Important Areas for the Conservation of Felids in Neotropical Seasonal Dry Forests

ABSTRACT

Felids are sensitive to habitat loss and impacts associated with human activities, such as agriculture expansion and the proliferation of road networks. In the Neotropical seasonal dry forest of northwestern Argentina, deforestation has transformed 90% of its original extent, and remanent forest is poorly represented within the protected area network. Here, we assessed the habitat use of seven felids relative to the human impact and environmental covariates in the Neotropical seasonal dry forest of northwestern Argentina through camera‐trapping and hierarchical multispecies occupancy modeling. We identified important areas for conservation for three of the seven felid species recorded based on areas that had high probability of habitat use. Ocelots ( Leopardus pardalis ) exhibited higher habitat use in areas far from roads, far from converted forests, stable intra‐annual vegetation productivity, and lower elevation. Jaguars ( Panthera onca ) also had higher habitat use in forest areas with stable intra‐annual vegetation productivity. Margays ( Leopardus wiedii ) were found more frequently at higher latitude and elevation. Spatial modeling showed that > 65% of the important areas for the conservation of jaguar, ocelot, and margay were concentrated between 22° and 23° S of the study area, and 20% of the forest area overlapped with protected areas. The important areas for conservation identified here are critical strongholds for the long‐term viability of these felid species in this highly threatened forest ecosystem. This work serves as a model for the identification of important areas for conservation for mammal populations within forests in other regions and also other ecosystems facing escalating human impact.