Spatial patterns of mammal occurrence in forest strips surrounded by agricultural crops of the Chaco region, Argentina

Abstract

Deforestation is a major cause of biodiversity loss, and the predominant factor driving deforestation is expansion of agriculture. A key step toward successful conservation in agricultural areas is maximizing biodiversity value of remaining forest. In subtropical and tropical regions, forest often is left in narrow strips between agricultural fields under the assumption that biodiversity is sustained. We examined use of forest strips and continuous forest by medium and large-sized mammals in Argentine Chaco with camera trapping and hierarchical Bayesian zero-inflated occupancy models and assessed how use related to ecological traits of species. Almost 70% of the species cited for our study area were not detected or were detected in less than 10% of the sampling units. Ten of the 23 species that occurred in the area were absent from strips or were detected most frequently in continuous forest, including all large-bodied species and forest interior specialists. Low occurrence of mammals in strips and in continuous forest raises major concerns related to long-term persistence of mammals in Chaco. Under current development policies, agriculture will continue to expand in this region, further threatening the second largest forest in South America. Alternative configurations for the forest-agriculture landscape, as well as synergism between landscape configuration and other threats, need to be evaluated and incorporated into policy if the rich mammalian fauna of this region is to be conserved.