Abstract
Large carnivores such as jaguars (Panthera onca) are species of conservation concern because they are suffering population declines and are keystone species in their ecosystems. Their large area requirements imply that unprotected and ever-increasing agricultural regions can be important habitats as they allow connectivity and dispersal among core protected areas. Yet information on jaguar densities across unprotected landscapes it is still scarce and crucially needed to assist management and range-wide conservation strategies. Our study provides the first jaguar density estimates of Colombia in agricultural regions which included cattle ranching, the main land use in the country, and oil palm cultivation, an increasing land use across the Neotropics. We used camera trapping across two agricultural landscapes located in the Magdalena River valley and in the Colombian llanos (47–53 stations respectively; >2000 trap nights at both sites) and classic and spatially explicit capture-recapture models with the sex of individuals as a covariate. Density estimates were 2.52±0.46–3.15±1.08 adults/100 km2 in the Magdalena valley, whereas 1.12±0.13–2.19±0.99 adults/100 km2 in the Colombian llanos, depending on analysis used. We suggest that jaguars are able to live across unprotected human-use areas and co-exist with agricultural landscapes including oil-palm plantations if natural areas and riparian habitats persist in the landscape and hunting of both jaguar and prey is limited. In the face of an expanding agriculture across the tropics we recommend land-use planning, adequate incentives, regulations, and good agricultural practices for range-wide jaguar connectivity and survival.
Highlights
Due to their charisma and functional role in maintaining ecosystem integrity and services [1,2] large carnivores such as the big cats have been a focus of conservation research and action [3]
There is evidence on the role of unprotected areas for carnivore conservation: species like cheetahs, wolves (Canis lupus), pumas (Puma concolor), leopards (Panthera pardus), and jaguars are able to live in human use landscapes [12,19,20,21]
Our results provide additional evidence on the role of unprotected areas for carnivore conservation, advance current understanding of jaguars in agricultural areas, and provide the first jaguar density estimates in both the llanos ecosystem and in an oil palm landscape
Summary
Due to their charisma and functional role in maintaining ecosystem integrity and services [1,2] large carnivores such as the big cats have been a focus of conservation research and action [3]. Habitat loss driven by agricultural expansion is the main cause of biodiversity decline globally [5,6] and constitutes a severe threat for large carnivores because they occur at low densities, have slow population growth rates, require large areas and sufficient prey [7,8,9], all of which make them vulnerable to extinction. Their prey requirements make them susceptible to conflict with humans and retaliatory killing, further increasing their vulnerability [10,11]. There is evidence on the role of unprotected areas for carnivore conservation: species like cheetahs, wolves (Canis lupus), pumas (Puma concolor), leopards (Panthera pardus), and jaguars are able to live in human use landscapes [12,19,20,21]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.