Camera Trapping to Assess Status and Composition of Mammal Communities in a Biodiversity Hotspot in Myanmar

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Tropical forests are one of the most impacted habitats in the world due mostly to anthropogenic pressures. Mammal communities are threatened by many human activities but most of the time knowledge of the status of wildlife populations is lacking. In this study, we investigated two mammal communities, in the poorly studied country of Myanmar, characterized by similar environmental conditions but different levels of human pressure and habitat degradation. We found that the disturbed area hosted a community with a lower mammal diversity (species richness) but not altered in its functional composition (trophic niches and body mass) except for the lack of apex predators. There were also differences in the probability of occurrence of two species (Northern red muntjak and clouded leopard) with significantly lower values in the degraded area. The former being the target of hunting for bushmeat consumption and the latter vulnerable and threatened by human activities. These results increase our knowledge on the direct and indirect effects of human disturbance in tropical forest areas in Myanmar and give us important tools for future conservation actions. ABSTRACT: Tropical forests comprise a critically impacted habitat, and it is known that altered forests host a lower diversity of mammal communities. In this study, we investigated the mammal communities of two areas in Myanmar with similar environmental conditions but with great differences in habitat degradation and human disturbance. The main goal was to understand the status and composition of these communities in an understudied area like Myanmar at a broad scale. Using camera trap data from a three-year-long campaign and hierarchical occupancy models with a Bayesian formulation, we evaluated the biodiversity level (species richness) and different ecosystem functions (diet and body mass), as well as the occupancy values of single species as a proxy for population density. We found a lower mammal diversity in the disturbed area, with a significantly lower number of carnivores and herbivores species. Interestingly, the area did not show alteration in its functional composition. Almost all the specific roles in the community were present except for apex predators, thus suggesting that the effects of human disturbance are mainly effecting the communities highest levels. Furthermore, two species showed significantly lower occupancies in the disturbed area during all the monitoring campaigns: one with a strong pressure for bushmeat consumption and a vulnerable carnivore threatened by illegal wildlife trade.