Effects of anthropogenic mortality on the social and territorial stability of African lions (Panthera leo)
Given that lions’ reproductive success is so closely related with their social stability, it is important to study the effects of anthropogenic mortality on lion populations in order to create efficient management strategies that ensure the long term persistence of the species in the wild, through conservation, sustainable use and coexistence with humans. In this study we evaluated the effects of anthropogenic male mortality on the home range stability and territorial behaviour of the remaining coalition partners and their respective prides.
Given that lions’ reproductive success is so closely related with their social stability, it is important to study the effects of anthropogenic mortality on lion populations in order to create efficient management strategies that ensure the long term persistence of the species in the wild, through conservation, sustainable use and coexistence with humans. In this study we evaluated the effects of anthropogenic male mortality on the home range stability and territorial behaviour of the remaining coalition partners and their respective prides.
Assessment of Movement Corridors for Jaguars in Eastern Guatemala
Jaguar Corridor Program-Guatemala
Wildlife corridors have been developed globally but one of the most ambitious corridor efforts so far is a corridor network that aims to connect the 90 known populations of jaguars across the species’ range, from Mexico to Argentina. Guatemala plays a critical potential role as jaguar habitat and as a linkage zone to populations of Mexico, Belize and Honduras. Despite this, nothing was known about the status of jaguars or dispersal patterns of jaguar in the planned corridor zone in Eastern Guatemala. We sought to determine if jaguars used the putative jaguar corridor and what were the ecological features of the habitat that predict the species’ occurrence. Our results indicated that there remains sufficient habitat in the northeastern edge of Guatemala – with different configuration than previous modeled corridors informed by expert opinion-, so as to provide connectivity for jaguar populations from Belize to Honduras. Challenges faced relate to current anthropogenic threats to continued corridor viability for jaguars and the socio-political context of the region.
I continue working with jaguar conservation in the region, now developing an agent-based model that can help us understand the status of habitat connectivity in the trinational area of Guatemala, Honduras and Belize. We seek to evaluate whether this landscape can ensure population genetic flow and whether it can sustain viable populations of this species in the long term. These results will aid in the formulation of management measures (i.e. restoration actions) that ensure the conservation of healthy jaguar populations in this landscape.