IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Crawshaw Jr., P.G. | |
| Recommendations for study design on research projects on neotropical felids | |
| 1991 Conference Proceeding | |
All species of neotropical felids are, to some degree, threatened with extinction. The main factors for this situation are indiscriminate hunting and widespread habitat modification. However, each species (or population) is locally affected by regional factors, such as a natural low density, changes in specific habitat or prey requirements, control for livestock depredation, man's natural fear of the larger species, and so forth. In reviewing the accumulated data so far, one of the most conspicuous conclusions is the paucity of field information for the great majority of species. Even for those neotropical species that have been relatively well studied in a recent past, such as the jaguar and ocelot, the inherent behavioral plasticity that enables them to adapt to changing environmental conditions in different areas of their distribution, makes clear the necessity of a broader basis of information at the geographical scale, and more detail at the population level. Given the natural differences between the 21 countries that form the Neotropical Region, be they cultural, geographical, of size, of the forms of colonization and development, and of the level of importance given by the government to environmental matters in general and to wildlife conservation in particular (which, in turn, is reflected in the percentage of the country protected in national parks and equivalent reserves), different management and conservation strategies will be necessary. If these strategies are to be effective and implemented in the least amount of time, it is vital that biologists, technicians, ranchers, and all people involved, in the field and at the legislation level in different countries, exchange information and work together. In this paper, I will attempt to convey information on how to design a field study on felids, from inception to publication of results. To this end, I will draw on experience gained in working in five different projects. To those who have had a good coverage of project design in school, much of the contents herein will be taken for granted. However, my experience with Brazilian students and even professional biologists leads me to believe that a step-by-step "cookbook recipe" will be of some utility in Latin America. It is to these people that this article is directed, and I dare to hope that it will spur more interest in generating field studies for a better understanding of neotropical felids. |
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