Securing the Future of the Baird's Tapir
The Baird’s Tapir Survival Alliance (BTSA) facilitates collaborative action among local conservationists to preserve Baird’s tapir populations throughout Mesoamerica.
Baird's tapirs have roamed their forest habitats for millions of years, playing a crucial role in ecosystem regeneration, but today they are endangered.
Our Key Initiatives
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Wildlife poaching is a major issue in Latin America, but its impact on the Baird’s tapir population was unclear. The BTSA collaborates to evaluate the effects of hunting across the species range, understand the causes underlying the problem, and develop conservation strategies to decrease this rampant threat.
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Baird's tapirs require large forest areas and are threatened by deforestation and the fragmentation of their remaining habitat. Thus, preserving and connecting existing habitat areas is a key foundation for successful conservation action. BTSA members are working to strengthen the management of existing protected areas and advocate for creating new ones.
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Due to fragmented habitat, tapirs are increasingly venturing onto agricultural land and encountering conflict with humans. One tapir can decimate a hectare of beans or cucumbers in a single night, and retaliation by farmers reliant on the income from their crops threatens tapirs living in agricultural regions. Multiple BTSA members have initiated programs to mitigate this conflict, such as using electric fences to protect crops.
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Despite being the largest neotropical mammal, the Baird’s tapir is a comparatively little-known animal. Public awareness of the species and its importance is vital for successful conservation action. BTSA members conduct educational programs in communities surrounding key tapir habitat, providing children with the foundation for becoming future conservation leaders.
Bringing People Together through Tapir Conservation
The BTSA unites conservationists to secure the future of the Baird’s tapir, drives collaborative research and conservation across its range, and champions greater awareness of the species' importance.
I AM THE TAPIR
For millions of years, Baird's tapirs have roamed Mesoamerica, serving as ecosystem architects and critical seed dispersers, earning them the name "Gardeners of the Forest.”
— The Baird’s Tapir Survival Alliance Team
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