Richness and monitoring of mammals in private protected areas in Antioquia, Colombia

Abstract

Like the Reserva Natural Mesenia-Paramillo (a western mountain range in Antioquia), private conservation initiatives, contribute to the Colombian Andean region protection; here, its role in the mammals’ conservation was evaluated through two sampling seasons using 16 and 20 camera traps stations, respectively. This effort allowed the recording of 16 species, such as the Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and the Northern tiger cat (Leopardus tigrinus), classified as vulnerable, nationally and globally. Activity patterns analyses allowed to identify changes associated with reduced hunt pressure to species like the Brocket deer Mazama zetta, and low temporal segregation between potential competitors species as felids of genera Leopardus. Further, the comparison between some mesocarnivores’ record rates between two sampling seasons suggests that this metric has remained stable. Furthermore, the construction of occupancy models for the deer and northern tiger cat allowed us to propose the deer as a monitoring object, because it can undergo a hard hunt pressure, and it is easy to detect; the occupancy probability for this species may be estimated and compared through different samplings for monitoring the reserve conservation status. This study contributes to the knowledge of some Andean species, highlighting the importance of private protected areas in the Andean region, and invites to implement monitoring strategies to guarantee the proper functioning of these efforts in the conservation of this biodiversity.