Although many large mammals currently face significant threats that could lead to their extinction, resources for conservation are often scarce, resulting in the need to develop efficient plans to prioritize conservation actions. We combined several methods in spatial ecology to identify the distribution of the endangered Baird's tapir across its range from southern Mexico to northern Colombia. Twenty-eight habitat patches covering 23% of the study area were identified, harboring potentially 62% or more of the total population for this flagship species. Roughly half of the total area is under some form of protection, while most of the remaining habitat (~70%) occurs in indigenous/local communities. The network with maximum connectivity created from these patches contains at least one complete break (in Mexico between Selva El Ocote and Selva Lacandona) even when considering the most generous dispersal scenario. The connectivity analysis also highlighted a probable break at the Panama Canal and high habitat fragmentation in Honduras. In light of these findings, we recommend the following actions to facilitate the conservation of Baird's tapir: 1) protect existing habitat by strengthening enforcement in areas already under protection, 2) work with indigenous territories to preserve and enforce their land rights, and help local communities maintain traditional practices; 3) re-establish connections between habitat patches that will allow for connectivity across the species' distribution; 4) conduct additional noninvasive surveys in patches with little or no species data; and 5) collect more telemetry and genetic data on the species to estimate home range size, dispersal capabilities, and meta-population structure.

Large mammalian herbivores are experiencing population reductions and range declines. However, we lack regional knowledge of population status for many herbivores, particularly in developing countries. Addressing this knowledge gap is key to implementing tailored conservation strategies forspecies whose population declines are highly variable across their range. White-lipped peccaries (Tayassupecari) are important ecosystem engineers in Neotropical forests and are highly sensitive to human disturbance. Despite maintaining a wide distributional range, white-lipped peccaries are experiencing substantial population declines in some portions of their range.We examined the regional distribution and population status of the species in Mesoamerica. We used a combination of techniques, including expert-based mapping and assessment of population status, and data-driven distribution modelling techniques to determine the status and range limits of white-lipped peccaries. Our analysis revealed declining and highly isolated populations of peccaries across Mesoamerica, with a range reduction of 87% from historic distribution and 63% from current IUCN range estimates for the region. White-lipped peccary distribution is affected by indices of human influence and forest cover, and more restricted than other sympatric large herbivores, with their largest populations confined to transboundary reserves. To conserve white-lipped peccaries in Mesoamerica, transboundary efforts will be needed that focus on both forest conservation and hunting management, increased cross-border coordination, and reconsideration of country and regional conservation priorities. Our methodology to detail regional white-lipped peccary status could be employed on other poorly-known large mammals.

Movement is a critical animal behavior which reflects animal response to its current biological needs and to its environment. Comprehending how and why the animals use the available space and the underlying drivers of animal movements is essential to the management and conservation for both species and ecosystems. This chapter aims to understand and describe the movements of the largest felid of the Neotropics, the jaguar (Panthera onca), through different approaches with the purpose to contribute to the existing knowledge of the spatial ecology of this species and to design strong conservation actions for the jaguar in the tropical forest of Central America. We described the movement ecology of jaguars in tropical forests using the information of five individuals fitted with satellite GPS collars in the Greater Lacandona Ecosystem, Chiapas, Mexico. We estimate the home range of jaguars through the autocorrelated kernel density estimation and compare it with different studies implemented throughout the species range. Using the movement-based kernel approach analyzed under the biased random bridge model, we identify the areas that were intensively used and repeatedly visited by the jaguars inside their home range.

The biased random bridge allowed having a more dynamic and realistic approach to describe the space use and habitat selection by jaguars which complement the information about the movements of the species for the region. Finally, we evaluate the movement decisions of jaguars by the step selection function to identify which landscape variables influence the movement behavior of the species in the Greater Lacandona Ecosystem. The development of new movement models and analytical tools have allowed to make more precise inferences regarding the space use and movements of secretive tropical species such as the jaguar which should translate in better conservation strategies to ensure their long-term conservation.