The distribution and conservation status of Tapirus terrestris in the South American Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Tapirus terrestris is the largest South American land mammal, with an extensive historical distribution and capable of occupying diverse habitats, and yet its populations have declined across its range. In order to provide baseline data on the conservation status of tapirs in the Atlantic Forest, we conducted a long-term study in one landscape, visited 93 forests, and received 217 expert reports over the 15-year study. We estimate that 2,665–15,992 tapirs remain in 48 confirmed populations, occupying 26,654 km2 of forest or 1.78% of its original range in the biome. Historically, hunting and deforestation were the main causes of decline, but today population isolation is the principal long-term threat. Vortex models indicate that 31.3–68.8% and 70.8–93.8% of the populations are demographically and genetically non-viable over the next 100 years, respectively, and that only 3–14 populations are viable when considering both variables. Habitat use data indicate that tapirs are adaptable to disturbed and secondary forests and will use diverse tree plantations and agricultural lands but hunting and highways keep populations isolated. Reserve staff report tapirs as common/abundant at 62.2% of the sites, and populations as stable and growing in 60% and 36% of the sites, respectively, and there is ample habitat in the biome for a population expansion, but overcoming the causes of isolation will be necessary for this to occur. Lack of adequate funding for protecting reserves is a chronic threat throughout the biome, especially in federal and state/provincial reserves, and increased funding will be necessary to implement effective conservation plans.

The mitochondrial genome of the mountain wooly tapir, Tapirus pinchaque and a formal test of the effect of altitude on the adaptive evolution of mitochondrial protein coding genes in odd-toed ungulates

“…1 ). By contrast to T. pinchaque , all other congeneric species primarily prefer relatively lower altitude habitats, e. g., Tapirus terrestris inhabits lowland forests up to 1,800 masl [ 37 , 38 ] while T. indicus can be found up to 2,000 masl, with a greater presence in lower altitude forests (125 to 1000 m) [ 39 ]. Lastly, the distribution of T. bairdii is limited to the states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo, and Veracruz in Mexico, from sea level to altitudes not higher than 2000 masl [ 40 ].…”

Spatial and Temporal Adaptations of Lowland Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) to Environmental and Anthropogenic Impacts

“…This can be especially important for vulnerable species such as lowland tapirs, which play a crucial role in the maintenance of Neotropical forests due to their function as seed dispersers [ 26 ]. Throughout the species range, habitat loss, illegal hunting, roadkill, competition with livestock and isolation of populations are considered major threats, and lowland tapirs are currently listed as vulnerable, with a decreasing population [ 27 , 28 ].…”

“…In the dense landscape mosaic of the Pantanal, lowland tapirs exhibit a rather flexible habitat use including forest, grassland and savanna [ 29 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 ]. The species also uses degraded habitats and anthropologically used areas, and is present in disturbed and secondary forests, tree plantations and agricultural land [ 28 , 57 , 68 ]. Recent studies indicate that lowland tapirs show little response to human or cattle interference [ 29 , 30 ], but also that the species might lack differentiated behavior in areas with varying disturbance, which could risk human-altered habitats becoming ecological traps [ 31 ].…”