Is the Atlantic Forest protected area network efficient in maintaining viable populations of Brachyteles hypoxanthus?

Brito, D; Grelle, CEV; Boubli, JP

Abstract

Habitat loss and fragmentation are serious threats to biodiversity conservation in the Atlantic Forest. A network of protected areas is essential to the protection of native biodiversity. However, internal and external factors may threaten the preservation of biota, thus population viability analyses (PVA) are important tools in protected area design and management planning. A PVA was carried out, using the computer package VORTEX, to assess the effectiveness of the protected area network within the Atlantic Forest in Brazil in retaining viable populations of the endemic primate Brachyteles hypoxanthus. The Brazilian Atlantic Forest has 42 protected areas within B. hypoxanthus geographic distribution area, and only five of those were considered to retain viable populations for 50 generations, whereas 28 were predicted to suffer from genetic decay, seven from both genetic decay and demographic stochasticity, and two of them are probably extinct populations. The model indicates that although the protected area network of the Atlantic Forest will likely keep B. hypoxanthus populations for the next 50 generations, most of them (35 out of 42, or 83%) will be facing some kind of demographic and/or genetic problem and will probably need management actions to be implemented in order to ensure their persistence.

Citation

Brito, D., Grelle, C., & Boubli, J. (2008). Is the Atlantic Forest protected area network efficient in maintaining viable populations of Brachyteles hypoxanthus?. Biodiversity and Conservation, 17(13), 3255-3268. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9427-z

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 26, 2008
• Online Publication Date: Jul 11, 2008
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2008
• Deposit Date: Nov 3, 2021
• Journal: Biodiversity and Conservation
• Print ISSN: 0960-3115
• Electronic ISSN: 1572-9710
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 13
• Pages: 3255-3268
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9427-z
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-008-9427-z
• Related Public URLs: http://link.springer.com/journal/10531