Mendoza Eduardo, Fuller Trevon L, Thomassen Henri A, Buermann Wolfgang, Ramírez-Mejía Diana, Smith Thomas B
Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USADepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USADepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USASchool of Biology, Michoacan University of San Nicolas de Hidalgo, Morelia, Mexico.
Integr Zool. 2013 Mar;8(1):35-47. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12005.
Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is one of the most emblematic mammals of Mesoamerica, but like other large-bodied animals, it is facing an increasing risk of extinction due primarily to habitat loss. Mexico's 'ortion of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MBC-M) is located in one of the main strongholds for Bairds tapir. To assess the MBC-M's effectiveness for tapir conservation, we estimated the distribution of the species' potential habitat by applying 2 modelling approaches (random forest and Maxent) to a set of uncorrelated environmental variables and a 157-point presence dataset. We calculated the extent of tapir habitat in within the MBC-M and modelled new corridors and conservation areas, which we compared to the MBC-M. Moreover, we assessed deforestation patterns in the region. Twenty-seven percent of highly suitable tapir habitat occurred in protected areas, 15% in corridors and 58.3% was outside the MBC-M and associated reserves. The spatial configuration of the MBC-M was partially concordant with the modelled set of conservation areas and corridors. The main dissimilarity was that the modelled corridors traversed forests in Belize and Guatemala to connect conservation areas. Analyses of deforestation since 1993 and human population density in the vicinity of the MBC-M indicated that future conservation efforts should give particular attention to the Montes Azules-El Triunfo Corridor due to greater habitat threat. The MBC-M has a great potential to play a prominent role in the conservation of tapir habitat but there is an urgent need to implement management plans that reinforce and complement this conservation initiative.
拜氏貘（Tapirus bairdii）是中美洲最具代表性的哺乳动物之一，但与其他大型动物一样，它正面临着日益增加的灭绝风险，主要原因是栖息地丧失。墨西哥境内的中美洲生物走廊（MBC-M）位于拜氏貘的主要栖息地之一。为了评估MBC-M对貘保护的有效性，我们通过将两种建模方法（随机森林和最大熵模型）应用于一组不相关的环境变量和一个包含157个点的存在数据集，来估计该物种潜在栖息地的分布。我们计算了MBC-M内貘栖息地的范围，并模拟了新的走廊和保护区，然后将其与MBC-M进行比较。此外，我们评估了该地区的森林砍伐模式。27%的高度适宜貘栖息地位于保护区内，15%位于走廊，58.3%位于MBC-M及其相关保护区之外。MBC-M的空间配置与模拟的保护区和走廊部分一致。主要的不同之处在于，模拟的走廊穿过伯利兹和危地马拉的森林以连接保护区。对1993年以来的森林砍伐情况和MBC-M附近的人口密度分析表明，由于栖息地受到更大威胁，未来的保护工作应特别关注蒙特斯阿祖莱斯-埃尔特里温福走廊。MBC-M在保护貘栖息地方面有很大潜力发挥重要作用，但迫切需要实施管理计划来加强和补充这一保护举措。
