In the previous issue of Tapir Conservation Newsletter (June 2005), the article of Ask The Experts mentions that “…several small populations of tapir are becoming isolated from their core populations” as a result of the fragmentation. If we introduce the fact that there is a reduction in numbers of individuals by over-hunting, we have a perfect scenario for loss of genetic diversity. By genetic diversity of a population we mean the evolutionary potential of populations. If a population has a low genetic diversity this means that this population has a lower chance to survive a detrimental stochastic event than a population with higher genetic diversity. For a changing environment such as the Andes region, considered a region with high rates of land transformation where the natural ecosystems can disappear in relatively short periods of time, we must understand all the dynamics occurring in the ecosystem, as well as the ecology, demography, natural history and the genetic aspects of remaining Mountain tapir populations to be able to overcome their extinction.
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