Inventory of flying, medium and large mammals from Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Magdalena, Colombia

Abstract

Mammals are among the most important species for ecosystems dynamics and functioning (Sinclair 2003, Schipper et al. 2008). However, they are currently threatened worldwide, with nearly 25% of all species under risk (Schipper et al. 2008). Protected areas are critical for conserving biodiversity (Chape et al. 2005), and are the last stronghold for preserving a complete representation of the world´s ecosystems (Powell et al. 2000, Rodrigues et al. 2004, Forero-Medina & Joppa 2010). Despite their importance in conserving biodiversity, still basic information is lacking for its effective management (Chape et al. 2005, Knight et al. 2008). Previous analyses have assessed the degree of effectiveness of protected areas from a macroecological perspective (Chape et al. 2005, Ceballos 2007, González-Maya et al. 2015), but for most Latin American countries, still basic information regarding basic biodiversity inventories, and especially from mammals is lacking;undermining effective and efficient protected areas management. For Colombia this is especially critical, since most protected areas still lack the most basic mammal information, from inventories to most other ecological management-relevant information. Here we present the most updated inventory of flying, medium and large mammals from Parque Nacional Natural Tayrona, Magdalena, Colombia.