Effects of Ethnic Settlements and Land Management Status on Species Distribution Patterns: A Case Study of Endangered Musk Deer (Moschus spp.) in Northwest Yunnan, China.

Xueyou Li,Xuelong Jiang,William V. Bleisch,Bi-Song Yue

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0155042

Xueyou Li, Xuelong Jiang + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155042

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Abstract

Understanding the status and spatial distribution of endangered species in biologically and ethnologically diverse areas is important to address correlates of cultural and biological diversity. We developed models for endangered musk deer (Moschus spp.) abundance indices in and around protected areas inhabited by different ethnic groups in northwest Yunnan China to address different anthropogenic and management-related questions. We found that prediction of relative abundance of musk deer was best accomplished using ethnicity of settlements, conservation status and poaching pressure in an area. Musk deer were around 5 times more abundant in Tibetan regions relative to Lisu regions. We found no significant negative correlates of gathering and transhumance activities on musk deer abundance. Hunting pressure showed no significant differences between protected and non-protected areas, but showed significant differences among ethnic groups. Hunting pressures in areas adjacent to Lisu settlements was 7.1 times more than in areas adjacent to Tibetan settlements. Our findings indicate protected areas in southwest China are not fully effective in deterring human disturbance caused by traditional practices. We suggest that conservation and management strategies should engage traditional culture and practices with a positive conservation impact. Better understanding of indigenous culture may open up new opportunities for species conservation in much wider tracts of unprotected and human-dominated lands. Traditional practices that are not destructive to biodiversity should be allowed as a way of providing a link between the local communities and protected areas thereby creating incentives for conservation.

Highlights

The effects of traditional culture on biodiversity has received growing attention [1, 2], and it is widely recognized that conservation polices should respect indigenous traditional cultural practices and consider the livelihoods of people affected by conservation restrictions [3,4,5]
Our results indicate that musk deer abundance in northwest Yunnan varied among study areas, even within protected areas, with a pattern of uneven distribution that suggests that the species is strongly affected by human disturbance
Musk deer abundance in northwest Yunnan is affected by surrounding ethnic group conservation status and levels of poaching

Summary

Introduction

The effects of traditional culture on biodiversity has received growing attention [1, 2], and it is widely recognized that conservation polices should respect indigenous traditional cultural practices and consider the livelihoods of people affected by conservation restrictions [3,4,5]. There is abundant evidence that high levels of some kinds of human activity limit wildlife abundance and species diversity [6, 12], recent empirical research suggests that some forms of traditional livelihood practices may not be adverse to persistence of wild ungulate populations [8, 13]. Northwest Yunnan in southwest China is the area of richest biodiversity in China and may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth [14]. It is home to diverse indigenous cultures It retains a high degree of natural character despite thousands of years of human habitation. The traditional practices may impose various level of disturbance on wildlife. It has been suggested that a decrease in biological diversity caused by human activities depends on the intensity of disturbance, which can be regulated by proper measures [6]

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