Anders Goncalves da Silva

Conservation and Landscape Genetics of Lowland Tapir (Tapirus Terrestris) in a Periodically Flooded Amazonian Forest, Brazil

Anders sampling dung at the Mountain View Breeding and Conservation Centre (BC, Canada) to test different DNA collection and preservation methods from tapir dung (Photo: R. Hajjar).

Calling Tapirs.

Lowland Tapir.

Anders examining some tapir tracks.

Lowland Tapir.

LocationCountryCategoriesDate
Jaú National ParkBrazilBiodiversity, Central and Latin America, Mammals31 Jan 2008

Biodiversity is key to human well-being. Globally, freshwater wetland ecosystem services, for instance, are valued at US$14,785.00 ha-1 yr-1, providing such services as water filtration, carbon sequestration, and buffering against the effects of climate change. However, wetlands are extremely threatened by, among other things, land conversion and increased human population density. Efforts have been made to catalogue and quantify biodiversity worldwide, including those in wetlands. However, we now need comprehensive models of species and their ecosystems to monitor and predict changes.

In view of this, I propose to design a predictive risk model based on the Amazon Flooded Forest (or igapó) region of Brazil and the lowland tapir, a keystone species. This transient ecosystem is essential for many species, including humans. Quantifying its importance will allow for better management plans both within and outside of conservation areas. The model, based on geographic, ecological, and genetic information coupled with population and spatial/temporal modelling, will be an important management tool to inform decision-makers and stakeholders about potential effects of different development options, and possible mitigation alternatives. This tool is to be flexible enough to be adaptable to other species and ecosystems in the world. To carry out this work, I will combine the expertise at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, the Fundação Vitória Amazônica, the Universidade Federal do Amazonas, and the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group.

To read about Ander's previous project http://www.ruffordsmallgrants.org/rsg/Projects/AndersGoncalvesdaSilva or for more information contact anders.goncalvesdasilva@ubc.ca

Project Update: June 2008

'I am currently in Manaus, in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. My field site is in the Jaú National Park, which until recently was the largest protected area in Brazil, with just over 2.2 million hectares covering the whole of the Jaú River Basin. I arrived during the peak of the flood, so most of the area was either under water or the soil was quiet wet'.

You can read more in the update below

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Project Update: November 2008

Read about the activities undertaken to date in the interim report below.

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Project Update: November 2009

We had difficulties exporting/importing samples from Brazil/Canada but they have all been sorted out and they have finally arrived in Canada in October 2009. We are expecting a second batch of samples to arrive in the New Year, from the last 5 months of sampling.

As we gain experience with the site we have found that sampling in the dry season yields more samples than in the wet season. So, we have focused our last sampling in the dry season from July to November. In fact, Tripa our field assistant, is just finishing off our last round of sampling.

We have also been training two local Master's students (Adriana Barcelos and Gabriela Medeiros) on tapir genetic sampling and lab techniques. Adriana and Gabriela are interested in applying the same techniques from this project to two new areas in the Amazon. One is north of the field site, in a National Park in the state of Roraima, and the other is in a State Park created to offset the forest loss due to the flooding of the Balbina hydroelectric dam. We have also finished developing the molecular markers that we will use in this study and have successfully applied them to evaluating the genetic health of the Argentinian captive lowland tapir population. Also, during my last visit to Manaus I was able to give a talk to the National Institute for Amazonian Research about the use of modern genetic techniques to tackle questions related to ecology and monitoring of the Amazon biodiversity.

While in Manaus, I was also able to talk with a local woman who has created a wildlife sanctuary in Manaus. She has had plenty of experience taking care of tapirs, and has given me a few anecdotes which I am writing up for the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group newsletter. In this forum, I have been writing with the objective of drawing the Tapir Conservation Newsletter audience's attention to important methods, tools and concepts for tapir conservation published in the scientific literature. I am currently writing a piece talking about the "10k vertebrate genomes" initiative launched by the San Diego Zoo and the National Institutes of Health, which will sequence the whole lowland tapir genome, and with the recent publication of the horse genome, will give us a number of tools to evaluate the health of tapir populations by examining genes directly associated with resistance to disease, or tolerance to climate change.


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