AMAZONIA CAMTRAP: A data set of mammal, bird, and reptile species recorded with camera traps in the Amazon forest.

The Amazon forest has the highest biodiversity on Earth. However, information on Amazonian vertebrate diversity is still deficient and scattered across the published, peer-reviewed, and gray literature and in unpublished raw data. Camera traps are an effective non-invasive method of surveying vertebrates, applicable to different scales of time and space. In this study, we organized and standardized camera trap records from different Amazon regions to compile the most extensive data set of inventories of mammal, bird, and reptile species ever assembled for the area. The complete data set comprises 154,123 records of 317 species (185 birds, 119 mammals, and 13 reptiles) gathered from surveys from the Amazonian portion of eight countries (Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela). The most frequently recorded species per taxa were: mammals: Cuniculus paca (11,907 records); birds: Pauxi tuberosa (3713 records); and reptiles: Tupinambis teguixin (716 records). The information detailed in this data paper opens up opportunities for new ecological studies at different spatial and temporal scales, allowing for a more accurate evaluation of the effects of habitat loss, fragmentation, climate change, and other human-mediated defaunation processes in one of the most important and threatened tropical environments in the world. The data set is not copyright restricted; please cite this data paper when using its data in publications and we also request that researchers and educators inform us of how they are using these data.

Parks under attack: Brazil's Iguaçu National Park illustrates a global threat to biodiversity.

National parks are under attack in many parts of the world, including Brazil, which the Convention on Biodiversity ranks as the world's most biodiverse country. Brazil has been experiencing an unprecedented environmental crisis, and the political situation in the country favors approval of environmentally damaging measures by both the legislative and executive branches of government. A new and largely unreported setback is a proposal in the National Congress for a road cutting the Iguaçu National Park in two. Here, we identify environmental threats from the proposed road and pressures on the park from the surrounding human population. The proposed laws violate Brazil's constitution and would cause immeasurable damage to the park's biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. The road would reduce the cost of transport between two municipalities (counties), but not the cost of transporting soybeans, their main agricultural product. However, the local population would be better served by strengthening its ties to the park and promoting economic alternatives such as tourism, agroforestry, and organic agriculture. The Caminho do Colono road illustrates the danger posed by downgrading the status of protected areas in order to allow environmentally damaging activities. This trend is occurring in many countries and is especially evident in Brazil.

ATLANTIC MAMMALS: a data set of assemblages of medium- and large-sized mammals of the Atlantic Forest of South America.

Biodiversity inventories contain important information about species richness, community structure, and composition, and are the first step in developing any conservation and mitigation strategies. The Atlantic Forest of South America is home to around 334 species of small-, medium-, and large-sized mammals, and is currently restricted to less than 12% of its original cover. Here, we present the ATLANTIC MAMMALS, an open data set on information on medium- and large-sized mammal assemblages in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. A total of 129 studies were compiled, including published and in press peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, theses and unpublished data. We mapped 244 assemblages, eight orders, 63 genera, and 94 species (24 of which are classified as threatened by the IUCN Red List) distributed in 128 protected and 116 unprotected areas. Species richness of the mammalian assemblages varied from 1 to 39 species (mean 15). The most recorded species in the entire biome was Dasypus novemcinctus, followed by Cerdocyon thous and Procyon cancrivorous. These data can be useful in support of macroecological studies and conservation planning strategies. Please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.

ATLANTIC-PRIMATES: a dataset of communities and occurrences of primates in the Atlantic Forests of South America.

Primates play an important role in ecosystem functioning and offer critical insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and emerging infectious diseases. There are 26 primate species in the Atlantic Forests of South America, 19 of them endemic. We compiled a dataset of 5,472 georeferenced locations of 26 native and 1 introduced primate species, as hybrids in the genera Callithrix and Alouatta. The dataset includes 700 primate communities, 8,121 single species occurrences and 714 estimates of primate population sizes, covering most natural forest types of the tropical and subtropical Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina and some other biomes. On average, primate communities of the Atlantic Forest harbor 2 ± 1 species (range = 1-6). However, about 40% of primate communities contain only one species. Alouatta guariba (N = 2,188 records) and Sapajus nigritus (N = 1,127) were the species with the most records. Callicebus barbarabrownae (N = 35), Leontopithecus caissara (N = 38), and Sapajus libidinosus (N = 41) were the species with the least records. Recorded primate densities varied from 0.004 individuals/km2 (Alouatta guariba at Fragmento do Bugre, Paraná, Brazil) to 400 individuals/km2 (Alouatta caraya in Santiago, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil). Our dataset reflects disparity between the numerous primate census conducted in the Atlantic Forest, in contrast to the scarcity of estimates of population sizes and densities. With these data, researchers can develop different macroecological and regional level studies, focusing on communities, populations, species co-occurrence and distribution patterns. Moreover, the data can also be used to assess the consequences of fragmentation, defaunation, and disease outbreaks on different ecological processes, such as trophic cascades, species invasion or extinction, and community dynamics. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this Data Paper when the data are used in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using the data.

Mamíferos não voadores do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho, Continuum florestal do Paranapiacaba / Non-volant mammals of Carlos Botelho State Park, Paranapiacaba Forest Continuum

A Mata Atlântica é o bioma melhor conhecido em relação à mastofauna no Brasil, contudo ainda assim apresenta uma série de lacunas de conhecimento sobre a persistência e distribuição de espécies, o que representa um risco adicional à conservação de mamíferos. Neste trabalho, através da coleta de dados por diferentes métodos - armadilhas fotográficas, censos diurnos, registro de vestígios, armadilhas de queda e captura viva - ao longo de oito anos (2004-2012), foi realizado o inventário da mastofauna não voadora do Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho (SP). No total foram registradas 53 espécies, sendo 12 espécies ameaçadas regionalmente e uma exótica (Lepus europaeus), com a presença da maioria dos mamíferos esperados para o Continuum Florestal da Serra do Paranapiacaba. A comunidade de mamíferos não voadores quase completa, e a presença de espécies ameaçadas reforçam o papel desta área protegida para a conservação de mamíferos na Mata Atlântica. Embora, a extinção local de uma espécie, Tayassu pecari, alerte para a necessidade de medidas efetivas de proteção.

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most studied Brazilian biomes in relation to its mammalian fauna. However, there is still a series of gaps of knowledge about the distribution and persistence of some of these species which prevents taking adequate conservation measures to better protect the mammals. In order to make the inventory of the non-volant mammalian fauna of the Carlos Botelho State Park (SP), we compiled data of camera trapping, diurnal census, track records, pitfall and live trapping collected over 8 years (2004-2012). We registered a total of 53 species, of which 12 are regionally threatened and one is an exotic species (Lepus europaeus), including the presence of most mammal species expected for the Paranapiacaba Forest Continuum. The high non-volant mammals species richness allied to the presence of threatened species, strengthen the role of this protected area for mammal conservation in the Atlantic Forest. Although, the local extinction of one species, Tayassu pecari, alert to the need for effective measures of protection.