Working to save endangered species in Nicaragua -- ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160323214210.htm
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Summary:
from research organizations
March 23, 2016
Michigan State University
A proposed canal project in Nicaragua that would connect
the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean could seriously
deplete and disrupt the habitats of a number of animals,
including some that are endangered, say scientists.
FULL STORY
A proposed canal project in Nicaragua that would connect
the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean could seriously de‐
plete and disrupt the habitats of a number of animals, includ‐
ing some that are endangered.
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In an effort to eliminate the damage, a team of researchers, including one
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As it stands now, the project calls for the building of an introceanic canal
that will connect the two bodies of water, bisecting the Central American
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ries and the globally endangered Baird's tapir.
The research used occupancy models to determine which part of the
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mammals.
"The proposed canal would divide the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
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Working to save endangered species in
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Working to save endangered species in Nicaragua -- ScienceDaily
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/03/160323214210.htm
particular, wide-ranging species like jaguars and tapirs could be heavily im‐
pacted."
The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is a multi-country effort to protect
continuity of habitat from Mexico to Panama. It runs along the eastern side
of Nicaragua.
The study found one of the key remaining area of suitable habitat for large
mammals in the path of the proposed canal is a relatively thin strip of forest
from the eastern edge of what will be known as Lake Atlanta, a humanmade
body of water near the Caribbean coast. Without this strip of land, the ani‐
mals would be cut off from the larger habitat south of the canal and would
struggle to find others for breeding.
The paper offers five recommended adjustments to the canal design that
would make it easier for large mammals to move through the area. Among
them are to move the location or adjust the size of Lake Atlanta to minimize
flooding of those habitat areas, and to build small, forested islands that
species could use as refuges. Nonetheless, the impact of the canal could
be even greater if it leads to further deforestation of the remaining protected
areas.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies jaguars as near
threatened globally, but are rare in Nicaragua with a population of fewer
than 500. Baird's tapirs are close to critically endangered in Central America
and many biologists believe that range-wide hunting has made the whitelipped peccary the most threatened mammal in Central America.
Other members of the research team are lead author Christopher Jordan, a
former MSU graduate student who now works for Global Wildlife Conserva‐
tion; Cody Schank of GWC and the University of Texas; and Armando Dans
of GWC.
Apr. 16, 2014 — A 20-year
assessment of Nicaragua’s legal,
artisanal green sea turtle fishery has
uncovered a stark reality: greatly
reduced overall catch rates of
turtles in what may have become an
unsustainable ... read more ∠
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Journal Reference:
1. Armando J. Dans et al. Terrestrial Mammal Occupancy in the Con‐
text of Widespread Forest Loss and a Proposed Interoceanic Canal
in Nicaragua's Decreasingly Remote South Caribbean Region.
PLOS ONE, March 2016 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151372.
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Michigan State University. "Working to save endangered species in
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