Differences in mammal communities between forest fragments and restoration areas in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

AbstractThe persistence of larger mammals in fragmented forest landscapes depends not only on the protection of remaining habitats but also on ecological restoration sites. It is known that the landscape context is an important predictor of species persistence, abundance and distribution. Here we evaluate how landscape characteristics influence the recovery of larger mammals in ecological restoration sites. We assess the richness and composition of mammals in forest fragments and restoration sites using landscape metrics such as forest cover and connectivity. Forest fragments and restoration sites present the same richness (n = 26), but differ in species composition. Some seed‐dispersing mammals were absent in restoration areas, such as Alouatta guariba (brown howler monkey) and Coendou spinosus (paraguayan hairy dwarf porcupine). The percentage of forest cover in the landscape was responsible for 29.09% of the variation in species composition between the evaluated forest formations, exerting a positive or negative influence depending on the species requirements. The results demonstrate the importance of considering not only landscape metrics in an ecological restoration plan, but also the historical landscape context, such as the fauna composition before the disturbance and how these species respond to environmental changes, thus improving the success of future ecological restoration measurements and policies.