PARENT SESSION

Conservation 4 -- Session Chair: Dave Onorato-- University Center, Kate Buchanan Room

CAMERA-TRAPPING AS A TOOL FOR MONITORING LARGE MAMMALS IN LACANDONA TROPICAL FOREST, CHIAPAS, MEXICO. Danae Azuara-Santiago and Rodrigo A. Medellín. Chiapas, Mexico.

ABSTRACT- Lacandona tropical forest is undoubtedly one of the most biodiverse regions in Mexico. In spite of its great cultural and biological value, it faces severe conservation issues. To ensure its long-term conservation we must avoid using vegetation cover as the only indicator of its condition. The presence of mammals and their abundance can be used as indicator to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of conservation efforts. One of our objectives is the development of a standardized method to obtain presence and abundance data for terrestrial mammals in the Montes Azules Biosphere preserve, to be used in other areas of the Mayan tropical forest. We conducted a systematic sampling, using camera-traps, using six 5-km long trap lines. Four traps were set in each line: three singles and one double. Traps were active for eight weeks in the rainy and dry seasons. We recorded 23 species of terrestrial mammals, and 11 species of birds. Almost all the expected species were photographed. Relative abundance was obtained for all captured species. The highest capture rates were found for these mammals: Agouti paca, Tapirus bairdii, Tayassu tajacu, Tayassu pecari, Mazama americana and Leopardus pardalis, among others. There were no seasonal relative abundance differences. With felids we were able to identify individuals: one jaguarundi, 4 jaguars, 4 pumas, 5 or 6 margay and 13 to 17 different ocelots. Camera-trapping proved to be a useful tool to document terrestrial mammals presence and relative abundance data in the Lacandon conditions. Individual recognition is possible in all spotted species including the small ones, and it may be possible with non-spotted species if individuals present particular characteristics. Data obtained will serve to be compared with other areas and to monitor abundance trends overtime in protected areas.

KEY WORDS: mammal, Camera-trapping