The Amazon rainforest may be home to more animals than previously thought, Stanford scientists show

News report from Stanford University on our research: “By tapping the expertise of indigenous hunters, researchers found that conventional surveying techniques underestimate animal populations and miss species in the remote Amazon. Producing an accurate count is important for planning conservation efforts.”

Community livelihoods depend upon accurate wildlife estimates

White-lipped peccary in the Amazon (copyright and photo Jose MV Fragoso)

News article from Virginia Tech University on our research: “Evidence of wildlife passage, such as tracks, scat, fur, and disturbed surroundings, is a more accurate tool for assessing wildlife conservation status than actual encounters with animals, according to an international team of scientists from six universities, publishing in the April 13, 2016, issue of PLOS ONE.”

Levantamentos com Observações diretas Subestimam a Abundância de Mamíferos Terrestres: Implicações para uma Caça de Subsistência Sustentável

Catitu (foto: Jose MV Fragoso)

A conservação de espécies cinegéticas neotropicais deve levar em conta os meios de vida e necessidades alimentares das populações humanas locais.

Artigo:  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152659

Resumo:

New Publication: Line Transect Surveys Underdetect Terrestrial Mammals: Implications for the Sustainability of Subsistence Hunting

Collared peccary (copyright photo Jose MV Fragoso)

Our new paper in the journal PLOS ONE reports that we are grossly under-detecting hunted animal species.  The results challenge the many studies showing serious negative impacts of subsistence hunting on wildlife species.  Seems like the animals may be hiding from us.  This research indicates that we need to reassess how we measure hunting impacts in the tropics.

Read the article:  http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0152659

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