Range-wide declines of a key Neotropical ecosystem architect, the Near Threatened white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari M a r i a n a A l t r i c h t e r , A n d r e w T a b e r , H a r a l d B e c k , R a f a e l R e y n a -H u r t a d o L e o n i d a s L i z a r r a g a , A l e x i n e K e u r o g h l i a n and E r i c W . S a n d e r s o n Abstract We report a range-wide status assessment of a key Neotropical ecosystem architect, the white-lipped peccary Tayassu pecari, categorized as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, using published information and unpublished data from 41 scientists in 15 range countries. We estimate that the white-lipped peccary has been extirpated in 21% of its historical range over the last 100 years, with reduced abundance and a low to medium probability of long-term survival in another 48% of its current range. We found major range declines in Argentina, Paraguay, southern Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, north-east Brazil, Mexico and Costa Rica. This species is particularly at risk in more xeric ecosystems, especially the caatinga, cerrado and pampas. Hunting and habitat destruction are the most severe threats, although there are also unexplained sudden die-offs suggestive of disease. We evaluate our results in light of this species' important interspecific interactions and its role as an ecosystem architect. One of our recommendations is that conservation efforts should focus on landscape conservation of large, continuous and ecologically intact areas containing a mosaic of different habitat types.This paper contains supplementary material that can be found online at

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We assessed the distribution and status of jaguar Panthera onca in the Argentine Chaco, one of the least known areas within its range. Current jaguar distribution in the Chaco encompasses parts of central and western Formosa, western Chaco, eastern Salta and north-eastern Santiago del Estero Provinces. Jaguar range was reduced following colonization of the semiarid Chaco even though there has been little deforestation. Jaguars have not been observed over the last 15 years in areas where colonization occurred more than 35 years ago, probably reflecting hunting pressure. Livestock predation is lower now than when the area was first settled in the 1920s. This may indicate low jaguar densities as the livestock management system has not changed. Local people, however, continue to hunt jaguars with the intention of exterminating them. Education, enforcing jaguar hunting laws, increasing control of poaching in protected areas, and creating more protected areas may be the most efficient strategies to preserve the jaguar population of the Argentine Chaco.

Aim: Understanding how habitat loss and overhunting impact large carnivores is important for broad-scale conservation planning. We aimed to assess how these threats interacted to affect jaguar habitat (Panthera onca) between 1985-2013 in the Gran Chaco, a deforestation hotspot.Location: Gran Chaco ecoregion in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Methods:We modelled jaguar habitat change from 1985-2013 using a timecalibrated species distribution model that uses all occurrence data available for that period. We modelled habitat as a function of resource availability and hunting threats, which allowed us to separate core (high resource availability and low hunting threat), refuge (low resources but safe), attractive sink (high resources but risky) and sink (low resources and risky) habitat for 1985, 2000 and 2013.Results: Jaguar core areas contracted by 33% (82,400 km 2 ) from 1985-2013, mainly due to an expansion of hunting threats. Sink and attractive sink habitat covered 58% of the jaguar range in 2013 and most confirmed jaguar kill sites occurred in these | 177 ROMERO-MUÑOZ Et al.