Data from: Assessing the umbrella value of a range-wide conservation network for jaguars (Panthera onca)

Umbrella species are employed as conservation short-cuts for the design of
reserves or reserve networks. However, empirical data on the effectiveness
of umbrellas is equivocal, which has prevented more widespread application
of this conservation strategy. We perform a novel large-scale evaluation
of umbrella species by assessing the potential umbrella value of a jaguar
(Panthera onca) conservation network (consisting of viable populations and
corridors) that extends from Mexico to Argentina. Using species richness,
habitat quality, and fragmentation indices of ~ 1500 co-occurring mammal
species, we show that jaguar populations and corridors overlap a
substantial amount and percentage of high-quality habitat for co-occurring
mammals, and that the jaguar network performs better than random networks
in protecting high-quality, interior habitat. Significantly, the
effectiveness of the jaguar network as an umbrella would not have been
noticeable had we focused on species richness as our sole metric of
umbrella utility. Substantial inter-order variability existed, indicating
the need for complementary conservation strategies for certain groups of
mammals. We offer several reasons for the positive result we document,
including the large spatial scale of our analysis and our focus on
multiple metrics of umbrella effectiveness. Taken together, our results
demonstrate that a regional, single-species conservation strategy can
serve as an effective umbrella for the larger community, and should help
conserve viable populations and connectivity for a suite of co-occurring
mammals. Current and future range-wide planning exercises for other large
predators may therefore have important umbrella benefits.