Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data.

Inadequate livestock husbandry practices threaten the maintenance of global biodiversity and provoke conflicts between people and wildlife, and large carnivorous mammals are among the most affected. The jaguar Panthera onca is one of the most threatened species in the Americas, being targeted by livestock producers who suffer economic losses as a result of predation. The way in which rural producers in countries such as Mexico conduct husbandry practices may influence levels of predation by jaguars. Our objective was to understand how such practices are conducted in the Selva Lacandona in south-eastern Mexico, to identify their influence on the vulnerability of livestock to predation by jaguars. We characterized local husbandry practices through participant observation, interviews and surveys. Our results show that the most important practices that make livestock vulnerable to predation include the location of grazing lands close to forested areas and water sources, the absence of practices for the proper disposal of carcasses, and poor control of calving and care of calves. Our recommendations include monitoring of livestock movements and synchronization of calving. Economic investment and behavioural change can be accomplished through capacity building and providing people with the means to monitor and manage their livestock. Small actions can reduce livestock losses and improve the economic circumstances of rural people, and thus increase their tolerance and respect towards jaguars.

The principal factors that contribute to the conservation of large carnivorous mammals are, the increase in human density, the amount of remnant natural habitat, land use changeOne alternative is to assess the economic damage caused by carnivores on cattle a herd which is a major cause of their persecution and elimination. Damage assessed by jaguar in southern of Nuevo Leon. At the same time, we evaluated the economic damage and gray fox 2,514. Knowing the damage that the jaguar and other carnivores have on the economy of peasant's families is essential for the design of mitigation strategies that Keywords: Panthera oncaEl aumento de la densidad humana, la cantidad de hábitat natural remanente, el uso de suelo y la incidencia de cacería, ya sea de subsistencia o furtiva (de la especie y de sus presas naturales), son factores que contribuyen a la conservación o eliminación de los grandes mamíferos carnívoros. Para poder emprender acciones de conservación efectivas, es necesario entender el problema en todas sus dimensiones. Una de ellas es poder contabilizar los daños económicos que causan los carnívoros en los hatos ganaderos que es una de las principales causas de su persecución y eliminación. En el presente trabajo evaluamos los daños causados por jaguar en el sur de Nuevo León. Al mismo tiempo, se evaluaron los daños económicos por oso negro, coyote, puma, gato montés y zorra gris para comparar el valor económico de los daños sobre la ganadería. Se encuestaron 80 personas en 60 comunidades rurales. Los daños económicos (en dólares Americanos) en la ganadería ascienden a 134,253 en el lapso de tiempo 1992-2010. Por especie corresponden a: oso negro 43,077; jaguar 39,016; puma 17,057; coyote 28,492; gato montés 4,095 y zorra gris 2,514. Conocer los daños que el jaguar

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal‐central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation‐related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data.

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non‐detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non‐governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer‐reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non‐detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio‐temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large‐scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data.

Human wildlife conflicts (HWC) represent a global challenge for the conservation of species. We registered all the available scientific publications on this subject from 1983 to 2017, in order to analyze the HWC research performed in Mexico. Our results indicate that this subject has been scarcely studied, with less than half of the studies published in scientific journals. The reviewed documents focus on the description and quantification of damage by wildlife, with a total of 112 species mentioned including birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles that damage crops, livestock, poultry, and human health. Of these, nine species made up 41% of the total amount of species that were mentioned. We believe that adequate management and resolution of HWC requires the participation and training of groups of multidisciplinary scientists and technicians. Research in Mexico is scarce and recent and is mostly promoted by the conservation programs and strategies implemented by the federal government.

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Social-ecological research is an interdisciplinary endeavor. According to its research purposes, it includes biophysical aspects as well as political, economic, and cultural elements. However, to ensure that the analysis of social processes is effectively attended, it is recommended that biophysical scientists, ecologists in particular, explore the theoretical diversity within the social sciences. Drawing on our teaching experiences of more than a decade and our work as members of research teams that aim to move toward interdisciplinary work, we briefly explore four schools of thought in the social sciences explaining their philosophical and methodological dimensions, as well as the research methods they advocate. We propose that a deeper understanding of these issues will reinforce the dialogue between ecologists and social scientists and will enhance collaboration in social-ecological research projects. An invitation is also made to consider how interpretivism, constructivism, and critical theory can add value to social-ecological research when seeking to document and explain the perspectives of different stakeholders involved in the interaction between people and ecosystems. Related to this invitation we advocate that social-ecological science is essentially collaborative and needs to move toward knowledge coproduction emphasizing the relevance of communication and linkage strategies among diverse stakeholders in order to transit to sustainable socialecological systems. In order to illustrate some of our ideas, we present a case of social-ecological research related to the conservation of big predators in Mexico.