The globalized thought process in relation to natural resources.

To understand the increasingly tenuous relationship between ourselves and the finite resource base upon which we depend for all sustenance, an exploration of recent history and basic human behavior is warranted. An attempt is made to shed light on how short-term economic demands have come to take priority over nearly all other long-term aspects of our existence. Without full recognition of our historical and cultural trajectories in relation to the modern mass mentality of materialism, consumerism and wealth, there is little possibility to develop or implement truly functional strategies that can be utilized indefinitely.

Yasuní - a hotspot for jaguars Panthera onca (Carnivora: Felidae)? Camera-traps and jaguar activity at Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Ecuador / Yasuní - Un hotspot para jaguares Panthera onca (Carnivora: Felidae)? Cámaras trampa y actividad del jaguar en la Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini, Ecuador

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the largest predator in lowland forests of Amazonia but there have been few studies on their occurrence and activity in such forests. Here, we used camera traps to document the occurrence and activity of jaguars within a local area (~650ha) of lowland forest of Eastern Ecuador, over two sample periods (2005-2008, 7 222 trap days; 2010-2012, 6 199 trap days). We accumulated 151 independent photos of jaguars (189 total photographs) that represented 21 different individuals, including 11 males (114 photographs), seven females (32 photographs), and three that could not be assigned to a sex. Individual jaguars varied in the number of months they were recorded in the area; ten were photographed in only one month; five were photographed over periods of 8 to 22 months; and five from 45 to 81 months. Capture rates across all camera stations averaged 10.6/1 000 trap days; capture rates did not differ between the two sample periods. Male jaguars were more active during the day (06:00am-18:00pm; 71% of photographs), whereas females were equally active during the day and night. Monthly activity was variable but showed no consistent pattern. Although the study area is much smaller than typical home ranges of jaguars, the area is clearly visited by a large number of different individuals, some of whom repeatedly visit the area, indicating that it forms part of their home range. Other individuals likely were simply passing through the area. Based on the number of jaguars recorded during this study, it is clear that the region is an important area for conservation. Continued protection will be needed to ensure that populations of jaguars and other species remain viable. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (2): 689-698. Epub 2014 June 01.

El jaguar (Panthera onca) es el depredador más grande de los bosques bajos de la Amazonía, pero existen pocos estudios sobre su presencia y actividad en los mismos. En este estudio utilizamos cámaras trampa para documentar la presencia y actividad de jaguares dentro de una área de bosque bajo de la Amazonía este de Ecuador (~650 ha) en dos períodos (2005-2008, 7 222 trampas noche; 2010-2012, 6 199 trampas noche). Acumulamos 151 fotos independientes de jaguares (189 fotografías en total) que representaron 21 individuos, incluyendo 11 machos (114 fotos), siete hembras (32 fotos) y tres a los que no se les pudo asignar sexo. Los jaguares individuales variaron en el número de meses en que fueron registrados en el área; diez fueron fotografiados solo en un mes; cinco fueron fotografiados en un periodo entre 8 y 22 meses; y cinco jaguares entre 45 y 81. Las tasas de captura a través de las estaciones de trampeo promediaron 10.6/1 000 trampas noche; las tasas de captura no presentaron diferencias en los dos períodos de muestreo. Los jaguares machos fueron más activos durante el día (06:00am-18:00pm; 71% de las fotografías) mientras que las hembras fueron igualmente activas tanto en el día como en la noche. La actividad mensual fue variable pero no mostró un patrón consistente. Aunque el área de estudio es mucho más pequeña que el rango de vida típico para un jaguar, el área es claramente visitada por un alto número de individuos diferentes, algunos de los cuales visitan repetidamente el lugar, indicando que este forma parte de su rango de vida. Es probable que otros individuos solamente sean transeúntes del área.

Global conservation significance of Ecuador's Yasuní National Park.

BACKGROUND: The threats facing Ecuador's Yasuní National Park are emblematic of those confronting the greater western Amazon, one of the world's last high-biodiversity wilderness areas. Notably, the country's second largest untapped oil reserves--called "ITT"--lie beneath an intact, remote section of the park. The conservation significance of Yasuní may weigh heavily in upcoming state-level and international decisions, including whether to develop the oil or invest in alternatives. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted the first comprehensive synthesis of biodiversity data for Yasuní. Mapping amphibian, bird, mammal, and plant distributions, we found eastern Ecuador and northern Peru to be the only regions in South America where species richness centers for all four taxonomic groups overlap. This quadruple richness center has only one viable strict protected area (IUCN levels I-IV): Yasuní. The park covers just 14% of the quadruple richness center's area, whereas active or proposed oil concessions cover 79%. Using field inventory data, we compared Yasuní's local (alpha) and landscape (gamma) diversity to other sites, in the western Amazon and globally. These analyses further suggest that Yasuní is among the most biodiverse places on Earth, with apparent world richness records for amphibians, reptiles, bats, and trees. Yasuní also protects a considerable number of threatened species and regional endemics. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Yasuní has outstanding global conservation significance due to its extraordinary biodiversity and potential to sustain this biodiversity in the long term because of its 1) large size and wilderness character, 2) intact large-vertebrate assemblage, 3) IUCN level-II protection status in a region lacking other strict protected areas, and 4) likelihood of maintaining wet, rainforest conditions while anticipated climate change-induced drought intensifies in the eastern Amazon. However, further oil development in Yasuní jeopardizes its conservation values. These findings form the scientific basis for policy recommendations, including stopping any new oil activities and road construction in Yasuní and creating areas off-limits to large-scale development in adjacent northern Peru.