Population Viability Analysis of the FMA-IIb subpopulation of Pontoporia blainvillei occurring in the State of São Paulo

• Grant number: 24/17281-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Fabio Stucchi Vannucchi
• Grantee: Ana Laura Terumi Watanabe
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB-CLP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista. São Vicente , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Humans have managed to modify the environment around them for their survival, which has led to the decline of populations of various species worldwide, and in some cases, even to their extinction. One of these endangered species is the franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei), a small cetacean endemic to South America. Its range extends from southeastern Brazil to Argentina, with small hiatus areas along this stretch. The franciscana prefers shallow waters up to 30 meters deep, and because of this, it is a species heavily affected by human activity, particularly by gillnet fishing, which is currently the leading cause of mortality for the species. As a result, P. blainvillei is classified as critically endangered (CR) in Brazil. In addition to the threats posed by gillnet fishing, the species' geographical distribution, with eleven subpopulations and no genetic exchange between them, makes the management process very delicate. Population Viability Analysis (PVA) becomes a useful tool in cases like this because it is a probabilistic study aimed at understanding the vulnerability of species, evaluating their current status, and exploring possible management strategies, making it an important instrument for conservation. This study aims to develop a population model for the FMA-IIb subpopulation of P. blainvillei using the Vortex software (version 10.6.0), with the objective of performing a PVA for the species. The study will be conducted over one year, starting in December 2024 and ending in November 2025, with the results presented at the UNESP Scientific Initiation Congress and the completion of a final report.