Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia.
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a charismatic species considered Vulnerable in Colombia but yet largely unknown in the country. The species is mostly threatened by the continuous decline in its habitats, mostly derived from deforestation and habitat loss, additional to hunting and conflicts with human...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2024-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300375&type=printable |
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| author | María Camila Machado-Aguilera Leonardo Lemus-Mejía Jairo Pérez-Torres Diego A Zárrate-Charry Andrés Arias-Alzate José F González-Maya |
| author_facet | María Camila Machado-Aguilera Leonardo Lemus-Mejía Jairo Pérez-Torres Diego A Zárrate-Charry Andrés Arias-Alzate José F González-Maya |
| author_sort | María Camila Machado-Aguilera |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a charismatic species considered Vulnerable in Colombia but yet largely unknown in the country. The species is mostly threatened by the continuous decline in its habitats, mostly derived from deforestation and habitat loss, additional to hunting and conflicts with humans. Thus, the future of jaguars in Colombia depends on protecting and recovering existing habitats. The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate jaguar distribution and identify the remnant patches of habitat in Colombia, 2) define an ecological connectivity network within the country, and 3) propose a priority areas portfolio for the conservation and recovery of jaguars. We used a presence background model for estimating species potential distribution and subsequently identified remaining habitat patches across the country based on land cover and species-specific ecological attributes. We then created an ecological connectivity network based on circuit theory and following a multi-criteria approach identified jaguar priority areas for conservation (JPCA) and recovery (JPRA). Jaguar potential distribution comprises 1103122.43 km2, from which 56.71% maintain suitable patches of potential habitat. We identified 960 corridors between remnant patches of natural or semi-natural vegetation. Based on the criteria, JPCAs with greater importance were identified in each of the five Colombian regions. JPRAs were located mainly towards the Andean and Caribbean regions. These JPCAs and JPRAs could serve as a guide for designing and implementing management strategies for the long-term conservation and recovery of the species in Colombia. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:46:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-609e2444252846508a8b3c9c3364efe3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T18:46:16Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-609e2444252846508a8b3c9c3364efe32024-03-27T05:32:33ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-01193e030037510.1371/journal.pone.0300375Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia.María Camila Machado-AguileraLeonardo Lemus-MejíaJairo Pérez-TorresDiego A Zárrate-CharryAndrés Arias-AlzateJosé F González-MayaThe jaguar (Panthera onca) is a charismatic species considered Vulnerable in Colombia but yet largely unknown in the country. The species is mostly threatened by the continuous decline in its habitats, mostly derived from deforestation and habitat loss, additional to hunting and conflicts with humans. Thus, the future of jaguars in Colombia depends on protecting and recovering existing habitats. The aims of this study were to 1) evaluate jaguar distribution and identify the remnant patches of habitat in Colombia, 2) define an ecological connectivity network within the country, and 3) propose a priority areas portfolio for the conservation and recovery of jaguars. We used a presence background model for estimating species potential distribution and subsequently identified remaining habitat patches across the country based on land cover and species-specific ecological attributes. We then created an ecological connectivity network based on circuit theory and following a multi-criteria approach identified jaguar priority areas for conservation (JPCA) and recovery (JPRA). Jaguar potential distribution comprises 1103122.43 km2, from which 56.71% maintain suitable patches of potential habitat. We identified 960 corridors between remnant patches of natural or semi-natural vegetation. Based on the criteria, JPCAs with greater importance were identified in each of the five Colombian regions. JPRAs were located mainly towards the Andean and Caribbean regions. These JPCAs and JPRAs could serve as a guide for designing and implementing management strategies for the long-term conservation and recovery of the species in Colombia.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300375&type=printable |
| spellingShingle | María Camila Machado-Aguilera Leonardo Lemus-Mejía Jairo Pérez-Torres Diego A Zárrate-Charry Andrés Arias-Alzate José F González-Maya Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. PLoS ONE |
| title | Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. |
| title_full | Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. |
| title_fullStr | Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. |
| title_short | Preserving the spots: Jaguar (Panthera onca) distribution and priority conservation areas in Colombia. |
| title_sort | preserving the spots jaguar panthera onca distribution and priority conservation areas in colombia |
| url | https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300375&type=printable |
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