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Jaguars of Brazil - Dynamics,Lifestyle,Datas,Studies,Reports
Jaguars of Brazil - Dynamics,Lifestyle,Datas,Studies,Reports
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Jaguars of Brazil - Dynamics,Lifestyle,Datas,Studies,Reports
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The challenging conservation of the last jaguars in the Atlantic Forest of Capixaba - Espírito Santo.
http://sbzoologia.org.br/uploads/1500060...un2017.pdf Author: Ana Carolina Srbek-Araujo1 The jaguar is the largest feline species of the American continent and, consequently, is the largest land predator in Brazil. Its historical geographical distribution stretched from the southwest of the United States to the northern portion of Argentina, but today it is considered extinct in more than half of its original distribution. In addition, the current area of occurrence is divided into smaller regions and, in many cases, isolated from each other. In Brazilian territory, the most representative populations are located in the Pantanal and in the Amazon, while the Atlantic Forest represents the biome in which the species is most threatened. The Atlantic Forest consists of one of the most threatened areas of great biological wealth on the planet, with high rates of habitat loss and a large number of endemic species, being classified as a world 'hotspot' of Biodiversity. Although its original area occupies the Brazilian coastal strip, between Piauí and Rio Grande do Sul, extending also to some states in the interior of the country, the Atlantic Forest today is restricted to approximately 12% of its original forest cover. In addition to being extremely small in relation to its original extent, the remaining area in the biome is mainly divided into fragments of small size and only a small portion of them is legally protected. This is especially due to the process of occupation of the Brazilian territory since the times of Brasil Colônia, the Atlantic Forest being currently the biome responsible for sheltering and providing some of the basic ecosystem services for more than 60% of the Brazilian population. In this scenario of loss and decharacterization of natural environments, jaguars have become increasingly rare in the Atlantic Forest. Currently, only 7% of the remanescent area is in good condition to house jaguars, with the species restricted to less than 3% of the biome. It is estimated that there are less than 300 individuals in the entire Atlantic Forest, which are divided into seven areas ( called Jaguar Conservation Units ), occurring at low population densities. Only three of these areas are home to populations of more than 50 individuals and most of the populations are very isolated, with no possibility of natural flow of individuals between areas ( Paviolo et al. 2016 ). Espírito Santo is one of the five Brazilian states that still harbor jaguars in the Atlantic Forest, but the current situation of the species is considered very critical, as is the situation of the biome in Espírito Santo. The state had its entire area originally occupied by natural formations of the Atlantic Rainforest, but the remaining portion of the forest is currently restricted to less than 11% of the original cover. As a result, jaguars have been reduced to a single population, located in the northern portion of the state, where a large forest remnant called Linhares-Sooretama Block is located. This is composed of four protected areas ( Sooretama Biological Reserve, Vale Natural Reserve, Recanto das Antas Private Natural Heritage Reserve and Mutum--Preto Private Natural Heritage Reserve ), besides small fragments located in private properties ( legal reserves and permanent preservation areas ), which together add up to a little more than 10% of the area with remaining forest cover in the whole of Espírito Santo, representing the largest continuous forest formation in the state. In addition to the fact that it is restricted to a single population, the situation of the jaguar in Espírito Santo is aggravated by the fact that carnivorous mammals have wide demands on their area of life, especially because they have a high demand for food resources and because they generally feed on larger prey, requiring large areas for the maintenance of numerous populations of predators and the prey they consume. For this reason, small areas are home to a small number of individuals and it is estimated that the Linhares-Sooretama Block is home to no more than 20 jaguars today ( Srbek-Araujo 2013 ). This is alarming because small and isolated populations are more vulnerable to extinction because they are more susceptible to demographic and genetic problems. In this sense, the increase in inbreeding, the reduction in genetic variability, the reduction in reproduction and survival rates, among other ecological and biological problems, limiting the ability of populations to adapt to environmental changes in the medium and long term, stand out. Genetic data obtained for the Linhares-Sooretama Block, from a non-invasive method of obtaining DNA ( fecal samples ), indicate low levels of genetic diversity for the local jaguar population, although it still maintains genetic information ( alleles ) that has not been detected in other populations of the biome, demonstrating its importance for the maintenance of the remaining genetic variability in the Atlantic Forest jaguars ( Srbek-Araujo 2013 ). Figure 1. Atlantic Forest Jaguar monitored in Linhares-Sooretama Block, ES ( Projeto Felinos ).  *This image is copyright of its original author If the problems of isolation and small population size were not enough, jaguars face other problems of anthropic origin. In this sense, the occurrence of hunting in the Linhares-Soore-tama Block stands out, despite daily actions to protect the area, and the risk of jaguars running over the stretch of the BR-101 Highway that intercepts this large forest remnant, dividing it into two portions. Hunting has increased in recent years in the region and, although it is not directed to large cats, it reveals to be an additional component of overloading populations of species consumed by jaguars and that are preferred targets of hunters, such as the Paca (Cuniculus paca) and the Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), for example, increasing the vulnerability of this large predator due to the potential reduction in the availability of prey. In addition, the risk of jaguars being killed by hunters cannot be ruled out, either accidentally (use of non-selective traps, for example), intentionally or out of fear. In relation to the BR-101 Highway, at least one jaguar was run over in the stretch associated with the Bloco Linhares-Sooretama, which occurred in 2000. Recently it was approved a project to duplicate this highway in Espírito Santo, in all its extension, without an impact study or any special evaluation related to the Linhares-Sooretama Block. If special measures are not adopted to reduce or avoid the running over of wild animals in the region, the duplication of the highway will increase the risk of running over jaguars, pointing out that some individuals use the portions of forest located east and west of the BR-101 highway, crossing the highway during territorial surveillance activities. Despite the existence of structures under the highway ( galleries and shackles for draining rainwater and/or associated with water bodies ) and which are used by some mammals to cross the BR-101 from one side to the other, there is no evidence that large cats use these elements. Considering that there are still many uncertainties and difficulties in defining the best design for the transposing structures and that they include the largest number of species, the most recommended alternative for the region is to change the current route of the highway, diverting it from the Linhares-So-oretama Block. This action will not only remedy the current problem and prevent its potentialization with duplication, but it will also solve a historical environmental problem, contributing to the protection of jaguars, as well as the species present in the region in general. Regardless of the cause, the loss of a single jaguar represents a great loss for a population already so fragile. It should also be noted that the local extinction of jaguars would represent for the Linhares-Sooretama Block not only the disappearance of a species, but also the alteration of ecological processes that maintain the integrity of this great remnant as we know it today. Being a large and top predator species, jaguars contribute for the control of other cat populations, such as pumas, through mechanisms of competition and control the species of prey preventing their populations from increasing in number reducing the proliferation of diseases and keeping in balance the ecological interactions in which they participate ( dispersion and predation of seeds, for example ). In this way, the local extinction of jaguars will bring negative consequences and effects for other animals and also for plant species present in the Linhares-Sooretama Block. Capixabas jaguars face a situation complex and delicate, and the implementation of emerging conservation actions for effective protection of last individuals, including effective hunting and review of the process of duplication of BR-101 Highway in the section associated with the Linhares-Sooretama Block, as well as the application of management actions that promote restoration of genetic connectivity among the remaining populations ( integrated action ). Loss of habitat, population isolation, reducing the population to a small number of individuals and loss of genetic diversity are elements that make up a common scenario to other ( if not all ) populations of jaguars in the Atlantic Forest, alerting to the fragility of the species in the biome as a whole. If no effective action is adopted, in short term, the jaguars capixabas, thus as in other areas of the Atlantic Forest, will be present only in scientific records and in the memory of those who have had the opportunity to dazzle the greatness of these fascinating predators. References Paviolo A, Angelo C, Ferraz KMPMB, et al. (2016) Biodiversity hotspot losing its top predator: The challenge of jaguar conservation in the Atlantic Forest of South America. Scientific Reports 6: 37147. Srbek-Araujo AC (2013) Conservation of the jaguar (Panthera onca Linnaeus, 1758) in the Atlantic Forest of Tabuleiro do Espírito Santo. Doctoral Thesis. Graduate Program in Ecology, Conservation and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Minas Gerais, 224p. About the author: Ana Carolina Srbek de Araujo is a Full Professor of the Program of Post-graduation in Ecosystems Ecology at Vila Velha University, ES. Works in ecology and conservation of vertebrates, with emphasis on mammals, and has an interest in approaches related to ecosystem services. From 2005, through the Felines Project, is dedicated to conservation of the jaguar in the Espírito Santo. One of the very few Altantic Forest Capixaba Jaguars left from Espirito Santo is spotted by a group of friends - Photo: Divulgação Expedicionários/Arquivo Pessoal  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Projeto Felinos  *This image is copyright of its original author He was captured by Projeto Felinos.  *This image is copyright of its original author Its a male and weighed 70 kg.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Ana Carolina Srbek and the sedated male.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author After the established time, the collar attached to the jaguar disconnected from the animal's body and was recovered in the woods by the researchers - Photo: Projeto Felinos/Divulgação  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Ana Carolina Srbek de Araujo founder and coordinator of Projeto Felinos: year: 2020 https://g1.globo.com/sp/campinas-regiao/...mota.ghtml "Based on computational analysis, we estimate that the region's reserves hold up to 20 individuals, restricted to the Linhares-Sooretama Forest Complex. In the first years of the study, we registered 11 individuals in an area equivalent to half the available habitat, which reinforces the estimates obtained by computer." "We had an advance with the capture, but hunters who go into the woods looking for other species break and steal equipment such as the camera traps. In September, after a pause due to the pandemic, we noticed the loss of two more of them. The hunting action can reduce the availability of jaguar prey generating food crises and increased competition among cats. The reduced animal populations also live haunted by the mating tendency among relatives, which can cause the reduction of genetic variability of the species and accelerate its disappearance.'' says Ana Carolina Srbek de Araujo.  *This image is copyright of its original author
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