Protection and monitoring of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) in Cantão State Park, Tocantins, Brazil

Georgiadis, George S.; Campello, Silvana; Leles, Benaya

doi:10.5597/lajam00208

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…Where it flows back into the Araguaia it forms a 100,000 hectare inland delta named Cantão, an elongated triangular floodplain crisscrossed by meandering channels and dotted with over 900 oxbow lakes. This is the largest expanse of suitable habitat for giant otters in the Araguaia river basin, and the species is reported to be common in the area [7][8].…”

Section: The Cantão Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group dynamics and habitat use of the Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis (Zimmermann, 1780), in seasonally flooded forest in the Araguaia River, Central Brazil: A 10-years study

Leles¹,

Georgiadis²,

Susana³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We carried out monthly surveys of the giant otter population between 2010 and 2020 in a study area comprised of 1,500 hectares of igapo flooded forest with oxbow lakes in the Cantao region of central Brazil. We recorded 16-32 resident adults in the study area each year, distributed in 4-8 groups. Resident groups exhibited extensive home range overlap, with each group using several lakes and larger lakes used in rotation by up to six groups. Dens and campsites were also shared by multiple groups, but lakes were used by only one group at a time, and encounters between groups were very rare. 24 adult otters were observed to join an existing group. Some individuals changed groups multiple times. Resident adult turnover was high. Each year an average of 36% of resident adults were new immigrants, and 72% of groups left the area within two years. Resident groups had, on average, one litter every three years, and annual cub production showed high variability and a negative correlation to the number of new immigrants in the area. No pairs of giant otters reproduced successfully during the study. Groups of three otters formed through the recruitment of an adult individual by an existing pair and reproduced as successfully as larger groups. Group dynamics and territorial behavior in the Cantao flooded forest ecosystem, where optimal giant otter habitat is continuous in all directions, were found to be different from that reported in areas composed of patchy (isolated oxbow lakes) or linear (rivers) habitat. This suggest that giant otter social and territorial behavior is plastic and adapts to the spatial characteristics of the habitat.

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Section: The Cantão Ecosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group dynamics and habitat use of the Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis (Zimmermann, 1780), in seasonally flooded forest in the Araguaia River, Central Brazil: A 10-years study

Leles¹,

Georgiadis²,

Susana³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…The giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis is an endangered top carnivore in neotropical freshwater ecosystems (Duplaix, Evangelista & Rosas, 2015; Groenendijk et al ., 2015 a , b ). Because they are large and highly social, giant otters are significant tourist attractions in several South American countries, especially Brazil and Peru (Staib & Schenck, 1994; Georgiadis, Campello & Leles, 2015; Recharte, Bride & Bowler, 2015). In south‐eastern Peru, giant otter ecotourism typically consists of unmotorized vessels from which small groups of tourists observe otter groups from varying distances.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance‐specific behavioral responses of giant otters exposed to ecotourism and extractive activities

Barocas

Farfan

Groenendijk

et al. 2021

Animal Conservation

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Human activities increasingly result in disturbance of wild animal populations. Behavioral responses vary according to the type, duration, frequency and intensity of disturbance. Exposure to disturbance, for example, arising from ecotourism, may promote tolerance of humans and drive a decrease in vigilance and avoidance behaviors, whereas disturbance resulting from extractive activities is typically more intense and is likely to be perceived as a threat. To understand how animals cope with land transformation and human presence, it is imperative to study their responses under different disturbance regimes. We performed behavioral sampling of groups of the giant otter, a charismatic top carnivore, exposed to ecotourism, extractive activities (mining and fishing) and control sites without disturbance to compare their responses. Foraging efficiency was impacted by fish abundance and thus was reduced in mined and fished areas. Giant otters in lakes with managed ecotourism did not show avoidance of research vessels and demonstrated reduced rates of defensive behavior compared to control lakes. Groups from lakes with fishing and gold mining showed increased avoidance, suggesting that these types of disturbance may involve more direct conflict. Our findings suggest that noninvasive disturbance such as ecotourism may promote giant otter tolerance to the presence of humans, whereas extractive activities may be perceived as riskier. Current protected area conservation strategies of strict ecotourism regulation and the maintenance of no-access oxbow lakes may ensure the maintenance of behavioral flexibility in giant otter populations. However, resource depletion and more intense human-giant otter interactions in disturbed areas may not be sustainable. Further studies are necessary to determine whether distinct disturbance regimes drive longer-term demographic effects.

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Conservation of Amazonian aquatic mammals

Brum

Rosas-Ribeiro

Amaral³

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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Aquatic mammals worldwide are highly threatened in freshwater ecosystems where they are affected by direct human activities (e.g. hunting) as well as indirect human alteration of freshwater ecosystems (e.g. dams, mining activity). Although aquatic mammals of the Amazon Basin are experiencing many growing threats, little is known about the escalating impacts on them, current limitations in protection mechanisms, and possible strategies to ensure their conservation. This study synthesizes the available information on Amazonian aquatic mammals, including the ecological characteristics of these species, key threats, population status and conservation prospects. Amazonian aquatic mammals comprise seven species – Inia geoffrensis, Inia boliviensis, Inia araguaiaensis, Sotalia fluviatilis, Trichechus inunguis, Pteronura brasiliensis and Lontra longicaudis – which are characterized by low reproductive rates and keystone ecosystem roles. These species are endangered mainly by biological resource use, natural ecosystem modifications, energy production and mining, and climate change. Although information is sparse, there is evidence that these threats are inducing population declines of Inia spp., and hindering the recovery of populations of P. brasiliensis. Protection mechanisms for these species mostly include national and international laws and agreements, legislation governing environmental licensing and protected areas. Each of these protection mechanisms, however, has limited capacity to protect Amazonian aquatic mammals, largely because they are poorly enforced, lack transnational coordination or require population trend data that do not exist. Reversing the current state of affairs for Amazonian aquatic mammals requires an integrated research and policy approach that, at a minimum, substantially increases the present capacity to monitor their population responses to human impacts, establishes effective enforcement of existing legislation and prevents further impacts from hydropower development. To implement such an approach, information on the ecology of these species is necessary to create public and scientific awareness.

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Protection and monitoring of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) in Cantão State Park, Tocantins, Brazil

Cited by 3 publications

References 1 publication

Group dynamics and habitat use of the Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis (Zimmermann, 1780), in seasonally flooded forest in the Araguaia River, Central Brazil: A 10-years study

Group dynamics and habitat use of the Giant Otter, Pteronura brasiliensis (Zimmermann, 1780), in seasonally flooded forest in the Araguaia River, Central Brazil: A 10-years study

Disturbance‐specific behavioral responses of giant otters exposed to ecotourism and extractive activities

Conservation of Amazonian aquatic mammals

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