Conservation potential of non-protected area for sympatric carnivores in Bhutan

Abstract

Carnivore conservation in Bhutan is mainly focused on charismatic species such as the tiger and the snow leopard inside protected areas. Little is known about the conservation status of small and medium-sized sympatric carnivores outside the protected areas. We aim to investigate the effects of environmental and anthropogenic variables on the occupancy of three sympatric carnivores: dhole (Cuon alpinus), Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii), and leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) and predict their distribution in a key non-protected area of Bhutan. We used detection/non-detection data from a camera trap survey conducted in 2019–2020 in Sarpang, Bhutan. We employed detection-corrected occupancy models to assess the species-habitat relationship and predict their spatial distribution. The responses were nuanced among individuals and at different spatial scales. Elevation was associated with the decline in habitat use probability of golden cats and leopard cats. Forest cover positively influenced golden cat and leopard cat habitat use but negatively for dholes. Dholes were less likely to use habitats close to human settlement. Our results indicate that forests in non-protected areas could offer a high potential for carnivore conservation. Our findings suggest that the patterns of sympatry among carnivores are also mediated by prey abundance and anthropogenic variables. Taken together, we show that carnivores are negatively affected by human settlement density at a relatively fine-scale (1 km) and particularly dholes were likely to avoid habitat interspersed with human settlement. Multi-carnivore conservation in non-protected areas can be achieved by minimizing land use change, limiting forest conversion and protecting prey species. A holistic approach to management that balances conservation and human development may be needed for the conservation of sympatric carnivores in an increasingly human-modified landscape.