IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Arellano, H.C.; Diaz, N.E.L.; Lopez, C.A. | |
| Abundance of pumas (_Puma concolor_) in the northern Sierra Madre Occidental, Mexico: are we ready to have a harvest quota? | |
| 2014 Conference Proceeding | |
Pumas in Mexico although consider a game species are treated as varmints. This non glamorous status is the result of predator control campaigns associated to livestock depredation. Nevertheless, there is no accounting to the number of mountain lions killed as there is no direct benefit to the ranching community. Our objective was to determine the number of lions present in the landscape of the northern Sierra Madre Occidental (SMOcc) to provide baseline information to assist management agencies in the region. Our study area is the northern SMOcc including NW Chihuahua and NE Sonora. The habitats include a mosaic of Sonoran Desert, grasslands, oak woodlands, and Chuhuahuan desert. We used camera traps to assess the abundance of lions in different habitats. Puma abundance range from 1 to 4 ind/ 100 km2 with a 1 M: 1 F sex ratio, using these results, management units should have a minimum surface of 1250 to 5000 km2 (Habitat dependent). Additional variables in this proposal should incorporate prey abundance, livestock production and conservation status of the land. The ranching community should favor a sustainable hunting scenario instead of the traditional predator control by supporting outfitter guides dedicated to this species. |
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