Potential contributions of mammals to human well-being in Argentina

Abstract

Mammals are key components of biodiversity mediating ecosystem functions, mainly because ofthe diversity of forms and functions of this group. Understanding and making explicit the role of mammalsunderpinning Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) or directly contributing to human well-being wouldhelp to in uence policy formulation towards sustainable development and nature conservation. Througha workshop held at the XXXII Jornadas Argentinas de Mastozoología and subsequent collaborative work,we compiled information related to Mammal’s Contributions to People in Argentina (MCP-Arg) based onparticipants’ interpretation of the available literature and their eld experience. Argentinian mammalscontribute to 12 of the 18 de ned NCPs. We derived numerous MCP-Arg from studies that focused mainly onecological processes and conservation, revealing an information gap in MCP-Arg description, quanti cation,and mapping. All taxa contribute similarly to the overall contributions, highlighting the importance ofpreserving mammal diversity. Conservation should also be framed at the local community rather thanregional scales, aiming to preserve ecological functioning and contributions to human well-being, especiallywithin regulation contributions. Our results show destructive feedback between threats and habitat-relatedcontributions, with habitat degradation being the greatest threat to mammalian contributions and habitatmaintenance the most threatened one. Our research indicates that a substantial amount of knowledge about MCP-Arg is available through narratives and interpretations. Considering the NCP approach to mammalia Considering the NCP approach to mammalian research, we can make signi cant contributions to both mammal conservation and human well-being