Medium- and Large-Sized Mammal Diversity Inside and Outside the Usumacinta Canyon Natural Protected Area

Abstract

The Natural Protected Areas (NPA) network is one of Mexico's main biodiversity conservation strategies. However, comparisons between the biodiversity observed inside and around this conservation instrument have rarely been performed in the country, not even for groups of fauna such as medium and large mammals (weight > 0.5 kg). Aspects of diversity and abundance of medium and large mammals were determined inside the Cañon del Usumacinta Flora and Fauna Protection Area (inside NPA) and in unprotected areas surrounding the NPA (outside NPA) through 72 camera trap stations (41 stations inside and 31 outside NPA). We obtained 1333 records of medium and large mammals of 23 species inside the NPA, while 663 records of 22 species were obtained outside the NPA. The expected species richness, diversity, and species composition by camera station were similar between interior NPA and exterior NPA. Likewise, the shape of the rank-abundance curves was similar inside and outside the NPA but not in the species order. Also, we found differences among the mean weight of the species registered by the camera station with larger species captured in the interior of the NPA. Our results showed that although the diversity of medium- and large-sized mammals is similar between the interior and exterior of the NPA, the conservation actions carried out in the interior of the NPA allow the larger mammal species (generally exposed to subsistence hunters) to be more detectable within the NPA than outside. It is necessary to determine which programs helped reduce the pressure on the largest mammals in the NPA, to maintain their operation and extend it to other NPAs of the region.