Browsing by Autor "Matthias Baumann"

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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.
Understanding multiple pathways of the impacts of socio‐economic shocks on large carnivores
(Wiley, 2025) Ranjini Murali; Altynai Adabaeva; Sixto Angulo; Rosario Arispe; Matthias Baumann; Arash Ghoddousi; Amirhossein Khaleghi Hamidi; Martin Jansen; Leili Khalatbari; Igor Khorozyan
Abstract Large carnivores are ecologically, economically and socially important, but they are also among the most threatened species worldwide. These species face numerous threats, most importantly habitat transformation, prey depletion and hunting. All of these threats could be exacerbated by socio‐economic shocks—such as financial crises, wars, pandemics or political regime shifts—that can cause sudden and structural changes in social‐ecological systems. However, the different pathways through which such shocks impact large carnivores are unclear. Here, we used a social‐ecological systems approach to build a conceptual framework that investigates these pathways. We used expert workshops and case‐specific, narrative literature reviews to illustrate this framework for three cases: (1) impacts of economic sanctions on the Asiatic cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus venaticus ) in Iran, (2) impacts of global commodity price shocks on the jaguar ( Panthera onca ) in Bolivia and (3) impacts of the collapse of the Soviet Union on the snow leopard ( P. uncia ) in Kyrgyzstan. We found that conservation and agricultural institutions were crucial for carnivore conservation, despite the different nature of the shocks and the different socio‐economic settings across cases. We identified linkages between carnivore conservation and the global economy at the levels of nations and communities, which increased the vulnerability of carnivores to shocks. Our cases highlighted the need to proactively create resilient institutions focused on local capacity building, enhancement of social stability and built on internal motivations for conservation, to secure the future of large carnivores in turbulent times. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.