Forest remnants in private lands are critical to the persistence of endangered birds in an Amazonian hotspot

Abstract

Deforestation is considered the main human-induced and short-term threat to the persistence of forest species in the Amazon. Long-lasting and high-intensity deforestation, low coverage of protected areas, and high level of species endemism make the Belém Endemism Area (BEA) particularly more vulnerable than the rest of the Amazon area. However, this occurrence remains strongly neglected in global and regional conservation analyses. In this study, we used species distribution modeling and remote sensing data to map the richness pattern of endangered birds from the Amazon and assessed the species' conservation status based on landscape patterns of forest remnants. Our results revealed that the BEA's imperiled avifauna presents the most significant state of vulnerability to extinction compared with other areas of endemism in the Amazon. Almost 80 % of the total area of the BEA presents a strong anthropization of natural ecosystems. Of the 20 % of the area with high conservation value remnants, only 25 % is within protected areas, whereas the other 75 % is under private property domains. Moreover, forest remnants on private properties have a higher biodiversity conservation value as they are home to more threatened bird species than remnants within protected areas. Therefore, we argue that effective implementation of conservation of threatened bird species in the BEA depends directly on the maintenance of forest remnants on private properties from practical conservation actions.