Neotropical medium and large-bodied mammals are key elements in forest ecosystems, and protected areas are essential for their conservation. In Brazil, sustainable use protected areas (SU-PAs) allow both the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of natural resources, especially in the Amazon region. However, SU-PAs usually suffer both internal and external pressures, and may be subject to variable degrees of defaunation. We sampled mammals using camera traps in two areas with different forest management and human occupation history in the Tapajós National Forest (TNF), in the western Amazon. Overall, we recorded a rich assemblage of medium and large-sized mammals, though both areas differed in species composition. The area with older and more intense human occupation and forest exploitation had more independent records of generalist species, while large species such as Tapirus terrestris and Panthera onca were recorded exclusively in the area with lower human occupation and no forest management. A comparison of our results with similar studies in other Amazonian sites suggests a reduction in the population size of large-bodied mammals, such as Tapirus terrestris and Tayassu pecari, likely in response to increased human activities. Local differences in human occupation within and between protected areas are common in the Amazon, demanding area-specific actions from public authorities to minimize impacts on wildlife caused by human activities. Specifically in TNF, we recommend long-term monitoring of the responses of mammals to human activities, to better subsidize conservation and management actions.

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Tropical forests contain the highest concentration of species in terrestrial ecosystems. However, they are disappearing rapidly due to forest clearing to extract timber illegally. Reduced-impact logging (RIL) is one of the main sustainability proposals for earning profits while still promoting biodiversity conservation. In the present study, we test the impacts of RIL on biodiversity and use the results to draw conclusions regarding the capacity of RIL to deliver conservation goals whilst also enabling minimal biodiversity impacts. We used a before-after-control-impact (BACI) study to assess the effects of RIL on a bat assemblage in Central Amazon. We sampled unlogged (control) and RIL areas before and after timber extraction. We also tested the relationship between forest canopy openness and bat assemblage before and after logging. For 64 nights, we captured 706 individuals of 33 Phyllostomidae species. Sampling time influenced total bat composition and phytophagous bat composition, both in logged and control sites. The time 9 site interaction influenced animalivorous bat composition and reduced the abundance and richness of animalivorous species in RIL sites. Sampling time, site, and the time 9 site interaction did not influence the number of species, total abundance, or phytophague abundance. The canopy was, on average, 3.4 times more open after the RIL and influenced animalivorous composition. Our results indicate that species sensitive to environmental changes, such as animalivorous bats, respond rapidly to forest logging. In more opportunistic guilds, such as phytophagues, the temporal change in the species composition in control and logged sites indicate that other temporal factors, besides logging, may have influenced bat assemblages. We suggest that RIL timber certification stimulates the protection of primary forest without logging within the area under exploration, which is not the case in the area we studied. We also recommend the application of BACI designs and monitoring environmental metrics in RIL impact studies.