Unveiling the Mammalian Diversity and Conservation Significance of Jianfengling Region: A Camera-Trapping Survey of Mammals in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park

The Jianfengling region on southwestern Hainan Island is a sanctuary for a diverse range of wild animals. However, the exact extent of mammal species diversity and conservation status in Jianfengling remains largely unknown. Using camera-trapping data spanning from October 2020 to November 2021, this study focused on the diversity and distribution status of mammal species in Jianfengling, Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park, China. The survey, with 41,571 camera days and 8091 independent detections, revealed 15 mammalian species belonging to 6 orders and 10 families. Among these detected species, one was categorized as Critically Endangered, and one as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. According to the Red List of China's Vertebrates, one was categorized as Critically Endangered, one as Endangered, three as Vulnerable, and three as Near Threatened. Additionally, one was designated China's national first-class key protected wildlife, and five were designated China's national second-class key protected wildlife. Notably, populations of the Chinese pangolin (<i>Manis pentadactyla</i>) were confirmed to persist in the wild of Jianfengling. Occupancy modeling results showed that the occupancy of Rhesus monkey (<i>Macaca mulatta</i>), Hainan muntjac (<i>Muntiacus nigripes</i>), common palm civet (<i>Paradoxurus hermaphroditus</i>), and Mainland leopard cat (<i>Prionailurus bengalensis</i>) increased with increasing elevation. Vegetation type would only affect the occupancy of the Rhesus monkey. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and anthropogenic activities had no obvious effect on the occupancy of mammals. In terms of the relative abundance index (RAI) of mammals captured by camera traps, the most prevalent species identified was the Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (<i>Atherurus macrourus</i>), followed by the wild boar (<i>Sus scrofa</i>), Pallas's squirrel (<i>Callosciurus erythraeus</i>), and Hainan muntjac. The monitoring also captured a significant number of images of domestic dogs and humans. These findings establish a baseline for species richness and occupancy of mammals in a typical island tropical rainforest in Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park. We hope that our findings could be used to assess the effectiveness of conservation monitoring programs in the coming years, as species richness surveys provide an important baseline for conservation planning.