WILDLIFE SURVEILLANCE
The intense poacher’s activity in recent years have caused local population felines and white lipped peccary and many other animals to be declared almost extinct in many parts of Panama. However, white lipped peccary species considered extinct in many areas, has recently been observed by local residents in temporal patches along
buffer zone of Cerro Hoya National park (CHNP). These scenarios are enhanced by the lack of knowledge about the species natural history and their role in the nature web, also the lack of science-oriented information to drive the action of government authorities.
Our camera trap project aims to make a long-term surveillance on the existing wildlife, with special attention to endangered or critically endangered species. We will use this information to feed a local environmental education program to schools and communities; to monitor the status of the wildlife in the area and the effectiveness of the conservation efforts, and to produce education materials to promote local awareness towards wildlife and its conservation.
A core part of the project will be the deployment of 30 state of the art camera traps in different parts of the national park, checked every 50 days, during five consecutive years. At a starting stage the surveillance will last for one year after which an assessment will be conducted to make the necessary amendments, if needed.
During the last years the land cover change, mainly for extensive cattle and agriculture, has increased due in part to the lack of economic opportunities and the lack of knowledge about the environmental values that Panama national parks possesses. These changes have enhanced the conflict between humans and wildlife, especially with wild cats.
According to local people Jaguars have attacked cattle and horses that are kept in pasture land inside the park or in its buffer zone. Usually the quick solution to the problem deals with the hunting and killing of the wild cats. One important issue of this problem is the lack of knowledge about the role that this and other wildlife plays in the nature web.
The only known systematic surveillance study conducted in CHNP was developed between 2014 and 2015 by an American student, Jessica Fort. However, this study was preliminary and did not cover much of the park area.
Our project will deploy new camera traps in new areas never surveyed before, inside and in the buffer zone of the park. This information will prove to be vital for stakeholders and managers of Ministry of Environment in Panama, and will booster the promotion of Panama Wildlife Conservation as an active collaborator in the conservation of the CHNP.
