Aim  The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a species of global conservation concern. In Mexico, the northernmost part of its distribution range, its conservation status, is particularly critical, while its potential and actual distribution is poorly known. We propose an ensemble model (EM) of the potential distribution for the jaguar in Mexico and identify the priority areas for conservation. Location  Mexico. Methods  We generated our EM based on three presence‐only methods (Ecological Niche Factor Analysis, Mahalanobis distance, Maxent) and considering environmental, biological and anthropogenic factors. We used this model to evaluate the efficacy of the existing Mexican protected areas (PAs), to evaluate the adequacy of the jaguar conservation units (JCUs) and to propose new areas that should be considered for conservation and management of the species in Mexico. Results  Our results outline that 16% of Mexico (c. 312,000 km2) can be considered as suitable for the presence of the jaguar. Furthermore, 13% of the suitable areas are included in existing PAs and 14% are included in JCUs (Sanderson et al., 2002). Main conclusions  Clearly much more should be carried out to establish a proactive conservation strategy. Based on our results, we propose here new jaguar conservation and management areas that are important for a nationwide conservation blueprint.

Mammals' camera-trapping in Sierra Nanchititla, Mexico: relative abundance and activity patterns. Species conservation and their management depend on the availability of their population behavior and changes in time. This way, population studies include aspects such as species abundance and activity pattern, among others, with the advantage that nowadays new technologies can be applied, in addition to common methods. In this study, we used camera-traps to obtain the index of relative abundance and to establish activity pattern of medium and large mammals in Sierra Nanchititla, Mexico. The study was conducted from December 2003 to May 2006, with a total sampling effort of 4 305 trap-days. We obtained 897 photographs of 19 different species. Nasua narica, Sylvilagus floridanus and Urocyon cinereoargenteus were the most abundant, in agreement with the relative abundance index (RAI, number of independent records/100 trap-days), and according to previous studies with indirect methods in the area. The activity patterns of the species showed that 67% of them are nocturnal, except Odocoileus virginianus, Nasua narica and others. Some species showed differences with previously reported patterns, which are related with seasonality, resources availability, organism sex, principally. The applied method contributed with reliable data about relative abundance and activity patterns. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (1): 373-383. Epub 2011 March 01.

In this study the habitat use and activity patterns of the two of the largest cats of the Americas in central Mexico were studied. Th ree ways to detect felid presence were employed from August 2002 to May 2006: interviews, signs, and camera-traps. 478 records were obtained, from which 441 were from cougar and 37 from jaguar. Th ese records included positive response in 118 of 140 interviews and 236 records of signs (mainly tracks and scats), and 124 photographs. Both felids preferred pine-oak forest habitats, with altitudes higher than 1800 m, distances between 3509 and 4377 m from roads, between 2329 and 4650 m from settlements, and distances to very steep slopes between 1048 and 2059 m, for jaguar, and for cougar lower than 1047 m. Jaguar activity was recorded mainly during nighttimes,

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Little is known about the status of Puma concolor populations in Central and South America. Due to this reason, the present study contributes to the knowledge on puma populations providing information on abundance and density in Sierra Nanchititla, Mexico, as well as comparing recorded values against those obtained from zones of high and low concentration of camera traps. Th e sampling was carried out during a period of 30 months, which were divided into 3-month independent blocks. For the 8 fi rst blocks, ten camera traps were set in an area where the separation among cameras was 1.6 km, and in the 2 last blocks 17 camera traps were set in an area where the separation was 4.6 km. Th e abundance was estimated between 2 and 5 individuals for the area with the highest concentration of cameras, lower than the abundance obtained in the area with the lowest concentration of cameras, i.e., 6 individuals. Th e density of the area with the highest camera concentration had a variation between 2.74 and 6.86 individuals/100 km 2 in an eff ective survey area of 72.8 km 2 and for the area of lowest concentration it was 1.21 individual/100 km 2 in an eff ective survey area of 492.6 km 2 . © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010.

Protected areas are among the most widely accepted methods to set aside biodiversity from their most impinging threats. However, protected areas are not always located such that their positive impacts over biodiversity are maximized. This drawback is especially significant and uncontrolled when intense climate-change dynamics stresses local biodiversity equilibrium. This study aims to weight plausible evolutive scenarios (up to 2040) of PA-effectiveness to secure the most suitable climates for 94 vertebrate species in Central Mexico, a region that, historically, has faced large biodiversity turnover rates. Effectiveness was appraised at two scales. For a set of species, effectiveness expresses the spatial matching of established protected areas (ePAs) with top priority areas (T17) obtained from an optmised area-selection protocol. For each single species, effectiveness relates the predicted trends of climate suitable areas within ePAs/T17 with trends outside ePAs/T17. Results show that aprox.54% of ePAs area occur within T17 and species present variable responses, with suitability gains up to 10% and potential climate suitability losses of aprox.30% within ePAs. A considerable high amount of T17 (aprox.74%) is left unprotected. By assuming the high-valued component of past conservation efforts, this study delivers a double-guidance for planners and decision-makers. First, it pinpoints the ePAs that will demand further conservation investments in the upcoming years. Second, it identifies the unprotected regions where most active conservation actions are needed to supplement ePAs for a climate-effective protected area network. The framework here-proposed gives decision-makers the means to undertake effective and robust decisions in a dynamic and uncertain world.