Abstract

CHAVEZ-LEON, Gilberto. Terrestrial vertebrates of managed coniferous forests. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2024, vol.15, n.81, pp.187-219.  Epub May 13, 2024. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v15i81.1423.

Sustainable forest management requires the integration of better practices for the conservation of biological diversity. Therefore, it is necessary to know the composition and richness of wild communities in sites where different forest management practices are applied. To this end, the fauna of managed forests in the Chignahuapan region of Puebla State was sampled for four years. A total of 112 species were recorded: 13 medium and large mammals, 83 birds, four amphibians and 12 reptiles. The abundances of these observed species were used to calculate the expected richness with the non-parametric Chao1 estimator. The management method with the highest expected richness was the Silvicultural Development Method (MDS) with 113, followed by Successive Cutting (CS) with 97, and the lowest was observed in the Mexican Method for the Management of Irregular Forests (MMOBI) with 71. Sampling completeness ranged from 92 % in amphibians to 99 % in mammals. Sixteen species are in some risk category in the official Mexican standard NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010, and 25 are endemic to Mexico. Taxonomic lists contain information on conservation status, endemism and relative abundance. Intensive forest management methods, such as MDS, have a richer mammal and bird community than MMOBI and CS but are similar to protected areas. The richness and abundance of amphibians and reptiles, most of them in some risk category, are low, especially in MMOBI and CS, and almost absent in protected areas.

Keywords : Amphibians; birds; mammals; Silvicultural Development Method; Mexican Method for Irregular Forest Management; reptiles.