Assessing the Assessment, the Relevance of the 2006 Paraguayan Mammal Red List to the Reality of Xenarthra Conservation in 2012

Abstract

Abstract The last assessment of the conservation status of mammals in Paraguay took place in 2006 and found just two species of Xenarthra, Myrmecophaga tridactyla and Priodontes maximus, to be threatened at the national level. Though seriously outdated in a rapidly-changing landscape, this assessment continues to be used today as a tool for national wildlife management decisions. This paper highlights difficulties in the current national assessment process, and suggests solutions with the aim of producing a more accurate reflection of the conservation status of Paraguayan xenarthrans during the next review. The provision to reviewers of regularly updated “crash-courses” in the current issues affecting the conservation of xenarthrans in Paraguay is suggested as a useful tool in reaching this aim, and a revision of the main factors that reviewers should be considering at the time of writing is provided here for each of the Paraguayan species.