Browsing by Autor "Andrew J. Noss"

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Activity and Ranging Behavior of the Red Tegu Lizard Tupinambis rufescens in the Bolivian Chaco
(2013) Rossy Montaño; Rosa Leny Cuéllar; Lee A. Fitzgerald; Florencio Mendoza; Filemón Soria; Christine V. Fiorello; Sharon L. Deem; Andrew J. Noss
In the Bolivian Chaco the red tegu lizard Tupinambis rufescens is the most important reptile among indigenous communities for subsistence, commercial and traditional medicinal purposes. Information on the home range and habits of Tupinambis rufescens in an area free from hunting pressure is an important basis for a management plan for this species in the Chaco, to ensure that commercial hunting programs will not threaten the species' long-term survival in the region. We used surgically implanted radio transmitters (nine individuals) and temperature dataloggers (five individuals) over a two-year period to describe home ranges, burrow use, as well as daily and seasonal activity patterns at a field camp next to the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park. Red tegus occupy home ranges of 16–54 ha, with maximum distances travelled of 700–1500 m. In order to survive the strongly seasonal climate of the dry Chaco they strictly limit their daily and seasonal activity, and rely heavily on burrows. They are diurnal, with an activity peak from 11:00–12:00 h. Their activity period is September—April, with some variation among individuals and among years. They remain inactive in a single underground burrow during the May—August estivation months, and use multiple burrows and shelters for nighttime refuges during the active months. The dataloggers provide extremely detailed body temperature information describing daily and seasonal activity patterns, but surgical implantation should be undertaken by specialized veterinarians.
Cable snares and bushmeat markets in a central African forest
(Cambridge University Press, 1998) Andrew J. Noss
Bushmeat consumption and trade is the greatest threat to biodiversity conservation in African forest regions. In many areas cable snaring is the principal hunting method employed by subsistence and commercial hunters. Methods for studying cable snaring and bushmeat markets were compared at a single site in the Central African Republic, in order to identify the relative strengths and weaknesses of the methods. Dependence upon any single method results in incomplete information on the ecological impacts of cable snare hunting and bushmeat marketing.
Challenges to nature conservation with community development in central African forests
(Cambridge University Press, 1997) Andrew J. Noss
Based on field research in the Central African Republic, this article discusses several social and economic challenges to conservation programmes that include community development components. These interrelated challenges include immigration as people elsewhere are attracted to economic opportunities, the lack of tenure of land and natural resources, diversification of economic and subsistence strategies, ethnic diversity and the lack of a conservation ethic. Addressing these challenges requires fundamental socio-economic change.
Challenges to nature conservation with community development in central African forests
(Cambridge University Press, 1997) Andrew J. Noss
Based on field research in the Central African Republic, this article discusses several social and economic challenges to conservation programmes that include community development components. These interrelated challenges include immigration as people elsewhere are attracted to economic opportunities, the lack of tenure of land and natural resources, diversification of economic and subsistence strategies, ethnic diversity and the lack of a conservation ethic. Addressing these challenges requires fundamental socio-economic change.
Community attitudes towards wildlife management in the Bolivian Chaco
(Cambridge University Press, 2001) Andrew J. Noss; Rosa Leny Cuéllar
Abstract The process of community wildlife management in the Izozog area of the Bolivian Chaco began with participatory field research – self-monitoring of hunting activities and research on key game species. On-going discussions in community meetings have elicited seven wildlife management recommendations: (1) establishing hunting zones, (2) hunting only adults, (3) hunting only males during the reproductive season, (4) hunting only for the family's needs, (5) hunting only abundant animals, (6) protecting plants that are important to wildlife, and (7) prohibiting hunting by outsiders. We compare community attitudes towards these management measures. A majority of communities favour, in decreasing order, measures 7, 4, 6 and 1, communities are divided with respect to measures 2 and 3, and most communities oppose measure 5. Two socio-economic characteristics of communities – location and ethnicity – are associated with patterns of attitudes towards wild-life management among communities, whereas religion, economic activity and community size are not. Izoceño communities are currently reinterpreting traditional beliefs both to support and to oppose active wildlife management measures.
Community attitudes towards wildlife management in the Bolivian Chaco
(Cambridge University Press, 2001) Andrew J. Noss; Rosa Leny Cuéllar
The process of community wildlife management in the Izozog area of the Bolivian Chaco began with participatory field research – self-monitoring of hunting activities and research on key game species. On-going discussions in community meetings have elicited seven wildlife management recommendations: (1) establishing hunting zones, (2) hunting only adults, (3) hunting only males during the reproductive season, (4) hunting only for the family's needs, (5) hunting only abundant animals, (6) protecting plants that are important to wildlife, and (7) prohibiting hunting by outsiders. We compare community attitudes towards these management measures. A majority of communities favour, in decreasing order, measures 7, 4, 6 and 1, communities are divided with respect to measures 2 and 3, and most communities oppose measure 5. Two socio-economic characteristics of communities – location and ethnicity – are associated with patterns of attitudes towards wild-life management among communities, whereas religion, economic activity and community size are not. Izoceño communities are currently reinterpreting traditional beliefs both to support and to oppose active wildlife management measures.
Comparing capture-recapture, mark-resight, and spatial mark-resight models for estimating puma densities via camera traps
(Oxford University Press, 2014) Lindsey N. Rich; Marcella J. Kelly; Rahel Sollmann; Andrew J. Noss; Leonardo Maffei; Rosario Arispe; Agustín Paviolo; Carlos De Angelo; Yamil E. Di Blanco; Mario S. Di Bitetti
Camera-trapping surveys, in combination with traditional capture-recapture or spatially explicit capture-recapture techniques, have become popular for estimating the density of individually identifiable carnivores. When only a portion of the population is uniquely identifiable, traditional and spatial mark-resight models provide a viable alternative. We reanalyzed a data set that used photographic capture-recapture methods to estimate the densities of pumas (Puma concolor) across 3 study sites in Belize, Argentina, and Bolivia using newer, more-advanced modeling including spatial and nonspatial mark-resight techniques. Additionally, we assessed how photo identification influenced density estimates by comparing estimates based on capture histories constructed by 3 independent investigators. We estimated the abundances of pumas using mark-resight models in program MARK and then estimated densities ad hoc. We also estimated densities directly using spatial mark-resight models implemented in a Bayesian framework. Puma densities did not vary substantially among observers but estimates generated from the 3 statistical techniques did differ. Density estimates (pumas/100 km2) from spatial mark-resight models were lower (0.22–7.92) and had increased precision compared to those from nonspatial capture-recapture (0.50–19.35) and mark-resight techniques (0.54–14.70). Our study is the 1st to estimate the density of a population of carnivores, where only a subset of the individuals are naturally marked, using camera-trapping surveys in combination with spatial mark-resight models. The development of spatial mark-resight and spatially explicit capture-recapture techniques creates the potential for using a single camera-trapping array to estimate the density of multiple, sympatric carnivores, including both partially marked and uniquely marked species.
Demography, Hunting Ecology, and Pathogen Exposure of Domestic Dogs in the Isoso of Bolivia
(Wiley, 2006) Christine V. Fiorello; Andrew J. Noss; Sharon L. Deem
Disease is increasingly recognized as a threat to the conservation of wildlife, and in many cases the source of disease outbreaks in wild carnivores is the domestic dog. For disease to spill over from a domestic to a wild population, three conditions must be satisfied: susceptibility of the wild species, presence of the disease agent in the domestic population, and contact between the two populations of interest. We investigated the potential for disease spillover from the domestic dog population to the wild carnivore population in the Isoso of Bolivia, an area of tropical dry forest contiguous with a national park. Using questionnaires and discussions with residents, we gathered data on the demography of dogs in the Isoso, including adult and neonatal mortality, litter size, and hunting frequency. We analyzed a large data set containing self-recorded information on hunting in various communities of the Isoso to determine the extent of dog participation in hunting and the duration of hunting trips. Finally, we took blood samples from dogs in the Isoso for a serosurvey of common canine pathogens. More than 95% of dogs had positive titers to canine distemper virus and canine parvovirus. There was also a high seroprevalence in dogs for other pathogens, a high population turnover of dogs (which may allow diseases to be maintained endemically), and frequent opportunities for contact between domestic and wild carnivores. Based on our results and the susceptibility of wild species previously reported in the literature, domestic dogs represent a disease risk for wildlife in the Bolivian Isoso.
Densidad poblacional y uso de hábitat del jochi pintado (Cuniculus paca) en la zona norte de la unidad de conservación Amboró-Carrasco
(2011) Gladis Huanca-Huarachi; José Carlos Cervera Herrera; Andrew J. Noss
Estimating Puma Densities from Camera Trapping across Three Study Sites: Bolivia, Argentina, and Belize
(Oxford University Press, 2008) Marcella J. Kelly; Andrew J. Noss; Mario S. Di Bitetti; Leonardo Maffei; Rosario Arispe; Agustín Paviolo; Carlos De Angelo; Yamil E. Di Blanco
Estimates of abundance are extremely valuable for species conservation, yet determining abundance for elusive, wide-ranging, carnivores is difficult. We estimated density of pumas using remote cameras across study sites in Bolivia, Argentina, and Belize. We used obvious and subtle markings to identify individual pumas in photographs and conducted double-blind identifications to examine the degree of agreement among investigators. Average agreement on identification between pairs of investigators was nearly 80.0% and 3-way agreement was 72.9%. Identification of pumas as different individuals was uncommon (7.8% pairwise, 0.69% 3-way disagreement) with the remainder described as unidentifiable. Densities of pumas varied consistently from site to site regardless of investigator. Bolivian pumas moved the shortest distances between camera stations and Argentinean pumas the longest, but distances among cameras and area covered by surveys varied among sites. We applied a correction factor to the Bolivian data to account for the small area surveyed and found that, averaged across investigator, Bolivia had significantly more pumas per 100 km2 (mean ± SD; 6.80 ± 1.5) than Belize (3.42 ± 1.3) or Argentina (0.67 ± 0.2). Numbers of pumas in Argentina match those of low-density North American sites, and those for Belize are consistent with the Pantanal and high-density North American sites. Densities of pumas can be reliably estimated with remote cameras for these sites, and our work presents the 1st density estimates for Central America and for forested environments in South America.
Geoffroy's cats at the northern limit of their range: activity patterns and density estimates from camera trapping in Bolivian dry forests
(Taylor & Francis, 2006) Erika Cuéllar; Leonardo Maffei; Rosario Arispe; Andrew J. Noss
We used camera traps to survey Geoffroy's cats, Oncifelis geoffroyi, at six dry forest sites in Bolivia. Cumulative activity patterns across all sites are principally nocturnal though the species is active by day in both summer and winter. At two sites the number of captures and recaptures was sufficient to estimate abundance using the software Capture, and in turn a population density of 9–40 per 100 km2 for the two sites. Geoffroy's cats are present in all dry forest types surveyed: Chaco savannas, Chaco dry forest, Chaco transitional forest, Chaco‐Chiquitano transitional forest, Chaco‐Cerrado transitional forest and Chiquitano dry forest. They are most abundant at the driest site, the only one with grassland formations and where ocelots are absent. Camera trapping records tend to be more numerous in the dry season, suggesting seasonal changes in behavior and habitat use. Resumen Empleamos trampas‐cámara para muestrear Oncifelis geoffroyi en seis sitios ubicados en bosques secos de Bolivia. El patrón de actividad en todos los sitios es principalmente nocturno, pero la especie puede estar activa de día en verano como en invierno. En dos sitios tuvimos suficiente capturas y recapturas para estimar abundancia usando el programa Capture, y luego una densidad poblacional de 9–40/100 km2 para los dos sitios. Oncifelis geoffroyi está presente en todas los tipos de bosques secos muestreados: sabanas chaqueñas, bosque seco chaqueño, bosque transicional chaqueño, bosque transicional Chaco‐Chiquitano, bosque transitional Chaco‐Cerrado, y bosque seco Chiquitano. Es más abundante en el sitio con menor precipitación, el único sitio con formaciones de pampas y donde es ausente Leopardus pardalis. Se tiene más registros con trampas‐cámara en la época seca, sugiriendo cambios estacionales en comportamiento y uso de hábitat.
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.
How Small is too Small? Camera Trap Survey Areas and Density Estimates for Ocelots in the Bolivian Chaco
(Wiley, 2007) Leonardo Maffei; Andrew J. Noss
ABSTRACT Studies on carnivores, which are generally difficult to observe directly because they are elusive and nocturnal, are carried out through indirect methods, e.g. , camera trapping and radiotracking. The first method has been used to estimate population densities of species that can be differentiated as individuals using unique pelage patterns. However, the use of capture–recapture methodology has raised doubts regarding the estimation of the sampling area around the camera traps, which is obtained using maximum distances traveled by individuals photographed at two or more different locations. In this paper, the results from camera traps are compared with a radiotracking study carried out simultaneously with ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ) to confirm whether maximum distances observed in camera traps coincide with ranging patterns determined from radio telemetry, and in turn whether the sampling areas estimated from camera traps are appropriate for estimating density. Mean maximum distance moved was 2880 m according to camera trap records during a 60‐d survey period while, with radiotracking, the maximum distance moved was 3176 m during the same period. The difference is not significant, and the sampling areas estimated with camera traps to assess ocelot density are reliable. However, if the area covered by cameras is reduced to less than three to four times average home range for the target species, then density estimates from camera trapping are exaggerated because of the reduced observed distances and the fact that multiple individuals can overlap in relatively small areas.
Hunter self-monitoring as a basis for biological research - Data from the Bolivian Chaco
(Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, 2003) Andrew J. Noss; S Erika Cuéllar; S Rosa Leny Cuéllar
"Izoceño hunters from 22 communities in the Bolivian Chaco voluntarily recordeddata on over 5000 captured animals between 1997 and 2000. This paper presents andassesses the quality of biological information derived from hunter self-monitoring records.The nine most commonly hunted mammals were four ungulates ( Mazama gouazoubira,Tayassu tajacu, Tayassu pecari, and Tapirus terrestris) and five armadillos ( Dasypusnovemcinctus, Tolypeutes matacus, Euphractus sexcinctus, Chaetophractus villosus, and C.vellerosus). The lack of quantitative precision restricts data analysis to qualitative assessmentand relative comparisons among or within species. The data indicate seasonal reproductiveactivity (pregnancy rates, proportion of females and/or juveniles hunted) for all species exceptT. terrestris. The data also suggest that most species shift activity patterns during the coldestseason of the year to increase day-time or mid-afternoon activity. Self-monitoring as conductedin the Izozog is not adequate for analyses of condition or habitat preferences."
Hunter Self-monitoring by the Isoseño-Guaraní in the Bolivian Chaco
(Springer Science+Business Media, 2005) Andrew J. Noss; Imke Oetting; Rosa Leny Cuéllar
Ocelot (<i>Felis pardalis</i>) population densities, activity, and ranging behaviour in the dry forests of eastern Bolivia: data from camera trapping
(Cambridge University Press, 2005) Leonardo Maffei; Andrew J. Noss; Erika Cuéllar; Damián I. Rumiz
In comparison with the Neotropical big cats, jaguar ( Panthera onca L.) and puma ( Felis concolor L.), medium and small felids are poorly studied. Furthermore, studying wild felids in forest habitats is extremely difficult using direct methods given that most species are principally nocturnal and secretive (Gittleman 1996). Indirect methods are therefore particularly important, e.g. radio-telemetry (Emmons 1987, 1988; Konecny 1989, Ludlow & Sunquist 1987) or camera trapping (Maffei et al . 2002, Trolle & Kéry 2003). Using systematic camera trap surveys, we compare the population density of ocelots ( Felis pardalis L.) across five Bolivian dry-forest sites with different habitat types and/or annual rainfall regimes (Table 1). We hypothesize that ocelot densities will decline as rainfall declines. In addition, we estimate the population of ocelots in the 34 400-km 2 Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park. Finally, we describe and evaluate additional ecological information provided by camera trapping: activity patterns relative to seasonality and moon phase, sex ratios, ranging patterns and relative abundance compared with sympatric felids.
One thousand jaguars (<i>Panthera onca</i>) in Bolivia's Chaco? Camera trapping in the Kaa‐Iya National Park
(Wiley, 2004) Leonardo Maffei; Erika Cuéllar; Andrew J. Noss
Abstract This paper reports on efforts to trap jaguars Panthera onca on camera in the dry forests of the Kaa‐Iya del Gran Chaco National Park in Bolivia. Ad hoc camera trapping provided certain information on jaguar presence and habits, but was limited in application. Activity patterns showed that jaguars are active all day, particularly at one of three sites, with peaks in the morning and evening the more common pattern. Minimum observed home range was variable, with males (up to 65 km 2 ) occupying more area than females (up to 29 km 2 ). The authors adapted systematic methodologies first developed to survey tigers in India, based on individually distinctive pelage patterns in tigers and jaguars. Abundance is estimated using capture–recapture statistical analysis, and a sample area defined based on the maximum distance that individual jaguars move during the sample period. The methodology has proved successful for jaguars in dry Chaco forest, population densities of 1/30–45 km 2 and 1/20 km 2 are estimated in the two most extensive landscape systems of Kaa‐Iya. The entire 34 400 km 2 protected area is estimated to sustain a population of over 1000 adult and juvenile jaguars, the largest single population of jaguar reported anywhere, and a viable population for long‐term jaguar conservation.
Ranging patterns by the red-footed tortoise - Geochelone carbonaria (Testudines: Testudinidae) - in the Bolivian Chaco
(2013) Rossy R. Montaño F.; Erika Cuéllar; Lee A. Fitzgerald; Filemón Soria; Florencio Mendoza; Romoaldo Peña; Telmo Dosapey; Sharon L. Deem; Andrew J. Noss
In the Bolivian Chaco, the tortoise Geochelone carbonaria is an important reptile to indigenous people for subsistence purposes and in traditional medicine. In Bolivia the species is considered near threatened, while observations suggest it is less abundant near communities and cattle ranches. However, understanding of its biology and ecology is limited. As part of a landscape conservation program with indigenous land and wildlife management, this article describes research on ranging patterns for the species at two long-term research camps in the Kaa-Iya del Gran Chaco National Park. The principal research method is radio-telemetry with 15 individuals over a two-year period. The tortoises occupy home ranges of 50-600 ha, with males using ranges three times larger than females. Individual home ranges overlap, up to 96% between pairs of monitored individuals, with multiple individual ranges overlapping simultaneously, while many males and females shift their ranges between wet and dry seasons. The relatively large ranges for an animal of this size in the Chaco, combined with shifting ranges across seasons, even in protected areas, means that conservation of red-footed tortoises within human-impacted landscapes will require provision of key resources that include appropriate food, water, and shelter where these become scarce. Alternatively, indigenous territories and ranches will need to set aside communal and private reserves exceeding 1,000 ha in order to maintain tortoise populations on their lands.
Religión y tradición en el manejo de la fauna
(2004) Andrew J. Noss
Serosurvey of Small Carnivores in the Bolivian Chaco
(Wildlife Disease Association, 2007) Christine V. Fiorello; Andrew J. Noss; Sharon L. Deem; Leonardo Maffei; Edward J. Dubovi
Five species of Bolivian carnivores, including nine Geoffroy's cats (Oncifelis geoffroyi), ten ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), one jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi), nine pampas foxes (Pseudalopex gymnocercus), and five crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) were sampled between March 2001 and April 2005 and tested for antibodies to common pathogens of domestic carnivores. Carnivores were trapped in three areas: a village, the region between human settlements and a protected area, and within Kaa-Iya National Park, Bolivia. Antibodies to canine distemper virus were detected in ocelots and pampas foxes. Antibodies to canine parvovirus were detected in pampas foxes and crab-eating foxes. Geoffroy's cats and all of the ocelots tested positive for antibodies to feline calicivirus (FCV), while fewer than half of Geoffroy's cats and no ocelots had antibodies to feline panleukopenia (FPV). These results confirm that these species of Bolivian carnivores are not naïve to common pathogens of domestic carnivores, and seropositive animals were found in villages as well as in the national park.