2024/01/01 · 2 voices
paper · doi:10.3897/emt.coll.317
Otters are apex predators and umbrella species—protecting them safeguards entire estuarine food webs, water quality, and riparian corridors. Projeto Lontra operates directly in key estuarine environments such as Lagoa do Peri, the Santa Catarina coast, and Pantanal river–estuary interfaces, maintaining nearly four decades of valuable data on otter distribution, stress physiology, habitat use, and human–wildlife conflict.This long-term dataset aligns closely with EMT’s mission to advance estuarine science, monitoring, and management practices. Ekko Brasil already collaborates with leading institutions (UFSC, USP, FURG) and has a strong publication record; a Topical collection in EMT would elevate this applied research to an international audience while enriching the journal with case studies from the Global South.Potential Topics:Drone-based thermal imaging and AI for otter tracking in mangrove estuarieseDNA protocols for non-invasive otter detection in Brazilian coastal lagoonsHydrodynamic modeling of otter habitat connectivity in urbanizing estuariesSatellite-linked GPS collars: lessons from ProjetoLontra’s upcoming release programCommunity-based camera-trap networks for otter monitoring (Ekko’s PAIE education program)Climate-resilient riparian restoration using otters as ecological performance indicatorsPolicy review: how otter conservation drives estuarine protected-area designation in Brazil