Comparison between terrestrial mammals in evergreen forests and in seasonal dry forests in Western Ecuador: should efforts be focused on dry forests?

Abstract

The Coast Region of Ecuador has been dramatically deforested, and most of the remaining natural vegetation is formed of fragmented patches, in which there is little knowledge of wild mammal populations. The objective of this study was to assess the presence and detection rate (DR) of medium and large-size mammals by using camera-traps in fragmented forests located outside the protected areas comparing the two main types of forest: seasonal dry and evergreen. We registered 18 different species, of which four had greater DRs in dry forests ( Lycalopex sechurae, Odocoileus peruvianus, Simosciurus stramineus and Sylvilagus daulensis), four were more detected in evergreen forests ( Cuniculus paca, Dasyprocta punctata, Dasypus novemcinctus and Procyon cancrivorus), and the remaining 10 species had no significant habitat preference. The mean species richness was similar in both ecosystems, but the number of detections was greater in the evergreen forests. Finally, two of the region’s four threatened species had higher DRs in dry forests. These results suggest that it is necessary to conserve both types of ecosystems to ensure the conservation of all mammals’ species. However, since dry forests are less protected and their threatened fauna suggests that conservation efforts should be particularly focused on them.