In this paper we show how new technologies can be incorporated from the gathering of field data on wildlife distribution to the final stage of producing distribution maps. We describe an integrated framework for conducting wildlife censuses to obtain data to build predictive models of species distribution that when integrated in a GIS will produce a distribution map. Field data can be obtained with greater accuracy and at lower costs using a combination of Global Positioning System, Personal Digital Assistant, and specific wildlife recording software. Sampling design benefits from previous knowledge of environmental variability that can be obtained from free remote sensing data. Environmental predictors derived from this remote sensing information alone, combined with automatic procedures for predictor selection and model fitting, can render cost‐effective predictive distribution models for wildlife. We show an example with guanaco distribution in the Patagonian steppes of Santa Cruz province, Argentina.

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The ecological role of native and introduced species in the diet of the puma Puma concolor in southern Patagonia J u a n I g n a c i o Z a n ó n M a r t í n e z , A l e j a n d r o T r a v a i n i , S o n i a Z a p a t a D i e g o P r o c o p i o and M i g u e l Á n g e l S a n t i l l Á n Abstract There is evidence for the ecological extinction of the native prey of the puma Puma concolor in northwestern Argentine Patagonia. In this study we examine whether this is also the case in southern Patagonia. From 2004 to 2007 we examined the puma's diet in three protected areas and two sheep ranches in Santa Cruz province. A total of 282 puma scats were analysed. In two of the protected areas and in the ranches 60-74% of the puma's diet was native prey. Prey species were primarily guanaco Lama guanicoe, followed by Patagonian mara Dolichotis patagonum, lesser rhea Pterocnemia pennata pennata, Patagonian pichi Zaedyus pichiy and Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus. In the third protected area the main prey was the European hare Lepus europaeus. Our results show a clear difference in the diet of the puma in southern compared to north-western Patagonia. Large native herbivores (i.e. guanaco and lesser rhea) maintain their role as the main prey species for the puma in southern Patagonia. We suggest, therefore, that native prey could be restored to those areas of Argentine Patagonia, such as the north-west, where they are currently ecologically extinct. Facilitating native species recovery and/or restoration and applying more rigorous controls to prevent the introduction of potential alien prey species of the puma, both within and outside protected areas, needs to be evaluated as a regional strategy.