Dear colleagues We are pleased to share with you our new publication which visually quantified threats to marine mammals in Colombia (South America), and identified mitigation actions:
Avila, I.C. & A. Giraldo (2022) Áreas en riesgo para los mamíferos marinos en Colombia [Risk areas for marine mammals in Colombia]. Revista de Biología Tropical, 70: 96-113. https://doi.org/10.15517/rev. biol. trop..v70i1.48553 Abstract: Marine mammals are affected by diverse threats that must be identified for mitigation efforts. Objective: To visually quantify threats to marine mammals in Colombia, and to identify mitigation actions. Methods: We georeferenced threats based on the literature, covering 35 species in the period 1991-2020, and superimposed them on species range maps. Results: 22 species had at least one threat. Bycatch and interactions with fishing gear affected 16 species, followed by direct capture (8 species), vessel traffic/transit (6 species) and alteration of ocean physics (6 species). The most affected species, in terms of the greatest diversity of threats, are: humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), Caribbean West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus), marine tucuxi (Sotalia guianensis) and bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Nearly all of Colombia's marine territory presents some degree of risk for marine mammals. High-risk areas are Buenaventura, Guapi, Cupica Gulf and Tumaco in the Pacific; and Urabá Gulf, Darién Gulf, Morrosquillo Gulf, off Barranquilla, Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta and Coquivacoa Gulf in the Caribbean. Conclusion: Marine mammals in Colombia are currently at risk due to several threats, especially related to fishing , hunting/capture and shipping activities, mainly in coastal areas. Urgent evaluation and management actions are needed in the ten high-risk areas identified in this study. The article is Open Access and is available here: https://revistas.ucr.ac.cr/index.php/rbt/article/view/48553?fbclid=IwAR1kv8XBwQQY4nMMsTHKWCAo5ibX0P4tSUlABzTv9v6B6h8p-E9jJa8C9j8 Best regards, Isabel C. Avila -- Dr. Isabel Cristina Avila Jiménez Marine Biologist PhD in Environmental Sciences Research Associate of the Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW), University of Hannover, Germany Research member of the Animal Ecology group, Universidad del Valle, Colombia E-mails: isabel_c_av...@yahoo.com / isabelc.av...@gmail.com http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1389-8908 https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabel-c-avila-j-68983b34/ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Isabel_Avila2 https://www.tiho-hannover.de/itaw/beschaeftigte/beschaeftigte-buesum/isabel-avila
_______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
