Tapirs and Their Connection to the Ecosystem
Tapirs play a critical role in shaping and maintaining the biological diversity of tropical forests and function as biological indicators of area requirements for the ecosystem. The tapir is one of the first species in its habitat to be adversely affected by human disturbance because of their size, and sensitivity to changes in their habitat range. Local extinction or population decrease may trigger adverse effects in the forest, causing disruptions of some key ecological processes (e.g. seed predation and dispersal, nutrient recycling), and eventually compromising the long-term integrity and biodiversity of the ecosystem. These factors, added to the destruction of tapir habitat in recent years, justify the urgency for investigation of the status of the populations, and development and implementation of conservation and management plans.
Tapir Specialist Group advocates on behalf of tapirs and works to conserve their habitat and genetic diversity through research projects on tapirs, high standards of zoo husbandry, and networking with government bodies, conservation organizations, universities and zoos to create greater tapir awareness and conservation planning.