Amazonian Mammals: Current Knowledge And Conservation Priorities

“Conservation Strategies for Mammals in Brazilian Amazonia: Future Work at Local, Regional, and Global Scales,” written with co-authors from Brazil, the US, and the UK, considers pathways to work for a future for Amazonia where both humans and other mammals flourish and the rainforest is protected. The authors briefly review the tens of millions of years it has taken to develop the current diversity of mammalian fauna living in Amazonia, then review the current state of research and conservation concerns for nonhuman mammalian taxa in Brazilian Amazonia. They emphasize that the utilization and transformation of Amazonian land and resources continue to be driven by the export of energy and goods to other regions of Brazil and, notably, to international markets, putting the mammalian taxa at risk. The team suggests priorities for conservation interventions in Brazilian Amazonia, including Indigenous Land demarcation; valuing of local community knowledge; enforcement of protection for remaining continuous rainforest habitat; reforestation and re-establishment of connectivity among forest fragments; development and implementation of action plans for diverse mammalian taxa; utilization of a one-health perspective for infectious disease risk surveillance and mitigation; and climate change research and mitigation.
As the sole author of the chapter entitled “Xenarthrans of Brazilian Amazonia: Recent Discoveries, Knowledge Gaps, and Conservation Concerns,” Anderson describes the current diversity of xenarthrans (a group that includes anteaters, armadillos, and sloths) and shows that 10 species were newly recognized only in the last 15 years, representing an increase of 18% over a very short period. Most of the new xenarthran species have geographic ranges within the Brazilian Amazonia, including the two great long-nosed armadillos re-discovered when Anderson was a Ph.D. student working at the Field Museum with Emeritus Curator Bruce Patterson. Of the 39 xenarthran species now recognized, 19 can be found in the Brazilian Amazon, which alone harbors a higher diversity than any other country. Nevertheless, Anderson highlights, studies on Brazilian Amazon xenarthrans are limited, based mostly on a few unquantified observations and short-term studies. Such knowledge gaps are alarming in light of the accelerated deforestation rate in the eastern Amazon, where at least three xenarthran species are endemic. There is vast potential for future projects aiming to explore the taxonomy and ecology of xenarthrans, particularly focusing on Amazonian populations.
February 9. 2024