Importance of riparian forest corridors for the ocelot in agricultural landscapes

Author(s)

Paolino, Roberta M. ^[1] ; Royle, Jeffrey A. ^[2] ; Versiani, Natalia F. ^[3] ; Rodrigues, Thiago F. ^[1] ; Pasqualotto, Nielson ^[1] ; Krepschi, Victor G. ^[4] ; Chiarello, Adriano G. ^[3]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Escola Super Agr Luiz de Queiroz, Programa Posgrad Interunidades Ecol Aplicada, Ave Padua Dias 11, BR-13418900 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] USGS, Patuxent Wildlife Res Ctr, 12100 Beech Forest Rd, Laurel, MD 20708 - USA

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Filosofia Ciencias & Letras Ribeirao Preto, Ave Bandeirantes 3900, BR-14040900 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil

^[4] Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, Rua 24A, 1515 Bairro Bela Vista, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY; v. 99, n. 4, p. 874-884, AUG 13 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 3

Abstract

Worldwide, private lands have attracted increased attention from conservationists, not only because most of the globe is privately owned, but also because private lands can be an asset to the protected area conservation strategy. In Brazil, the riverine Areas of Permanent Protection (APPs) are a key instrument of the Forest Code to protect biodiversity on private lands, acting as wildlife corridors. We assessed this putative role of APPs by evaluating how ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) occurrence is influenced by covariates in 3 cerrado landscapes dominated by sugarcane and managed forests of eucalyptus and pine trees. We collected detection-nondetection data by camera trapping during 2 dry seasons (2013 and 2014) at 208 stations (6,606 camera-days). We estimated ocelot detection and mean relative abundance using a single-species, single-season occupancy model that accounts for heterogeneous detection probability induced by variation in abundance. Modeling results showed that percentage of native forest was the most important covariate to explain mean relative abundance of ocelots. This parameter was also affected positively by APPs, with ocelots being more abundant inside than outside APPs and, unexpectedly, by sugarcane. Given our study design, however, the positive effect of this crop likely reflects the contact zone between sugarcane and native forest. Our findings show that landscape composition affects ocelot abundance and highlight the importance of APPs and Legal Reserves in agricultural landscapes. We conclude that, in such landscapes, compliance to the Forest Code by private land owners is key to supporting ocelot occurrence. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 13/12914-7 - Remaining biodiversity in permanent preservation areas (PPAs) from the northeast of the state of São Paulo: medium and large sized mammals situation
• Grantee: Roberta Montanheiro Paolino
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• FAPESP's process: 11/22449-4 - Conservation of the giant-anteater in Cerrado remnants of Northeastern São Paulo State: landscape occupancy in a region of intensive agriculture
• Grantee: Adriano Garcia Chiarello
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants