A new study from the Honduran Mosquitia shows how simple, non-invasive technology can help solve one of the most common challenges in wildlife conservation: identifying the species actually responsible for crop damage. The full detailed results have been published in the open-access peer-reviewed journal Neotropical Biology and Conservation.
Across tropical landscapes, people living near forests often share the same concern: wildlife entering agricultural fields and feeding on crops. In many cases, these interactions can generate tension between local communities and conservation efforts, particularly when threatened species are perceived as the main culprits.
In the Indigenous Miskitu community of Mavita, in eastern Honduras, local people have long reported losses in their cassava (Manihot esculenta) fields, locally known as yucales. Most residents believed that the damage was caused by Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), an endangered species and the largest terrestrial mammal in Central America. They also suspected that pacas (Cuniculus paca) and armadillos (Dasypus mexicanus) were contributing to crop losses.
But was the tapir really responsible?
To answer this question, researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) installed camera traps equipped with solar-powered motion-activated LED lights around a 10-hectare cassava field located within a mosaic of Caribbean pine forest and tropical rainforest in the Honduran Mosquitia.
The goal was to document which mammals were actually visiting the crops and evaluate whether these light systems could eventually help reduce crop losses.
Following the evidence
Over two months of monitoring, the cameras recorded seven mammal species, including tapirs, ocelots, jaguarundis, agoutis, opossums and rabbits.
Contrary to local perceptions, the species most frequently detected interacting with cassava crops was not the tapir, but the Honduran cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus hondurensis) – a species that locals did not even know occurred in their plantations. The cameras also found no evidence that armadillos or pacas were feeding on the cassava.
Meanwhile, tapirs were present in the area, but appeared far less frequently than expected.
Many conservation conflicts begin with assumptions. Without evidence, it is easy to blame large and conspicuous animals. Camera traps allowed us to identify which species were truly interacting with the crops and helped us separate perception from reality.
- explains lead author Manfredo Turcios-Casco
Why does this matter?
Correctly identifying the species involved in crop damage is more important than it might seem.
Across Latin America, wildlife is often persecuted after being blamed for agricultural losses. In Honduras, Baird's tapir has historically faced retaliatory hunting in areas where farmers perceive it as a threat to their crops.
When damage is incorrectly attributed to threatened species, conservation efforts can be undermined while the actual source of the problem goes unaddressed.
The study highlights how non-invasive monitoring can provide communities and conservation practitioners with reliable information before management decisions are made.
Technology for coexistence
The project also tested the use of solar-powered motion-sensor lights, sometimes referred to as “silent technology,” as a tool to monitor and potentially deter wildlife activity.
Researchers found that different species reacted differently to the lights. Tapirs tended to show stronger behavioral responses, while rabbits often continued moving through the area despite illumination. These findings suggest that no single deterrent works for every species and that mitigation strategies should be tailored to local ecological conditions.
More importantly, the technology proved valuable as a diagnostic tool, helping researchers understand not only which species were present, but also when they were active and how they responded to human-made stimuli.
Conservation begins with understanding
The forests of the Honduran Mosquitia harbor some of the most important wildlife populations remaining in Central America. Yet the long-term conservation of these species depends not only on protecting habitat, but also on fostering coexistence with local communities.
What surprised me most was discovering that the species most frequently blamed by local people was not the one causing most of the crop interactions.
- expressed Manfredo Turcios-Casco
This study demonstrates that effective conservation starts with understanding what is actually happening on the ground. Sometimes the evidence confirms what people already suspect. And sometimes it reveals that the animal everyone blamed was innocent all along.
Acknowledgments
This article was produced by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), with technical support of the community of Mavita and the financial support from the Fondo para el Manejo de Áreas Protegidas y Vida Silvestre (FAVPS) and the Biodiverse Landscapes Fund (BLF), funded by UK International Development. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the UK Government.
Original source
Turcios-Casco MA, Jolon-Morales MR, Padilla B, Scott E, López CM (2026) From forest mosaics to yucales: noninvasive monitoring untangles mammal–crop interactions in eastern Honduras. Neotropical Biology and Conservation 21(2): 173-188. https://doi.org/10.3897/neotropical.21.e187958
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