Preserved Versus Degraded Coastal Environments: A Case Study Of The Neotropical Otter In The Environmental Protection Area Of Anhatomirim, Southern Brazil

In Brazil, the data available on the ecology of the Neotropical otter in marine-coastal areas are scarce. The relationship between their spraint and environmental quality has been little studied. The Environmental Protection Area (APA) of Anhatomirim extends over about 12 km of the North Bay of Florianopolis. In this area two studies were carried out, one in May/August 2000 and the other from January 2001 to January 2002. In the first stage, otter signs and environmental characteristics were registered; the spraints were collected and the rivers and sign sites were georeferenced. In the second stage, a preserved and a non-preserved strip with high anthropological influence were inspected periodically. The methodological procedure was the same as that used in the first stage. Along preserved rivers (13%), footprints, excavations and burrows were all found, whilst at rivers with a low degree of degradation (41%), both footprints and excavations were found but not burrows. Of the 474 spraints collected, 60% were from the preserved area. In the degraded area, 37% of the spraints were located in a strip between 100 and 150m from an urban nucleus. In the coastal area of this APA, the Neotropical otter is very flexible with a high capacity to survive impacts, since these don't directly affect the trophic chain and impede the making of burrows.