Proyecto Conservación del Área Talamanca
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Proyecto Conservación del Área Talamanca (ProCAT) is an international project under the umbrella of the Institute of the Rockies.
Soon new Logo and Webpage!!
Posted on Apr 29, 2008 by admin
ProCAT aquires new member of the Team
Posted on Mar 29, 2008 by admin
ProCAT in the XII SMBC Congress in Mexico
Posted on Nov 20, 2007 by admin
ProCAT in "Estado de la Nación" 2007 report for Costa Rica
Posted on Oct 09, 2007 by admin
Puma and Ocelot densities suggest good numbers
Posted on Oct 09, 2007 by admin
ProCAT in Oxford Wild CAT Congress 2007
Posted on Oct 09, 2007 by admin
ProCAT first expedition to the natural sky
Posted on Oct 09, 2007 by admin
"CORA" ProCAT-Las Alturas new research facility
Posted on Jun 30, 2007 by admin
Total camera sampling established in Las Alturas, 210 sq km covered.
Posted on May 26, 2007 by admin
ProCAT in camera-trapping workshop
Posted on Mar 05, 2007 by admin
Camera-Trapping starts again
Posted on Mar 04, 2007 by admin
5.42 JAGUARS/100 Sq Km
Posted on Mar 05, 2007 by admin
Small Mammal Survey and Conservation
Posted on Mar 05, 2007 by admin
New camera trap design pays off BIG
Posted on Aug 04, 2006 by admin
ProCAT in La Nacion Newspaper
Posted on Aug 04, 2006 by admin
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Soon the new webpage will be online with more information and a brand new and more interactive format. The new webpage will be more accesible, and will improve the quality of information and all the information will be easily available and downloadable. Visit us soon!! 
A wonderful Land Rover Santana from 1971 is now part of ProCAT activities in Colombia. Its purpose is to transport the staff and scientists to the most isolated areas in Sierra Nevada and to facilitate the research processes in the country. Welcome Super Tucano!!!
ProCAT staff will be presenting 4 papers on the XI congress of Mesoamerican Society for Biology and Conservation at Morelos, Mexico. They will be presenting 2007 data on jaguars, pumas, ocelots and activity patterns of neotropical mammals. Soon the abstracts will be available.
The "Estado de la nación" annual report for sustainable development is just getting finished. In their environmental assessment, they use our data to talk about the situation of jaguars in Talamanca. Current density estimations indicates a probable abundance in the entire talamanca of 322 individuals . These estimates are based on density estimations and models previosuly elaborated by ProCAT and presented in the 8th World Wilderness Congress (Schipper et al. 2005).
The last puma and ocelot density estimations suggest good densities in Las Tablas. However, these estimations are methodology-mediated according to the information used to calculate the buffer strips for area calculations. Densities for Ocelots varied from 4,83 to 6,44 ind/100sq km, and pumas from 22.38 to 26.34 ind/100 sq km.
ProCAT director just get back from UK where he was presenting a paper about density estimation of jaguars and methodological issues: Schipper, J., Gonzalez-Maya, J., Srbek, A.C. 2007. Understanding the effect of study design on estimates of density: camera-trapping jaguar Panthera onca and their prey. Felid Biology and conservation Conference: an international conference. Oxford, UK.
September 2007 ProCAT staff Jose Gonzalez, Tomas Lopez, Mauricio Gonzalez, Diego Zarrate and field assistants make the first expedition to Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the expedition had the porpose of make a first assessment and evaluate the feasibility of the first samplings in the area around the 1500 masl, the expedition was a great success and hopefuly in 2008 several biodiversity groups will be assessed.
ProCAT Staff just finished the establishment of his new permanent research facility, with the help of internships Toby Rowell (UPeace-USA) and Sole Trujillo (Complutense-Spain), and ProCAT Staff Jose Gonzalez and Juan Mata. The facility was adapted and reconditioned, and is loaded with storage, collection rooms and facilities for living and research. 
ProCAT staff Jose Gonzalez and Juan Mata and WCS staff Leonardo Maffei, established the first sub-set of the camera camera trapping array. The second nested sub-set was established a month and a half later, a total of 50 camera stations were established covering approximately 210 sq km, in order to make more accurate density estimations of jaguar and puma. The field work was carried out by Jose Gonzalez with the assistance of Angelica Benitez and Las Alturas Staff.
ProCAT Research Coordinator Jose Gonzalez, Research Associate Melquisedec Gamba and Research Assistant Juan Mata, recently participate in the 1st Workshop about camera-traps use on wildlife conservation studies, he talked about slope, cover and altitude influence on jaguar prey assemblages in Talamanca. 
The new camera trapping project is beginning in Finca Coton, current results indicate a good jaguar density estimate compared with other areas. Research now is focused on the improving of this estimate, and methodology.
That is the latest density estimation for Talamanca, this was obtained by two months of camera-trapping survey with 12 sites.
ProCAT as a conservation project is now including small mammals assessments for Talamanca, trying to understand mammal community processes in a well preserve area. 
For over a year, ProCAT has been working on designing a camera-trap for field research. "The commercial models just don't cut it", says ProCAT director Jan Schipper, "after trying almost all the comercial models we decided we would have to design our own." So, scientists contacted a small company currently designing top end camera-traps, explained the problem and worked out a design that could work.