Identifying potential conservation areas for felids in the USA and Mexico: integrating reliable knowledge across an international border M.M. Grigione,K.Menke,C.LO´ PEZ-GONZA´ LEZ,R.List,A.Banda J.Carrera,R.Carrera,A.J.Giordano,J.Morrison,M.Sternberg R. Thomas and B. Van Pelt Abstract There are three species of Neotropical cats whose have any protection. An additional 12 Corridors and 12 northernmost distribution reaches the USA-Mexico border Units were identified as areas requiring further study. region: the jaguar Panthera onca, ocelot Leopardus pardalis Keywords Habitat mapping, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, and jaguarundi Herpailurus yagouaroundi. To ensure the jaguar, jaguarundi, Leopardus pardalis, Mexico, ocelot, long-term viability of Neotropical cat populations in this Panthera onca, USA. region it is imperative to identify current distribution and status in the northern limits of their range to conserve important populations effectively. The purpose of this study was to construct a blueprint of priority conservation areas Introduction for each species in the border region. This was done by (1) compiling reliable sightings for each species from the early he predatory nature of felids conflicts with human 1900s to 2003, (2) conducting field surveys to ascertain Tinterests and this, coupled with the transformation and species presence, and (3) conducting a geographical infor- loss of habitat they occupy, has resulted in the reduction or mation system based habitat mapping workshop in which regional extirpation of many carnivore populations (Brown 29 scientists and conservationists provided information on &Lo´pez-Gonza´lez, 2000; Foreman et al., 2000b; Treves & the distribution and status of each species. Participants Karanth, 2003). One particular area where carnivores have were asked to delineate and describe specific areas in the suffered such declines is the USA-Mexico border region, as border region where historical and recent sightings of exemplified by the loss of the grizzly bear Ursus arctos, Neotropical cats have occurred, resulting in a compilation Mexican wolf Canis lupus and jaguar Panthera onca. of 864 felid sightings of which 283 where reliable and had Recently, however, records of jaguars in Arizona (Brown physical evidence. Twenty-one Cat Conservation Units and &Lo´pez-Gonza´lez, 2000; Grigione et al., 2007) have gener- seven Cat Conservation Corridors were identified as areas ated renewed interest in the conservation of Neotropical in which to concentrate efforts for protecting felids. Only cats in this region. 8.9% of these Corridors and 1.1% of the Units currently Three Neotropical cat species reach the USA-Mexico border region at the northern limits of their range: the jaguar, ocelot Leopardus pardalis and jaguarundi Herpai- M.M. GRIGIONE (Corresponding author) Department of Biology, Pace lurus yagouaroundi. In the USA there are no known University, 861 Bedford Rd, Pleasantville, NY 10570, USA. E-mail mgrigione@ pace.edu breeding populations of jaguars or jaguarundis and only 1996 K. MENKE Albuquerque, USA. two such populations of ocelots (Nowell & Jackson, ; Grigione et al., 2001). All three species are protected as C. LO´ PEZ-GONZA´ LEZ Universidad Autonoma de Quenretaro, Queretaro, Mexico. endangered by the US Endangered Species Act and by 2002 R. LIST Instituto de Ecologı´a, Universidad Nacional Auto´noma de Me´xico, similar Mexican legislation (SEMARNAT, ). Neo- Me´xico D.F, Mexico. tropical felid populations in the border region are threat- A. BANDA Tamaulipan Pronatura Noreste A.C., Matamoros, Mexico. ened by land development and land conversion, predator J. CARRERA Maderas del Carmen, Saltillo, Mexico. control by cattle growers, an increase in disease expo- R. CARRERA and A.J. GIORDANO Department of Range, Wildlife and sure, construction of highways, international bridges and Fisheries Management, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA. immigration-control infrastructure (Brown & Lo´pez-Gonza´lez, 2001 2001 2004 J. MORRISON WWF, Washington, DC, USA. ; Grigione et al., ; Grigione & Mrykalo, ; 2006 M. STERNBERG US Fish and Wildlife Service, Alamo, USA. Marris, ). To incorporate rare felids into regional habitat conser- R. THOMAS Department of Regional and Community Development, Univer- sity of California, Davis, USA. vation plans this study develops a preliminary blueprint of B. VAN PELT Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix, USA. important conservation areas, composed of core habitats Received 7 November 2007. Revision requested 26 April 2008. and corridors, for each species of Neotropical cat in the Accepted 4 June 2008. border region. This was done by: (1) the compilation of ª 2009 Fauna & Flora International, Oryx, 43(1), 78–86 doi:10.1017/S0030605308002019 Printed in the United Kingdom Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.203.120, on 04 Oct 2021 at 10:44:06, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605308002019 Conserving Neotropical cats 79 reliable sightings for each species in the border region from habitat areas in the border region, and for practical carto- the early 1900sto2003,(2) field surveys in the border graphic purposes. region to ascertain the presence of felids (Grigione et al., In 1998 a sightings database (containing genus, spe- 2007; Crooks et al., in press), and (3) the coordination of cies, age, sex, date observed, number of individuals, county, a geographical information system (GIS) habitat mapping state, country, latitude, longitude, location, evidence, workshop. For the latter, 29 scientists and conservationists observer/collector, source, activity of felid, and other available working in the border region contributed important in- information) was established for each felid species in the formation about the distribution and status of all three border region. Data were obtained by conducting interviews species. with biologists from state and federal agencies, naturalists, Because of limited quantitative data and the urgency of academics, graduate students, non-profit organizations and implementing conservation planning, workshops involving natural heritage programmes. Each sighting was classed 1–3 consultation from many scientists have been used to fill using the criteria developed by Tewes & Everett (1986) for critical gaps in information (Bojo´quez-Tapia et al., 2003). evaluating ocelot and jaguarundi sightings in southern Consultations have been widely used to identify priority Texas. For our study only Class 1 sightings (sightings made regions for conservation (Arriaga et al., 2000) and to pri- by a credible observer, with physical evidence such as oritize habitat areas for rare carnivores and other species a carcass) were retained for subsequent analyses because (Wikramanayake et al., 1998;Palmaetal.,1999; Lunney Class 2 (detailed description of event provided by reliable et al., 2000; Sanderson et al., 2002; Thorbjarnarson et al., observer, no physical evidence) and 3 (details of observer 2006). Maps that identify priority areas for single spe- vague, no physical evidence) sightings were not as reliable. cies, such as the American crocodile Crocodylus acutus GIS data used comprised elevation data from USGS (Thorbjarnarson et al., 2006), jaguar (Sanderson et al., 2002), (2006), the World Database on Protected Areas (2003), and tiger Panthera tigris (Wikramanayake et al., 1998), historic species ranges digitized from range maps (Nowell have been synthesized during mapping workshops at- & Jackson, 1996), and topographical data (ESRI, 2003). tended by scientists from many countries. The consensus Sighting records were transferred to a GIS and plotted for amongst participants must be considered one of the largest each bioregion. This information was used as a starting benefits of holding such a workshop and has played an point for the workshop. important role in ongoing conservation work. Without In December 2003 29 scientists and conservationists a USA-Mexico consensus regarding which populations from seven USA states and four Mexican states attended and habitats are most important for each species of Neo- a workshop where they could review the results of each tropical cat in this region, persistence of these populations sighting map (above) for each species and answer more will be compromised, particularly in light of land develop- detailed questions regarding species distribution and status. ment pressures and security issues spanning the USA- Specifically, participants were asked to identify important Mexico border. This study provides a framework for such a habitat areas, dispersal corridors, required or existing consensus. underpasses, and to characterize habitat areas and corridors (described below). In addition, they were asked to give Methods additional sighting information not previously identified. To ensure that adequate knowledge existed for the entire Our study area corresponds to the pre-industrial northern border region each participant was asked to delineate his or historical range of the three species, consisting of the US her area of knowledge for each species onto maps of the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and the Mexican border region. states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leo´n and Each participant was also asked to delineate Cat Con- Tamaulipas. This area corresponds approximately with the servation Units and Cat Conservation Corridors for their northern and southern limits of the Sonoran Desert, Sina- area or areas of