BBC Wildlife - UK 2020-07)

(Antfer) #1
July 2020

WILDNEWS


Dr PatríciaMedici


WhitleyGoldAward 2020
winnerDrPatríciaMedici
leadsthelargestlowland
tapirstudyintheworld
andplanstoexpandher
work to the Amazon.

Chair of the IUCN/SSC Tapir Specialist Group


MEET THE SCIENTIST


W

henPatrícia
Medici
co-founded
Brazil's
Institutefor
Ecological
Research(IPÊ)in1995,theNGO’s
focuswasspeciesconservation–
particularlyanimalsaboutwhich
peopleknewverylittle:“I choseto
studythelargestlandmammalin
SouthAmerica– thelowlandtapir.”
Theconservationistadmitsshe
onlystartedtofallinlovewiththe
speciesafterlearningmoreaboutit.
“Thesegardenersoftheforestare
superimportantastheyplaya key
roleinshapingandmaintainingthe
ecosystembydispersingseeds– 50
percentoftheirdietis nativefruits.”
Theelusiveherbivoresaretrickyto
studybut,after 25 yearsofworking
acrosstheAtlanticForest,Pantanal
andCerradoecosystems,Medici
hasdiscoveredthatthesolitary
lowlandtapirhasa largeareaofuse,
equivalentto 500 footballfields.
“Itneedsthisrangetofindfood,
waterandshelter,”she
says.“Ifyouconserve
a lowlandtapir
population,you
areconserving
hugechunks
ofhabitat,
whichbenefits
otheranimals
and plants.”

aredeforestationandhabitat
fragmentation;poachingand
hunting;pesticideusedinlarge-scale
agriculture;androadtraffic.Medici’s
conservationstrategyis toidentify,
quantifyandmitigatetheknown
threat.SomeofTheLowlandTapir
ConservationInitiative’sgreatest
successesincludereducingtapir
roadkillwithspeedcamerasand
educationalsigns,andraisingthe
flagaboutpesticidecontamination,
afterdiscoveringchemicalsintapirs.
Medici’s£60,000GoldAward
fromtheWhitleyFundfor
Naturewillbeusedtostudyand
reducethreatstotapirsinthe
Amazon,alongthesouthernarc
ofdeforestationinMatoGrosso
andParastates.“Infourselected
areas,weplantofocusonlarge-
scaleagricultureandpesticides;
forestmanagementcombinedwith
logging;mining;andpalmoil,”she
says.Thelattertwoarethreatsthat
theprojecthasnotresearchedbefore.
“Thetimingcouldnotbemore
appropriate,giventhecurrent
politicalsituationinthecountry.
Takingactionnowis particularly
importanttoavoidwildlifeand
climate emergencies.”Jo Price

Aerstudyingpathways
usedbytapirsinAtlantic
Forest,webuiltthelargest
wildlife corridor in Brazil.

S


T


Medici’sprojectincludes
mappingroutesusedbytapirs
andreforestingthesecorridorsto
connectfragmentedareasofforest
andtackleclimatechange.“After
studyingpathwaysusedbytapirsin
AtlanticForest,webuiltthelargest
wildlifecorridorinBrazil,withthe
participationoflocalcommunities.”
Adoptingagroforestry
practices
sparkedpeople’s
interestandthis
evolvedintoall
kindsofrelationships


  • developing
    sustainable
    businessesand
    educatingpeople
    abouttheimportance
    oftheenvironment.
    Themainthreatsto
    lowlandtapirs in Brazil


Patricia portrait: Liana John/Whitley Awards 2020; tapir (x2): Joao Marcos Rosa/Whitley Awards 2020

Medicidevelopedher
researchworkwith
tapirs in the Pantanal.

WhitleyFund
forNature:
whitleyaward.
org; IPÊ:
ipe.org.br/en

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