A surprising phenomenon has been discovered at a Brazilian study site after a massive wildfire.
Phys.org published an article from Oregon State University reporting details on growing jaguar populations in the wetlands of Brazil after drought and devastation, indicating it may be a climate refuge. These are areas that often prove to be more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
Charlotte Eriksson, an Oregon State University post-doctorate scholar, was quoted as saying, "Finding even more jaguars and other mammals in the study area following the 2020 wildfire and extreme drought suggests that it may serve as a climate refuge, buffering the effects of extreme climate events."
The 36,700-acre seasonally flooded and federally protected area already had the biggest population of jaguars, and, since the wildfire, their numbers are growing. These particular jaguars are special in that they maintain an aquatic-organism-based diet and are more likely to cohabitate with their kind.
Researchers have been studying these animals and their diets since 2014 with field cameras and scat collections.
Eriksson, as written by Sean Nealon, explained that jaguars are caught more frequently by the trail cameras than any other mammal — a rare finding considering the animal's solitary and elusive tendencies.
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"I have never been to a place where the presence of a large carnivore is so obvious," she said.
The 2020 wildfires were ignited by human activities that caused extreme drought and extreme temperatures, burning over 11 million acres with an estimated loss of 17 million vertebrates. Despite this, the area's ecological resilience and establishment as a climate refuge call for proactive fire management to protect this habitat.
Trail cameras are massively helpful in conservation efforts for endangered species when it comes to monitoring population health as well as tracking rehabilitation progress. It's also proof that these areas need to be kept safe to protect these endangered species, who have nowhere else to go due to habitat loss from deforestation and extreme weather events, both exacerbated by humans.
Trail cameras aren't just helping jaguars in Brazil. Cameras in northern Minnesota and Colorado have caught the almost-never-seen lynx. The threatened and protected Allegheny woodrat was captured on film in West Virginia. A Javan rhinoceros and its calf were spotted in Indonesia — proof that the herd is still growing.
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These sightings bring hope and are proof that conservation efforts are not only vital but also effective in protecting rare and endangered species across the globe.
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