Non-volant mammals of the Mestre Álvaro Environmental Protection Area, state of Espírito Santo, southeastern Brazil

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest faces a critical fragmentation process, and is now reduced to just 12.5% of its historical coverage. The state of Espírito Santo is completely inserted within the Atlantic Forest and has a high mammal richness, despite the severe habitat reduction and fragmentation. The Mestre Álvaro Environmental Protection Area is located in the metropolitan region of Vitória and serves as a potential wildlife refuge. We conducted field surveys in this protected area between 2012 and 2013 using live traps and interviews with locals. Herein, we compile a list of 36 species (including 5 threatened species) in the Mestre Álvaro; these mammal species belong to 8 orders, 19 families, and 34 genera. Despite the proximity of Mestre Álvaro to urban areas, published records on the area’s fauna and flora are very scarce, and this paper is the first to document the diversity of non-volant mammals in this area.