title: Jaguar Densities across Human-Dominated Landscapes in Colombia: The Contribution of Unprotected Areas to Long Term Conservation.
abstract: Large carnivores such as jaguars (Panthera onca) are species of conservation concern because they are suffering population declines and are keystone species in their ecosystems. Their large area requirements imply that unprotected and ever-increasing agricultural regions can be important habitats as they allow connectivity and dispersal among core protected areas. Yet information on jaguar densities across unprotected landscapes it is still scarce and crucially needed to assist management and range-wide conservation strategies. Our study provides the first jaguar density estimates of Colombia in agricultural regions which included cattle ranching, the main land use in the country, and oil palm cultivation, an increasing land use across the Neotropics. We used camera trapping across two agricultural landscapes located in the Magdalena River valley and in the Colombian llanos (47-53 stations respectively; >2000 trap nights at both sites) and classic and spatially explicit capture-recapture models with the sex of individuals as a covariate. Density estimates were 2.52±0.46-3.15±1.08 adults/100 km2 in the Magdalena valley, whereas 1.12±0.13-2.19±0.99 adults/100 km2 in the Colombian llanos, depending on analysis used. We suggest that jaguars are able to live across unprotected human-use areas and co-exist with agricultural landscapes including oil-palm plantations if natural areas and riparian habitats persist in the landscape and hunting of both jaguar and prey is limited. In the face of an expanding agriculture across the tropics we recommend land-use planning, adequate incentives, regulations, and good agricultural practices for range-wide jaguar connectivity and survival.
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boron
authors.affiliation: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tzanopoulos
authors.affiliation: Panthera Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: La Aurora Civil Society Nature Reserve, Hato Corozal, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Biologia, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jaimes-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Panthera, New York, New York, United States of America.|Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.affiliation: Panthera Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.
authors.forename: Esteban
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Payán
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003105:Colombia; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D017753:Ecosystem; D006801:Humans; D046009:Panthera / Q000502:physiology*; D011156:Population Density