Presenter: Leandra Mageski
Faculty Sponsor: Jason Kamilar
School: UMass Amherst
Research Area: Anthropology
Session: Poster Session 6, 4:15 PM - 5:00 PM, Auditorium, A81
ABSTRACT
The Atlantic Forest region of Brazil is heavily deforested, with more than 85% of its original habitat cleared since European colonization, leaving the remaining forests highly fragmented. This biome is home to an incredible amount of biodiversity, hosting 90 endemic mammal species, 24 of which are primates. These primate populations are susceptible to habitat loss and endangerment due to the immense urbanization and deforestation that have devastated the Atlantic Forest. With such issues, humans and primates in this region are increasingly coming into contact. Without direct exposure to human-wildlife relationships in this region, we must examine how different types of human disturbance are associated with the presence of primate populations; species occurrence data from both community and research sources can inform conservation efforts. We created an ArcGIS map of the Atlantic Forest Biome, overlaying primate species occurrence data, highways, urban centers, and protected areas to analyze where the highest human-primate interactions may occur. We analyzed the data using kernel density and point-pattern analyses, and suitability modeling to identify areas of high relevance. We found that primate occurrences are common alongside federal highways since their presence is more easily reported. Such occurrences near roads and urban centers produce a prevalence of vehicle-caused animal deaths on Brazilian highways. Further analysis will yield more comprehensive results on areas that would benefit the most from ecological corridors. The goal of this project is to inform policy and conservation efforts to reduce the negative results of habitat fragmentation in the Atlantic Forest.
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