The role of the artificial ponds for the conservation of mammals in the state of Santa Catarina

Man has profoundly modified the upper valley of Uruguay River and its basin. The plains these valleys lower areas hills have been for agricultural production, leaving small patches wild forest on tops hills, where wildlife takes refuge. These less sectors generally lack water. Therefore, mammals must descend to bottom drink. However, there are numerous fence lines between rivers streams which prevent fauna access watercourses, so they ingest water from artificial ponds present in establishments instead, is reflected high values δ18O observed bone bioapatite local mammals. This finding highlights importance reservoirs distributed landscape Santa Catarina preservation their sanitary monitoring transmission diseases livestock wildlife.
 Keywords: ponds, Oxygen-18, Catarina, stable isotopes, preservation.