Can feces save the species?

“If we wish to speak of sustainable development, we have to establish incentives and strategies for farmers to maintain native species in agricultural landscapes,” Machado said.

In addition to CI-Brazil, the project is supported by the University of Brasilia, the Jaguar Conservation Fund, and the Chico Mendes Institute for Conservation of Biodiversity, the entity responsible for management of the Emas National Park.

The dogs are trained in the same manner as those trained to sniff out drugs. When the dogs find the feces, the accompanying researcher marks the location with a GPS (Global Positioning System) and collects the samples. With the aid of satellite images, the sample data are correlated with the environments where the samples were found.

Prof. Jader Marinho Filho of the University of Brasilia, a sponsor of the project, said sniffing dogs can collect data that otherwise would only be available through radio telemetry and other expensive and labor-intensive techniques. Tracking dogs also are non-intrusive, collecting biological material without capturing or sedating animals, and the information they help gather is essential.

“The levels of stress hormones in the animals’ feces are important indicators in the evaluation of their capacity to reproduce in a given environment,” Marinho Filho said. “These data allow us to estimate which mammals would be able to reproduce or if they would be destined to disappear from the region.”

Photos are available at the following link: http://images.conservation.org/admin/packaging/viewtransmit_ext.aspx?messageId=102382&userName=gpoggi&session=dc6d29652eaec07c65bf5e92e257edf4

Contacts:
Susan Bruce, International Media, 703-341-2471,
Tom Cohen, U.S. Media, 703-341-2729,

Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity and demonstrate that human societies can live harmoniously with nature. Founded in 1987, CI works in more than 40 countries on four continents to help people find economic alternatives without harming their natural environments. For more information about CI, visit www.conservation.org.