Camouflaged cameras to study animals living in the Amazon region
Researchers from Roraima have used cameras hidden in the forest to observe the lives of wild animals and, with this information, bring knowledge about fauna to the population, explaining the importance of environmental preservation.
The idea is to understand how animals live and then develop strategies that “conserve wildlife” in the face of economic advances. Understand below how hidden cameras have helped to preserve animal life in the Amazon:
How monitoring is done
But, in addition, monitoring makes it possible to evaluate the degree of success of environmental policies and actions, in addition to “guaranteeing transparency to society about the real environmental conditions in Roraima”, as stated by the project coordinator and doctor in science from the University of São Paulo, Rafael de Sousa.
“The results obtained with the project, from the vast collection of audiovisual records of wild animals, to the environmental awareness actions carried out, contribute to the preservation of biodiversity in the south of Roraima, integrated with agricultural production, the latter being the main economic activity of the region”, he explains.
In total, there are ten cameras installed around the 520-hectare perimeter of the IFRR legal area – the equivalent of more than 500 football fields. The project’s head of field and monitoring, Gabriel Oliveira, aged 35, explains that the key point is environmental preservation.
“People always ask us: ‘you’re on an agronomy course and you’re doing a preservation study, shouldn’t you be studying agricultural production?’ But we have to make people aware that production has to come with preservation. You have to preserve so you can produce,” she said.
What are the flagrants and the results
Among the records made so far, there are those of imposing animals from the Amazon, such as the jaguar, brown, armadillo, ocelot, tapir and even a rare tayra with white fur.
And why is it important to know how a jaguar lives, for example? According to the professor, knowing about the existence of jaguars in the region and how they behave helps in harmonious coexistence between the population, both jaguars and residents.
“With the data obtained by the cameras, it is possible to make population estimates of jaguars, essential data to verify the level of extinction risk. In addition, it is possible to analyze the way in which the animals occupy space and, based on that, identify possible dangers for the species and prevent the local population from coming into conflict with these animals”, he explains.
As in an edition of the famous reality show, the animals are caught in the species’ usual situations. In total, 19 species of mammals, 20 species of birds and 6 species of reptiles have already been cataloged through unpublished records in the research fields.
As a less invasive technique, camera traps enable the survey, inventory and behavioral analysis of these animals in their natural environment. Other advantages are practicality. The results, according to the researchers, can already be felt in the region where the group operates.
“The continuity of the project is essential so that in the long term the agricultural activities developed in Roraima can be aligned with the preservation of the environment. Furthermore, the intense engagement of people with the project on social networks demonstrates the relevance of this work before society and how protecting the Amazon is everyone’s issue”.
