the area, was the Central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata). Our results are similar to those from other protected areas in the Northeastern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

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Disturbance impacts on large rain-forest vertebrates differ with edge type and regional context in Sulawesi, Indonesia

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467415000450 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 509-517 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Graden Z.L. Froese ◽

Adrienne L. Contasti ◽

Abdul Haris Mustari ◽

Jedediah F. Brodie

Keyword(s):

Camera Trap ◽

Individual Species ◽

Relative Importance ◽

Vertebrate Species ◽

Edge Type ◽

Regional Context ◽

Red Jungle Fowl ◽

Local Abundance ◽

Viverra Tangalunga ◽

Landscape Level

Abstract:Anthropogenic edge effects, whereby disturbance strength increases in proximity to ecotone boundaries, are known to strongly affect individual species but we lack a general understanding of how they vary by species, disturbance type and regional context. We deployed 46 camera-trap stations for a total of 3545 trap-days at two sites in Sulawesi, Indonesia, obtaining 937 detections of five vertebrate species. Anoa (Bubalus spp.) were more abundant near edges, booted macaque (Macaca ochreata) and red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) were less abundant near edges, and edges did not impact Sulawesi warty pig (Sus celebensis) or Malay civet (Viverra tangalunga). But the relative importance of habitat disturbance from agriculture, roads and villages differed for each species, and edge-induced disturbances varied not only in magnitude but also in direction between the study areas. In the strongest instance, macaque local abundance was 3.5 times higher near villages than it was 3 km into the forest in one reserve, but 2.8 times higher 3 km into the forest than near villages in the other reserve. Our results suggest that responses to habitat edges among species and edge types are idiosyncratic, and that landscape-level context can strongly alter the influence of local disturbance on biodiversity.

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Bringing clarity to the clouded leopard Neofelis diardi: first density estimates from Sumatra

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s003060531400043x ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 536-539 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Rahel Sollmann ◽

Matthew Linkie ◽

Iding A. Haidir ◽

David W. Macdonald

Keyword(s):

Mixed Forest ◽

Camera Trap ◽

Forest Loss ◽

Data Sets ◽

Panthera Tigris ◽

Density Estimates ◽

Clouded Leopard ◽

Data Limitations ◽

Capture Recapture ◽

Study Sites

AbstractWe use data from camera-trap surveys for tigers Panthera tigris in combination with spatial capture–recapture models to provide the first density estimates for the Sunda clouded leopard Neofelis diardi on Sumatra. Surveys took place during 2004–2007 in the Kerinci landscape. Densities were 0.385–1.278 per 100 km2. We found no statistically significant differences in density among four study sites or between primary and mixed forest. Because the data sets are too small to account for differences in detection parameters between sexes, density is probably underestimated. Estimates are comparable to previous estimates of 1–2 per 100 km2 from the lowlands of central Sabah, on Borneo. Data limitations suggest that camera-trap surveys for Sunda clouded leopards require traps spaced more closely, to increase the chance of recaptures at different traps. Nevertheless, these first density estimates for clouded leopards on Sumatra provide a benchmark for measuring future conservation impact on an island that is undergoing rapid forest loss.

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Phylogenetic diversity as a window into the evolutionary and biogeographic histories of present-day richness gradients for mammals

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2011.0058 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 366 (1576) ◽

pp. 2414-2425 ◽

Cited By ~ 100

Author(s):

T. Jonathan Davies ◽

Lauren B. Buckley

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Diversity Indices ◽

Environmental Predictors ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

Extinction Rates ◽

Biogeographic History ◽

Shared Ancestry ◽

History Of ◽

Dispersal Events

Phylogenetic diversity (PD) captures the shared ancestry of species, and is increasingly being recognized as a valuable conservation currency. Regionally, PD frequently covaries closely with species richness; however, variation in speciation and extinction rates and/or the biogeographic history of lineages can result in significant deviation. Locally, these differences may be pronounced. Rapid recent speciation or high temporal turnover of lineages can result in low PD but high richness. In contrast, rare dispersal events, for example, between biomes, can elevate PD but have only small impact on richness. To date, environmental predictors of species richness have been well studied but global models explaining variation in PD are lacking. Here, we contrast the global distribution of PD versus species richness for terrestrial mammals. We show that an environmental model of lineage diversification can predict well the discrepancy in the distribution of these two variables in some places, for example, South America and Africa but not others, such as Southeast Asia. When we have information on multiple diversity indices, conservation efforts directed towards maximizing one currency or another (e.g. species richness versus PD) should also consider the underlying processes that have shaped their distributions.

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Abundance and Distribution of Odonates (Dragonflies and Damselflies) In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Pan African Journal of Life Sciences ◽

10.36108/pajols/8102/10(0160) ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 33-38

Author(s):

Kehinde A. Kemabonta ◽

Rosemary Essien ◽

Babasola W. Adu ◽

Sylvester U. Ogbogu ◽

Abdussalam Iysa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Statistical Difference ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Anthropogenic Activities ◽

Ongoing Research ◽

Management Techniques ◽

Study Sites ◽

Abundance And Distribution ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Sweep Net

Introduction: Odonates are used as bio-indicators for monitoring habitat degradation both on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem because of their sensitivity to anthropogenic activities. They serve an important role in the ecological food chain by consuming aquatic larvae and being in turn consumed by birds and various amphibians. This study is part of the ongoing research on the diversity of Odonate species of Nigeria. The objective is to determine the abundance and distribution of odonates in Akwa Ibom State and to compare the species diversity across the various sites in Akwa Ibom State. Methodology: Akwa Ibom state was divided into six areas namely Ikot Akpaden, Obio Akpa, Ikot Okoro, Ikot Udofia, Urua Udofia and Obio Ndot using biotypes and a study site was randomly selected in each area. Adult members were captured using a sweep net and were preserved for identification using morphological features. Results: A total of 767 odonates were collected at the six study sites representing 24 species, 16 genera and four families namely Libellulidae (77%), Coenagrionidae (21%), Calopterygidae (>1%) and Chlorocyphidae (>1%). Most of the species collected were members of family Libellullidae (77%) with Palpopleura lucia having the highest occurrence (41%) and found in all the sites. Family Calopterygidae and Chlorocyphidae had less than 1% population of the total individuals collected. Ikot Okoro had the highest number of individuals (238) and the least evenness (e^H/S=0.3292) while Ikot Akpaden, which had the least effect of anthropogenic intrusion had the largest diversity of Odonata species (H’=2.387). Obio Ndot had the most evenly distributed Odonata species (e^H/S=0.8028). There was no statistical difference in the occurrence of dragonflies across all study sites (p= 0.238). Conclusion: The high occurrence of family Libellulidae which are anthropogenic tolerant, and the absence of more highly localized species indicate that most of the study sites have been degraded and may not be fit for species with narrow niches. It is therefore vital to conserve the Odonata community by implementing proper forest management techniques.

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Fading sight of endemic Zapornia bicolor (Walden, 1872) in Eastern Himalayan Hotspot

10.7287/peerj.preprints.925v2 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Prakash Pradhan

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Rare Species ◽

Invasive Plant ◽

West Bengal ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Invasive Plant Species ◽

Hill Region ◽

Conservation Measures ◽

Point Transect ◽

Study Sites

A biosurvey was conducted in Samendu Lake and its surrounding wetlands of Eastern Himalayan Hill region of Mirik in Darjeeling in West Bengal, India. In the study, endemic and locally rare species of Zapornia bicolor (Walden, 1872) was studied with point transect method regarding its population and habitat. Very low population (only 21 individuals) and habitat degradation (encroachment, pollution, invasive plant species) has been observed at the study sites. Conservation measures for this species have been suggested.

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Species richness and conservation status of medium and large terrestrial mammals from four Sky Islands in Sonora, northwestern Mexico

Check List ◽

10.15560/12.1.1839 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 1839

Author(s):

Helí Coronel-Arellano ◽

Nalleli E. Lara-Díaz ◽

Rosa E. Jiménez-Maldonado ◽

Carlos A. López-González

Keyword(s):

Wild Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

National Level ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Camera Traps ◽

Sky Islands ◽

Terrestrial Mammals ◽

Northwestern Mexico ◽

Study Sites

We present the first systematic checklist of medium and large terrestrial mammals on four mountain ranges known as Sky Islands, in northeastern Sonora, Mexico. We used camera traps for recording mammals, with which we documented 25 wild species. Two of the native species are in the IUCN Red List and four are threatened at the national level. We did not document seven wild species with potential distribution at study sites, probably due to limited availability of habitat and/or local extirpation of species. The importance of this work is that we generated an inventory of medium and large mammals in an area considered poorly studied and highly diverse.

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Evidence for historical human-induced extinctions of vertebrate species on La DÉsirade (French West Indies)

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2015.11.001 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 85 (1) ◽

pp. 54-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Myriam Boudadi-Maligne ◽

Salvador Bailon ◽

Corentin Bochaton ◽

Fabrice Casagrande ◽

Sandrine Grouard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

West Indies ◽

Habitat Degradation ◽

Colonial Period ◽

Faunal Analysis ◽

Vertebrate Species ◽

Faunal Remains ◽

French West Indies ◽

Extinct Species ◽

Archaeological Material ◽

Colonial Economy

Pit cave 6 on Pointe Gros Rempart (Baie-Mahault, La Désirade, French West Indies) is a stratified fossil-bearing site. While the archaeological material and faunal remains from the oldest assemblage demonstrate it to have formed during the Amerindian period, the second assemblage dates to the first one-hundred years of the island's colonial period (mid-18th to mid-19th centuries). Faunal analysis revealed the presence of 4 now locally extinct or extinct species, three of which have never before been documented on La Désirade (Ameivasp.,Leiocephaluscf.cuneusandAlsophissp.). Changing faunal spectrums (invertebrates and vertebrates) due to environmental destabilisation combined with aspects of the island's colonial economy demonstrate habitat degradation and over-grazing to be the principal causes of extinctions and or extirpations.

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