Balancing Timber Harvest and Biodiversity: Wildlife Impacts of Selective Logging in the Chiquibul

Selective logging is often promoted as a sustainable forestry practice that maintains biodiversity and ecosystem function, yet its ecological consequences remain under examined, particularly in tropical forests. This study investigates how selective logging affects wildlife communities in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Belize. Using remote camera trap data from 22 sites (9 unlogged forest sites and 13 logged (stump) sites) we assessed species richness, trophic structure, and environmental predictors of wildlife abundance. While overall wildlife captures and species richness did not differ significantly between forest and stump habitats, principal component analysis revealed strong community-level separation, with stump habitats supporting distinct species assemblages. A Poisson generalized linear model showed significantly higher overall wildlife abundance in stump sites (χ² = 71.3, p < 2.2e−16), driven by species such as Baird’s tapir (Tapirus bairdii), great curassow (Crax rubra), and collared peccary (Pecari tajacu). Conversely, species like the blue ground dove and black hawk were more commonly observed in unlogged forest areas. Environmental variables, particularly elevation, slope, percent vertical obstruction, and number of trails, were significant predictors of species presence, suggesting microhabitat filtering post-logging. These findings demonstrate that even without altering total richness, selective logging can reshape wildlife communities and influence species distributions, with key implications for conservation and forest management strategies in tropical ecosystems.