Wild Pigs in an Irreplaceable Area for Biodiversity Conservation: Current Situation and Importance of the Local Community in the Population Control

Abstract

<p>I present here observational and experimental impacts and control activities of wild pigs in the Serra da Mantiqueira, an irreplaceable area for biodiversity conservation in the world, inserted in Atlantic Forest of Brazil. In the Serra da Mantiqueira wild pigs damage streams, vegetation, gardens and crops. Wild pigs also consume seeds and cause the death of endangered trees. Together with the local community my team and I worked out a pilot plan for wild pig control in two protected areas of the Serra da Mantiqueira. Meetings and training activities were held with the volunteer hunters that carried out control of the wild pigs. The pilot plan control reduced the incidence of wild pigs in one of the protected areas. Finally, I suggest a national program to control wild pigs in protected areas to fill in the gaps identified during this present work.</p>