Notes from the field Ocelots, rice paddies, and ecotourism in the Brazilian Pantanal Henrique Villas Boas Concone, Biologist; PhD Candidate, EnLS Program at Trent University, Canada, Associate Researcher, Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Brazil,
[email protected] Anthony J. Giordano, Conservation Biologist; PhD Candidate, Texas Tech University, USA, Executive Director, S.P.E.C.I.E.S., New York
T
he ocelot Leopardus pardalis is a small to medium-sized neoOn an eventful evening, multiple ocelots might be seen and viewed tropical wild cat that ranges from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, for some period of time. south through Central and South America to northern Argentina. The great number of ocelot observations in very open rice fields Principally predators of small and medium-size vertebrates, partichas undoubtedly prompted some very interesting questions. For exularly rodents, ocelot habitat use appears to be tied to the presence ample, is this felid, normally associated with denser cover, really of dense canopy and/or thick brush that is easily accessible. This is using this altered habitat? Or is it just matrix they use to move to true for example at the northern end of their range in Texas, where more important habitat? How frequently do they use it and for how low but thick Tamaulipan thornscrub afford ocelots sufficient cover. long? How many individuals might use these habitats, and how Like their northern thornscrub habitat however, the tropical formight their use and partitioning of space be affected by the arrangeests they depend on throughout the neotropics are being cleared ment and expanse of these agricultural habitats? across large portions of their distribution. As with many other wild While the answer to some of these questions will be sought as cats then, conversion of tropical habitat can be considered a major part of the first author’s dissertation research, the importance of threat to ocelots. This is true even for the comparatively more open this ecotourism model put in context cannot be stressed enough. A Pantanal wetlands of South America. mere few decades ago, the only thing remotely resembling ecotourThe Pantanal is a mosaic ism in the Pantanal was a singular industry conof open grasslands, marshes structed mostly around fishing. Recently however and forest occurring across ecotourism in the Brazilian Pantanal has exploded some 200,000 km2 of the and is now an important source of supplemental Paraguay River Basin and income for traditional cattle ranches, income that encompassing large parts of is still lacking for ranchers in many other counwest-central Brazil, as well tries. Despite its increased popularity and economas to a lesser extent parts of ic importance, local ecotourism operations genersoutheastern Bolivia and exally still lack the kind of regulation, self-imposed treme northern Paraguay. or otherwise, on the types and intenMost of the Brazilian portion sity of activities to ensure this industry may even be regarded as prisdevelops sustainably. If such regulatine, this despite that the mation is not implemented, the Pantanal jority of the land (~95%) is privatelywill likely become another example of owned. Cattle ranching is the main a frequently recurring ironic paradox: economic driver of the region, but that of an industry that ends up dethere are also a few areas being used stroying, or at least lessening, the refor agriculture. In addition, the toursources it depends on. ism industry there has been developThe San Francisco ranch may be ing fast over the past twenty years. an exception to this and thus might And it is this fact that helps set the serve as a model of success to emulate stage for studying a charismatic yet and encourage elsewhere. By focusTop: Ocelot sighted during a night drive at San Francisco too often neglected species like the ocelot, ranch, southern Brazilian Pantanal. ing on small groups of visitors and providand the development of a multi-faceted and Above: Rare daylight sighting of an ocelot in a rice paddie ing them with a unique private experience, at San Francisco ranch, southern Brazilian Pantanal. creative approach to habitat conservation. all in the context of educational lectures, In the southern portion of the Brazilneighbor outreach and cooperation, and ian Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul there lies San Francisco, a 150 the integration of volunteers and local guides into research-orientkm2 private ranch with approximately 3,000 head of cattle. Here ed activities, it enables the entire local community to share its suchowever there is also nearly 5,000 hectares of irrigated rice paddies. cesses. The establishment of an ocelot research project will further And among it all, there exists an 8,000 hectare ecotourism operasolidify a partnership with the ranch to identify what enables ocetion running through both pristine and altered habitats. In nearly lots to thrive in the area. Such a partnership would also foster the two years of wildlife spotlighting spanning approximately 75 night development of better practices in these altered habitats that will drives performed by ranch staff for tourists, an impressive 225 obensure both the persistence of the species, and the sustainability of servations have been made of at least 10 different ocelots using rice ecotourism. In the further context of multiple land uses that also paddies. While not all night drives produced an ocelot observation, emphasize habitat conservation, it is unlikely that few more effecsightings on these tours were common and probably as high as 85%. tive models exist. §
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Wild Felid Monitor
Summer 2013
