IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Carr III, A.; Galindo-Leal, C.; Comiskey, J.; Dallmeier, F.; Mistry, S.; Pozo de la Tijera, C.; Meyer, J.R.; Miller, C.M.; Whitacre, D.F.; Miller, B.W. | |
| Biological Monitoring in the Selva Maya | |
| Full Book | |
This document sets forth a set of guidelines useful to the task of monitoring certain taxa of biota in the Maya Forest (Selva Maya) of Guatemala, Belize and Mexico. The guidelines are defined as _protocols. _They are procedures or methodologies for collecting specific types of data at specific time intervals in precise ways. Importantly, each protocol is the product of debate and discussion by numerous scientists working in all parts of the Maya Forest. The protocols reflect the combined experiences of these individuals and may be regarded as consensus statements about which data to collect, and how and when to collect it. Monitoring protocols are given for the following taxa: Plants, Insects (Butterflies), Frogs, Birds, Mammals. In the case of plants, the protocol calls for counts to be taken of all woody plants above a certain diameter. Thus, a broad spectrum of species will be documented. Among the animal taxa, however, each protocol limits the number of species to be sampled to a very few. These are diagnostic species, and the justification for each one is given in the text. Much discussion went into these selections. Monitoring studies, like most types of field research, are inevitably constrained by money and time. It is therefore crucial to select monitoring species that will efficiently yield useful insights about the status of the forest ecosystem. For example, a monitoring program for a tropical forest might well focus on the jaguar, _Panthera onca, _as a target species. It is a big, top carnivore, requiring exceptionally extensive home ranges. The jaguar is often considered a keystone species, having an unusually important role in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem, and being susceptible to changes in that system. Changes in abundance of jaguars may be a response to fluctuations in the prey base. The prey base itself may be a diverse set of fauna, ranging from armadillos to tapirs, and thus any suggestion of a decline in jaguar abundance has potentially grave implications for the status of a much broader community of fauna. Monitoring the jaguar provides insights into the status of the forest. Importantly, the jaguar is also relatively easily observed at least indirectly. The tracks of the jaguar allow it to be monitored, whereas other top carnivores, notably the harpy eagle, are rarely seen and thus difficult to quantify. Observability is a critical consideration in the choice of monitoring species. This criterion is reflected in each of the protocols that follow. |
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