#NatCapImpact: species advocacy At this year’s COP16 in Cali, Colombia, NatCap’s Juliana Vélez Gómez engaged in a key meeting with the Regional Autonomous Corporation of Risaralda (CARDER). The meeting focused on the conservation of animal species, specifically focusing on the threats faced by the mountain tapir– the largest terrestrial mammal in the tropical Andes. Tapirs are crucial ecosystem engineers: they disperse seeds and maintain viable forest ecosystems. Mountain tapirs have been increasingly attacked by domestic and feral dogs, as human settlements expand closer to wildlife habitats. Furthermore, injuries on the tapirs' skin are now being colonized by the screwworm— a species which has traditionally been documented in lowland areas, but which is increasingly migrating to higher altitudes, likely in response to climate change. The screwworm’s larvae feed on living tissue, often leading to the death of infested animals. The combination of dog attacks and screwworm parasitism threatens Andean tapirs, and the extinction of tapir populations would have devastating effects for Andean forests. The participating parties left the meeting with an agreement to protect both the tapirs and their ecosystem. The agreement established four categories of work: management of the situation with the canine population, treatment of injured tapirs, monitoring of tapir populations, and assessment of the impact of the screwworm on the species. Guided by this framework and strengthened by collaboration, the meeting participants are on the path to species-saving action. Read coverage: https://lnkd.in/giwSuZzg
