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Abstract
Historically, the San Bernardino Ranch has performed, as economical activities, livestock and farming, which has contributed to the deterioration of regional ecosystems. The ranch is ecologically important due to the diverse types of habitats of conservation interest such as the semi-desert grassland, the riparian vegetation, and a large ciénega, in which restoration efforts are being applied through water harvesting by gabions. Mammals are essential in the ecosystem. Knowing about the actual species that live on the different sites of the ranch tells us about the healthy state of the environments. We used the direct and indirect sampling methods to identify 26 species of terrestrial mammals on the Ranch. Using this information, we compared the richness and diversity of the ranch species with the species living in the San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge located next to the border, which was a helpful comparison since the Refuge has more years of restoration experience than does the San Bernardino Ranch.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Madrean Archipelago,
Sky Islands,
southwestern United States,
northern Mexico,
natural environment,
fauna,
flora,
research,
management,
biodiversity,
climate change
Citation
Bonillas-Monge, Mario Erandi; Valdez-Coronel, Carlos Manuel. 2013. Richness of mammals on the San Bernardino Ranch in the municipality of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 248-251.
