Browsing by Autor "Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz"

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A pivotal year for Bolivian conservation policy
(Nature Portfolio, 2019) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Álvaro Fernández‐Llamazares; Mónica Moraes R.; Daniel M. Larrea‐Alcázar; Claire F. R. Wordley
A potential turning point for Bolivia’s biodiversity conservation
(Nature Portfolio, 2025) Mónica Moraes R.; Álvaro Fernández‐Llamazares; Luís F. Aguirre; Oswaldo Maillard; Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz
Beyond fangs: beef and soybean trade drive jaguar extinction
(Wiley, 2020) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Ronaldo Gonçalves Morato; Fernando Rodrigo Tortato; Tobias Kuemmerle
Comparison of density estimation methods for mammal populations with camera traps in the <scp>K</scp>aa‐<scp>I</scp>ya del <scp>G</scp>ran <scp>C</scp>haco landscape
(Wiley, 2012) A. J. Noss; B. Gardner; Leonardo Maffei; Erika Cuéllar; R. Montaño; Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; R. Sollman; Allan F. O’Connell
Abstract Sampling animal populations with camera traps has become increasingly popular over the past two decades, particularly for species that are cryptic, elusive, exist at low densities or range over large areas. The results have been widely used to estimate population size and density. We analyzed data from 13 camera trap surveys conducted at five sites across the K aa‐ I ya landscape, B olivian C haco, for jaguar, puma, ocelot and lowland tapir. We compared two spatially explicit capture–recapture ( SCR ) software packages: secr , a likelihood‐based approach, and SPACECAP , a B ayesian approach, both of which are implemented within the R environment and can be used to estimate animal density from photographic records of individual animals that simultaneously employ spatial information about the capture location relative to the sample location. As a non‐spatial analysis, we used the program CAPTURE 2 to estimate abundance from the capture–recapture records of individuals identified through camera trap photos combined with an ad hoc estimation of the effective survey area to estimate density. SCR methods estimated jaguar population densities from 0.31 to 1.82 individuals per 100 km 2 across the K aa‐ I ya sites; puma from 0.36 to 7.99; ocelot from 1.67 to 51.7; and tapir from 7.38 to 42.9. Density estimates using either secr or SPACECAP were generally lower than the estimates generated using the non‐spatial method for all surveys and species; and density estimates using SPACECAP were generally lower than that using secr . We recommend using either secr or SPACECAP because the spatially explicit methods are not biased by an informal estimation of an effective survey area. Although SPACECAP and secr are less sensitive than non‐spatial methods to the size of the grid used for sampling, we recommend grid sizes several times larger than the average home range (known or estimated) of the target species.
Distribution, ecology, and conservation of Xenarthra in Bolivia — update to 2021
(2021) Enzo Aliaga‐Rossel; Carmen J. Quiroga; Ximena Velez–Liendo; Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Zulia Porcel; Robert B. Wallace; Guido Ayala; María Viscarra; Erika Cuéllar Soto; Teresa Tarifa
We present an update on the taxonomy, distribution, ecology, threats, and conservation status of Bolivian Xenarthra (orders Cingulata and Pilosa) based on articles published between 2010 and 2021. The Andean hairy armadillo Chaetophractus nationi has been synonymized with the less threatened C. vellero sus. Cabassous squamicaudis has been revalidated for Bolivia. Dasypus kappleri has been divided into three species; D. beniensis is the species present in Bolivia. Cyclopes didactylus was divided into seven species; C. catellus is the species in Bolivia. Chlamyphorus was divided into two genera; Calyptophractus retusus is the species in Bolivia. Recent camera trap and biodiversity surveys extend records of Xenarthra into the dry forests of the central and southern Andes of Bolivia. No comprehensive population assessment or basic ecological studies were undertaken for any Xenarthra species in the country during the period. However, indirectly, armadillos and anteaters have been included in recent studies using camera traps to evaluate effects of forest management, forest fragmentation, agriculture, and hunting on terrestrial mammals. Deforestation is the major threat to Xenarthra, exacerbated by economic pressures, policy changes, and frequent extensive fires in the past decade. The majority of xenarthrans are affected by hunting for subsistence consumption, meat sales, and/or cultural purposes. Overall, the conservation status of Xenarthra species in Bolivia is thought to be relatively stable, with vast protected areas, indigenous territories, and certified forestry concessions where deforestation and hunting are limited. However, outside of protected areas, threats are increasing. Direct research on Bolivian Xenarthra is needed, especially studies on longterm population trends, habitat preferences, and distribution in less-studied and threatened ecosystems such as the Chiquitano Dry Forest and the Bolivian-Tucumn Forest.
Enact reforms to protect Bolivia’s forests from fire
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2025) Yifan He; Stasiek Czaplicki Cabezas; Oswaldo Maillard; Robert Müller; Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Laurenz Feliciano Romero Pimentel; Alcides Vadillo; Vincent Antoine Vos
EVALUACIÓN PRELIMINAR DEL COMERCIO Y USO DE MAMÍFEROS SILVESTRES EN EL MERCADO LA PAMPA DE LA CIUDAD DE COCHABAMBA, BOLIVIA
(Smithsonian Institution, 2008) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; José Carlos Pérez-Zubieta
La Pampa market in the city of Cochabamba, Bolivia, is one of the largest centers of trade in wild animals in the Cochabamba Departament. For this reason, we...
Fires scorching Bolivia's Chiquitano forest
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2019) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Martin Jansen; Angela M. Nuñez; Marisol Toledo; Roberto Vides Almonacid; Tobias Kuemmerle
Habitat destruction and overexploitation drive widespread declines in all facets of mammalian diversity in the Gran Chaco
(Wiley, 2020) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Guillermo Fandós; Ana Benítez‐López; Tobias Kuemmerle
Global biodiversity is under high and rising anthropogenic pressure. Yet, how the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional facets of biodiversity are affected by different threats over time is unclear. This is particularly true for the two main drivers of the current biodiversity crisis: habitat destruction and overexploitation. We provide the first long-term assessment of multifaceted biodiversity changes caused by these threats for any tropical region. Focussing on larger mammals in South America's 1.1 million km<sup>2</sup> Gran Chaco region, we assessed changes in multiple biodiversity facets between 1985 and 2015, determined which threats drive those changes, and identified remaining key areas for all biodiversity facets. Using habitat and threat maps, we found, first, that between 1985 and 2015 taxonomic (TD), phylogenetic (PD) and functional (FD) diversity all declined drastically across over half of the area assessed. FD declined about 50% faster than TD and PD, and these declines were mainly driven by species loss, rather than species turnover. Second, habitat destruction, hunting, and both threats together contributed ~57%, ~37%, and ~6% to overall facet declines, respectively. However, hunting pressure increased where TD and PD declined most strongly, whereas habitat destruction disproportionally contributed to FD declines. Third, just 23% of the Chaco would have to be protected to safeguard the top 17% of all three facets. Our findings uncover a widespread impoverishment of mammal species richness, evolutionary history, and ecological functions across broad areas of the Chaco due to increasing habitat destruction and hunting. Moreover, our results pinpoint key areas that should be preserved and managed to maintain all facets of mammalian diversity across the Chaco. More generally, our work highlights how long-term changes in biodiversity facets can be assessed and attributed to specific threats, to better understand human impacts on biodiversity and to guide conservation planning to mitigate them.
Habitat loss and overhunting synergistically drive the extirpation of jaguars from the Gran Chaco
(Wiley, 2018) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Ricardo Torres; Andrew J. Noss; Anthony J. Giordano; Verónica Quiroga; Jeffrey J. Thompson; Matthias Baumann; Mariana Altrichter; Roy McBride; Marianela Velilla
Abstract Aim Understanding how habitat loss and overhunting impact large carnivores is important for broad‐scale conservation planning. We aimed to assess how these threats interacted to affect jaguar habitat ( Panthera onca ) between 1985–2013 in the Gran Chaco, a deforestation hotspot. Location Gran Chaco ecoregion in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Methods We modelled jaguar habitat change from 1985–2013 using a time‐calibrated species distribution model that uses all occurrence data available for that period. We modelled habitat as a function of resource availability and hunting threats, which allowed us to separate core (high resource availability and low hunting threat), refuge (low resources but safe), attractive sink (high resources but risky) and sink (low resources and risky) habitat for 1985, 2000 and 2013. Results Jaguar core areas contracted by 33% (82,400 km 2 ) from 1985–2013, mainly due to an expansion of hunting threats. Sink and attractive sink habitat covered 58% of the jaguar range in 2013 and most confirmed jaguar kill sites occurred in these areas. Furthermore, habitat loss and hunting threats co‐occurred in 29% of jaguars’ range in 2013. Hunting threats also deteriorated core areas within protected areas, but 95% of all core areas loss occurred outside protected lands. About 68% of the remaining core areas in 2013 remained unprotected, mostly close to international borders. Main conclusions Our study highlights the synergistic effects that habitat loss and hunting threats exert on large carnivores, even inside protected areas, emphasizing the need to consider the geography of threats in conservation planning. Our results also point to the importance of areas along international borders as havens for wildlife and thus the urgent need for cross‐border planning to prevent the imminent extinction of jaguars from the Chaco. Opportunities lie in reducing jaguar mortality over the widespread attractive sinks, particularly in corridors connecting core areas.
La última década de mastozoología en Bolivia: una breve reflexión
(Smithsonian Institution, 2015) Luís F. Aguirre; Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz
Temporal separation between jaguar and puma in the dry forests of southern Bolivia
(Cambridge University Press, 2010) Alfredo Romero‐Muñoz; Leonardo Maffei; Erika Cuéllar; Andrew J. Noss
Abstract: Despite the potential importance of temporal separation for the coexistence of competing species, no study has found significant segregation at the circadian level between jaguar ( Panthera onca ) and puma ( Puma concolor ) in sympatry. Using data from camera trap surveys (wet and dry seasons), we have evaluated the activity patterns of both species and their potential prey at four areas in the dry forest of the Bolivian Chaco. We tested if temporal separation existed between these two species, and if their activity was related to that of a particular prey. At most sites, activity patterns of jaguar and puma did not vary significantly between seasons, except for puma at one site. There were no differences between sexes for any cat species at any site. At three sites we found statistically significant differences in the activity patterns of jaguar and puma, as they showed a clear temporal segregation. None of them followed the activity patterns of any particular prey species across sites. The latter suggests that segregation is influenced by avoidance behaviour between the two felid species. Therefore, temporal separation may be an important behavioural factor promoting the coexistence of jaguar and puma in some areas of this dry forest.