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Costs and Benefits of the Presence of Leopards to the Sport-Hunting Industry and Local Communities in Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique
No full textSport hunting is often proposed as a tool to support the conservation of large carnivores. However, it is challenging to provide tangible economic benefits from this activity as an incentive for local people to
conserve carnivores. We assessed economic gains from sport hunting and poaching of leopards (Panthera pardus), costs of leopard depredation of livestock, and attitudes of people toward leopards in Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique. We sent questionnaires to hunting concessionaires (n = 8) to investigate the economic
value of and the relative importance of leopards relative to other key trophy-hunted species. We asked villagers
(n = 158) the number of and prices for leopards poached in the reserve and the number of goats depredated
by leopard. Leopards were the mainstay of the hunting industry; a single animal was worth approximately
U.S.83). Leopards depredated 11 goats over 2 years in 2 of 4 surveyed villages resulting in losses of $440 to 6 households. People in these households had negative attitudes toward leopards. Although leopard sport hunting generates larger gross revenues than poaching, illegal hunting provides higher economic benefits for households involved in the activity. Sport-hunting revenues did not
compensate for the economic losses of livestock at the household level. On the basis of our results, we propose
that poaching be reduced by increasing the costs of apprehension and that the economic benefits from leopard
sport hunting be used to improve community livelihoods and provide incentives not to poach
Assessing the ecological processes in abandoned tea plantations and its implication for Ecological Restoration in the Western Ghats, India
Get PDFFor centuries, millions of hectares of tropical forests have been cleared and replaced by
commercial plantations or converted to agricultural lands. Some of these have been
abandoned and provide opportunities for restoring natural forests and augment the
depleting forest cover in the tropics. In India as in other parts of the world, many
commercial plantations such as tea, coffee and cardamom are located in biodiversity-rich
areas and some of them get abandoned due to various reasons. Such abandoned lands
provide an opportunity to understand the ecological processes of succession and explore
cost-effective ecological restoration models. My research work focuses on tea plantations
to understand the ecological, social, economic and legal dimensions that need to be
considered for restoring natural forests in abandoned plantations. I studied the ecological
processes of colonisation by native species in abandoned plantations and the socioeconomic
aspects in both abandoned and managed plantations in the Agasthyamalai
region of the southern Western Ghats.The ecological aspect identified factors influencing colonisation such as forest proximity,
elevation, frugivore assemblage, functional traits of plants and microsite conditions in
abandoned plantations. The social, economic and legal issues related to abandonment
were addressed through a questionnaire survey of various stakeholders.
Forest proximity to tea plantations is critical for native species to colonise the plantations.
Nearly 92% of the seeds are animal-dispersed, even then seeds do not move more than
60–95 m from the forest edge, which significantly restricts species’ colonisation inside
the plantations. Species composition of woody plants and seedlings becomes less diverse
and more homogeneous further away from the forest indicating that a small subset of the
species pool is colonising the interiors of the plantations. Most of the species that reach
the tea plantation are early successional species dispersed by small birds while largeseeded
species dispersed by hornbills and pigeons are not established in the plantations.
There are clear elevational differences in invasive species’ colonisation. Lantana camara
is found overgrown in the lower elevation plantations and tea bushes in the higher
elevation ones. This can be attributed to rainfall and other factors. There is also a
differential pattern in mortality of native species under exotic species. While seedlings of
native species does not appear to be affected by density of exotic species, woody plants
were negative affected in the lower elevation plantation (Chinnamanjolai) but not at the
higher elevation (Netterikal). Further, for woody plants, soil penetration and pH, and for
woody seedlings, pH and macro-nutrients such as organic carbon, phosphorus, and
nitrogen explained the variations in species occurrences in the plantations. Restoration can be facilitated by retaining shade trees in the tree-less tea landscape. This
increased native species richness by 3 times and seed density by 3–30 times. Similar
increase was noticed in abandoned plantations. Clearing of overgrown tea plants in
abandoned areas also led to significantly higher colonisation by native species. Though
such passive(retaining shade trees) or mixed restoration (retaining shade trees and
clearing patches of tea) can be done on abandoned or to-be abandoned areas, the viability
of such efforts depends on the land tenure of the ‘to-be’ restored area.
Plantations are abandoned both inside protected areas (PAs) and outside PAs. The
perceptions of plantation managers on abandoned plantations indicates that legal issues
such as plantations being within PAs are making their plantations unviable while the
workers who persist in such plantations, are willing to move out if suitable
compensations are paid. Most plantations outside the PAs are not properly managed
where socio-economic conditions such as market fluctuations, labour unions, and tenure
rights are strong drivers for plantation abandonments. In such cases a more nuanced
approach is needed, in areas that are declared as ecologically sensitive, participative
ecological restoration can be considered using tea workers and government incentives to
regain biodiversity and also sustain livelihoods
Disentangling the effects of multiple anthropogenic drivers on the decline of two tropical dry forest trees
No full text1. Tropical plant populations are often subject to multiple types of anthropogenic disturbance. Effective management requires disentangling the effects of these disturbances and prioritizing interventions for the driver(s) most responsible for population decline. However, the effects of multiple drivers on plant population dynamics are rarely examined. 2. We assessed the independent and combined effects of common anthropogenic disturbances on the transient and long-term population dynamics of two economically important, declining tree species in an Indian dry forest. Specifically, we drew on 10 years of demographic monitoring to assess the effects of non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvest and two invasive species (an understorey shrub Lantana camara and a mistletoe Taxillus tomentosus) on amla (Phyllanthus emblica and Phyllanthus indofischeri) populations. 3. Although fruit harvest has been blamed for declining amla populations, the current policy and management strategies implemented to restrict it have little effect on long-term stochastic growth
rates (ks) of amla both with and without invasive species. In contrast, mistletoes significantly decreased ks of both species. 4. Lantana had both direct and indirect effects on P. emblica, causing a regeneration bottleneck. Lantana had a direct negative effect on seeding and sapling growth, whereas populations without lantana experienced higher levels of grazing by wild animals. Over 10 years, P. emblica populations dropped to 16%of their original size in areas with invasive species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results illustrate that mistletoe and lantana, not fruit harvest, are the main drivers of amla decline, and these species are likely to be driving the decline of other Indian dry forest tree species. Management directed only at limiting fruit harvest will be ineffective. Instead, control of both invasive species combined with temporary protection from grazing is urgently needed. The ban on fruit harvest in Indian protected areas is not an effective conservation policy for these species. Harvest is not necessarily the main cause of decline for NTFP species. Management plans for NTFP and other at-risk species must consider the relative effects of different drivers of decline, including direct and indirect effects of invasive species
Flood in Krishna Basin Institutional Responses to Flood Regulation
No full textThe October 2009 flood in Krishna river basin is one of the worst disasters that we have seen in the recent past. Several districts in the States of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were severely affected by this flood, which
primarily was a result of heavy, unprecedented rainfall over the entire basin from 29th September to 3rd October 2009. The high intensity of rainfall resulted in flash floods in several smaller catchments and sub-basins of the Krishna river. Fifteen districts in Karnataka and thirteen districts in Andhra Pradesh were severely affected by the flood, which took the toll of 319 lives1, flattened more than a million houses, and destroyed vast areas of standing crops. There was severe damage to public infrastructure including roads, culverts, bridges and embankments leaving several villages stranded and hindering rescue operations
Animal Perception of Seasonal Thresholds: Changes in Elephant Movement in Relation to Rainfall Patterns
Get PDFBackground: The identification of temporal thresholds or shifts in animal movement informs ecologists of changes in an animal’s behaviour, which contributes to an understanding of species’ responses in different environments. In African savannas, rainfall, temperature and primary productivity influence the movements of large herbivores and drive changes at different scales. Here, we developed a novel approach to define seasonal shifts in movement behaviour by examining the movements of a highly mobile herbivore (elephant; Loxodonta africana), in relation to local and regional rainfall patterns.
Methodology/Principal Findings: We used speed to determine movement changes of between 8 and 14 GPS-collared elephant cows, grouped into five spatial clusters, in Kruger National Park, South Africa. To detect broad-scale patterns of movement, we ran a three-year daily time-series model for each individual (2007–2009). Piecewise regression models provided the best fit for elephant movement, which exhibited a segmented, waveform pattern over time. Major breakpoints in speed occurred at the end of the dry and wet seasons of each year. During the dry season, female elephant are
constrained by limited forage and thus the distances they cover are shorter and less variable. Despite the inter-annual variability of rainfall, speed breakpoints were strongly correlated with both local and regional rainfall breakpoints across all three years. Thus, at a multi-year scale, rainfall patterns significantly affect the movements of elephant. The variability of both speed and rainfall breakpoints across different years highlights the need for an objective definition of seasonal
boundaries. Conclusions/Significance: By using objective criteria to determine behavioural shifts, we identified a biologically meaningful indicator of major changes in animal behaviour in different years. We recommend the use of such criteria, from an animal’s perspective, for delineating seasons or other extrinsic shifts in ecological studies, rather than arbitrarily fixed
definitions based on convention or common practice
Habitat structure and its effects on bird assemblages in the kalakad-mundanthurai tiger reserve (KMTR), India
No full textThe majority of faunal studies focus on diversity and endemism on elevational gradients. It is claimed that a complex interplay of factors explains the variability of observed gradient patterns, including non-biological ones such as differences in sampling regime. Little is known of factors influencing bird community composition at local levels in tropical rainforest. Along successional gradients, habitat structure and tree species composition influence bird community structure, wherein structurally and floristically similar sites tend to have similar bird communities. In addition, canopy dwelling species have been often ignored or under sampled due to logistical problems. The present study explores variations in local bird community structure along a disturbance gradient in a tropical rainforest of the Western Ghats of India using traditional ground-based sampling in conjunction with canopy sampling
Reconstructing the history of introduction and spread of the invasive species, Lantana, at three spatial scales in India
No full textThis study sought to reconstruct the history of Lantana invasion and spread in India by considering two questions; (a) from where, by who, and when were Lantana species introduced into India? and (b) given its long history in the country, is it still spreading or more or less stable? We critically evaluated the archival and historical information on plant imports by the European powers into India during the period before and after British colonization. We then reconstructed the path of spread by analyzing the spatio-temporal patterns of occurrence and distribution of Lantana in India at both the national and local scale using a GIS platform. The spread of Lantana across the globe started as early as the 1690s. The European colonial powers moved the plants from Latin America to Europe and to their colonial countries in the early 1800s. Lantana species were introduced in India from 1807 onwards and thereafter the colonial powers moved this plant across the country. Following its introduction into India, the spread of Lantana across the country, either through subsequent multiple introductions from Europe to different British cantonments, or through moving the plants between cantonments within India, were reasonably rapid spanning only a few decades. In the absence of a rigorous control program, the spread of Lantana has gone on unabated and thereby impacting both wildlife and biodiversity
Sacred fig trees promote frugivore visitation and tree seedling abundance in South India
Get PDFWhile sacred groves (forest fragments protected for
religious reasons) are widely acknowledged to have a
beneficial effect on biodiversity conservation, the ecological benefits of individual sacred trees remain unknown. Fig trees are present as sacred trees in humandominated landscapes across South Asia and are considered keystone species for wildlife in tropical forests. If frugivores continue to visit fig trees in disturbed landscapes, they may deposit seeds of other tree species beneath fig canopies, ultimately facilitating forest regeneration. We studied whether sacred fig trees in Tamil Nadu, India can facilitate seed dispersal in human-dominated landscapes. We quantified abundance of sacred fig trees at the study site, assessed
whether seed-dispersing frugivore visitation to fig
trees is affected by human disturbance, and compared
tree seedling density beneath fig trees and open areas.
We found that some species of frugivorous birds and
bats will visit large fig trees in conditions of high
human disturbance and that tree seedling density is
significantly higher under sacred trees compared to
open areas. By promoting frugivore activity, sacred
fig trees may have a beneficial effect on biodiversity
conservation in human-dominated landscapes
Land snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda) of India: status, threats and conservation strategies
Get PDFLand snails form an important component in the forest ecosystem. In terms of number of species, the phylum Mollusca, to which land snails belong, is the largest phylum after Arthropoda. Mollusca provide unique ecosystem services including recycling of nutrients and they provide a prey base for small mammals, birds, snakes and other reptiles. However, land snails have the largest number of documented extinctions, compared to any other taxa. Till date 1,129 species of land snails are recorded from Indian territory. But only basic information is known about their taxonomy and little is known of their population biology, ecology and their conservation status. In this paper, we briefly review status, threats and conservation strategies of land snails of India
Anurans from wetlands of Puducherry, along the East Coast of India
No full textAnurans of Puducherry, a union territory measuring 293 km2, on the East coast of India are understudied. In this communication, we provide a comprehensive list of anurans encountered in and around wetlands across this union territory. Visual Encounter Surveys during the rainy season in 17 wetlands yielded a total of 14 species belonging to four families. This diversity is relatively low compared to other urban areas like Bangalore or Pune having 16 and 31 species respectively. Possible reasons for this low diversity and scope for future studies have been emphasized