Notes From The Field Chaco Jaguar Conservation Project
A first objective concerns the size and density of jaguar populations. In particular, I am seeking to determine whether the genetic information Anthony J. Giordano, WFA Texas Representative, Ph.D. Candidate gathered from systematic scat collections can be used by biologists to & Graduate Fellow, Dept. of Natural Res. Mgmt, Texas Tech Univ., estimate jaguar population parameters in the Chaco. Although such Director of Conservation Science & Field Projects, S.P.E.C.I.E.S.: collections are fairly straightforward and scat is plentiful in the region, The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores & their there are many practical and statistical considerations to account for. International Ecological Study,
[email protected] For example, how do regional environmental conditions affect DNA amplification success? And what is the best way to address gaps in hile fairly well-studied in some geographical areas, the ecol- the project’s area of inference? The idea, however, is that by repeatedly ogy and status of jaguars is still surprisingly anecdotal in many and regularly collecting fresh scats, we can link the scats to individual regions. This includes the multi-national jaguar genotypes and thus estimate the ecoregion known as the Chaco, which ...the Chaco represents a habitat stronghold size of the population. spans approximately 1 million km2 for jaguars and is a recognized priority across southern Bolivia, western ParaA second objective concerns the sex ratio region for the conservation of the species. guay, northern Argentina, and extreme of jaguars using my primary study site, southwest Brazil. It is a composite of ecosystems, ranging from semi- Chaco Defensores National Park. There is evidence that at distances arid to arid scrub and thorn forest, to semi-open seasonally-flooded of > 100 km from the park, females are either scarce or nonexistent. palm savanna, and various ecotones of transitional forest and savanna This has at least been partially corroborated by five years of camerahabitat scattered amongst the extremes. Approximately 35% of the trapping conducted at Estancia Faro Moro, an approximately 500 km 2 Chaco occurs in Paraguay, the eastern boundary of which is the Rio expanse of intact brush located 135 km south of the Park. Owned by Paraguay. Although it constitutes 60% of the nation by land area, less biologist and tracker Rocky T. McBride, Estancia Faro Moro has not than 10% of the population lives there. Behosted a female jaguar in more than 15 years. If female cats cause of this, the Chaco represents a habitat are scarce in or gone from certain areas, then perhaps the stronghold for jaguars and is a recognized sex ratio is already skewed at the Park. priority region for the conservation of the species. Thirdly, how successful are jaguars in dispersing through the region? Specifically, is contiguous habitat sufficient to Despite the abundant habitat and generally facilitate regional and binational gene flow? Or are mortallow human population density, jaguars are ity rates in some parts of the region high enough to serve as already facing severe pressure in the Chaco cryptic barriers to an otherwise far-ranging carnivore? To from a much more familiar source. As the characterize this, we intend to evaluate inter-population Chaco is considered ideal rangeland, large Jaguar scat in Chaco. Note relatedness of jaguars by collecting samples from different livestock grazing operations are the rule in regions in the Chaco, including Bolivia’s Kaa-Iya National obvious white-lipped peccary the region. Here, human-jaguar conflict is Park. hair. Credit. A. Giordano. widespread, as some jaguars routinely depredate cattle. As such, retaliation for actual or potential depredations Longer-term, project objectives are to: (1) estimate jaguar mortality is unrestrained. Anecdotal rumors of jaguar deaths are suggestive of in the greater Chaco Defensores region using robust mark-recapture mortality levels that may already be unsustainable. Furthermore, there models; and (2) estimate the frequency of livestock depredation in the is evidence to suggest the sex ratio of cats in many areas is strongly area, including assessing the proportion and gender of depredators. biased toward males, even relatively close to source populations. One Achieving these goals will help address my main working hypothesis: of these likely source regions includes Chaco Defensores National that female-biased mortality is occurring in the region. I believe this is Park, the largest protected area in all of Paraguay. Although a large because depredations are largely perpetrated by lactating females. park at approximately 7800 km2 , it is less than ¼ the size of Bolivia’s monstrous Kaa-Iya National Park to the north. Defensores is one of With local beef prices near record highs in recent years, more livestock six core protected areas comprising Paraguay’s Gran Chaco Biosphere ranches are being established in the Paraguayan Chaco. Land is Reserve (2005). Yet whether or not this largely paper Reserve is effec- relatively cheap, a fact that attracts wealthy absentee landowners from tive in serving as a transnational corridor for jaguars is still unknown. Asuncion, eastern Paraguay, even Argentina and Brazil. Large-scale habitat conversion is coming. But it is not inevitable. Guyra Paraguay, For these reasons, and a fondness for the people of Paraguay, I have a leading nonprofit in Paraguay, was recently awarded management come to this remote corner of South America to pursue my doctoral responsibilities of Chaco Defensores, a cause for realistic optimism. research. Originally lured to the country by the prospect of camera- What’s more, they are looking to work with landowners to develop trapping the rich carnivore guild of the eastern Atlantic forests, I a conservation strategy that works. With NGO administration of found it difficult to keep out of the Chaco. Now, firmly entrenched in protected areas a successful model elsewhere in Paraguay, this might this unforgiving but beautiful thorn and cactus forest, I am pursuing be just the beginning of the country’s legacy to not only jaguar consermy graduate research objectives. vation, but to the international conservation community. §
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Wild Felid Monitor: Summer 2009: Vol. 2, Issue 2
