Supporting Indigenous-Led Community Biodiversity Monitoring in the Sierra Norte of Oaxaca, Mexico

Abstract

This Master’s Project supported the Integrator of Campesino and Indigenous Communities of Oaxaca (ICICO) in developing a community-based wildlife monitoring program with the communities of San Miguel Abejones and Santa María Jaltianguis. It examines the year-long community engagement process culminating in the deployment of a co-designed sampling protocol using camera traps and passive acoustic monitors to assess the impact of forest management on mammal and bird diversity. The project also analyzes preliminary camera trap data collected by community members, which detected 18 mammal species across 20 sampling sites. These presence data informed species distribution models for four focal species—Puma concolor, Leopardus wiedii, Pecari tajacu, and Nasua narica—which were used in a cost-surface analysis identifying potential biodiversity corridors between the communities.