Survey of medium-sized and large mammals in semideciduous Atlantic Forest patches near Alfenas, southern Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

We surveyed, with the aid of camera traps, medium-sized and large terrestrial mammals in 8 patches of semideciduous Atlantic Forest near the city of Alfenas, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We recorded species occurrence using 2 camera traps per fragment, which were simultaneously active for 2 months each. We recorded 16 species, plus a species of armadillo that we were unable to identify to genus. The rarefaction curve tended to stabilize, evidencing the efficacy of our methods. The species richness was similar or higher to other surveys carried out in remnants of seasonal semideciduous Atlantic Forest or transitional areas. However, such seemingly high richness in a severely degraded and fragmented region, including large carnivores and endangered species, hides a wide variation in richness among fragments. This calls for urgent actions to improve the landscape for these animals to ensure their survival in the long term, as some populations are probably not viable in the long run.