The role of unprotected and privately protected areas for ocelot conservation: densities in Colombia and Brazil

Abstract

The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is a widely distributed, medium-sized felid in the Americas with declining population size. We estimated ocelot densities and home ranges in one agricultural area in the Magdalena River valley in Colombia, a private reserve and cattle ranch in the Colombian Llanos, and a private reserve in the Serra do Amolar in the Brazilian Pantanal. We used camera trapping (39–52 stations) and spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models. Density estimates (individuals/100 km2) were 11.0 ± 2.7 (SE) in the Magdalena River valley; 13.2 ± 3.2 (SE) in the Llanos, and 10.3 ± 2.9 (SE) in the Serra do Amolar. Overall, despite an impact of agriculture and human disturbance, our results highlight the importance of unprotected areas and privately protected ranching areas for ocelot conservation. As agriculture continues to expand across the tropics causing habitat loss, and negatively affecting ocelot densities, we recommend land use planning and best agricultural practices to maintain natural habitats, thereby limiting human impacts on ocelot conservation.

Neotropical mammal responses to megafires in the Brazilian Pantanal

“…Our survey design complied with methodological assumptions to estimate jaguar (Foster et al., 2020; Tobler et al., 2013) and ocelot densities (Boron et al., 2021; Satter, Augustine, Harmsen, Foster, Sanchez, et al., 2019; Wolff et al., 2019), and we kept a discrete distance between stations to obtain data for the wider mammal community (Boron et al., 2021; de Martins et al., 2006; Rovero & Ahumada, 2017; Rovero et al., 2020). Our survey was limited to less than 100 days per year and fulfills overall capture–recapture model assumptions: (a) the population needs to be considered closed and stable, and (b) all individuals should have a chance of being captured (Otis et al., 1978; White, 1982).…”

Human disturbance increases spatiotemporal associations among mountain forest terrestrial mammal species

“…Although interspecific co-occurrence or associations cannot be used to directly estimate species interactions (Blanchet et al, 2020 ), animals cannot interact if their spatiotemporal niche does not overlap (Gilbert et al, 2022 ). Thus, interspecific associations convey key information about interactions between sympatric species (Boron et al, 2023 ).…”

“…Disruptions to the spatiotemporal relationships of species can result in serious ecological consequences including alteration of community structure (Tulloch et al, 2018 ), upsetting the competitive balance between species (Boron et al, 2023 ), increasing disease transmission (Hassell et al, 2017 ), and accelerating local extinction (Fidino et al, 2019 ). This can significantly upset the distribution of ecological functions that species provide, ultimately influencing ecosystem dynamics (Gardner et al, 2019 ).…”

“…This can significantly upset the distribution of ecological functions that species provide, ultimately influencing ecosystem dynamics (Gardner et al, 2019 ). Taken as a whole, associations between sympatric species play a fundamental role in community assembly and are intricately related to ecosystem stability and resilience (Boron et al, 2023 ). Thus, understanding how interspecific spatiotemporal associations change across human disturbance gradients provides valuable insight into the long-term implications of human impacts on ecosystem function and recovery relevant to biodiversity conservation in the Anthropocene.…”

Moderate anthropogenic impacts alter temporal niche without affecting spatial distribution of ocelots in the Amazon rainforest

“…Given that the range of the ocelot is being rapidly fragmented and degraded by human expansion (Satter, Augustine, Harmsen, Foster, Sanchez, et al, 2019), it is important to understand the effects of different ecological and anthropogenic factors on the density, home range size, and activity patterns of this felid. Abiotic factors, such as rainfall and latitude, have been associated with ocelot occupancy on a continental scale (Boron et al, 2022;Di Bitetti et al, 2008). On a finer scale, ecological factors associated with ocelot habitat use are the amount and structure of intact forest, the presence of large cats (jaguars, pumas), and availability of specific prey species (Massara et al, 2015(Massara et al, , 2018Moreno-Sosa et al, 2022;Paolino et al, 2018;Wang et al, 2019).…”