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Abstract
Habitat degradation and hunting have caused the widespread loss of larger vertebrate species (defaunation) from tropical biodiversity hotspots. However, these defaunation drivers impact vertebrate biodiversity in different ways and, therefore, require different conservation interventions. We conducted landscape-scale camera-trap surveys across six study sites in Southeast Asia to assess how moderate degradation and intensive, indiscriminate hunting differentially impact tropical terrestrial mammals and birds. We found that functional extinction rates were higher in hunted compared to degraded sites. Species found in both sites had lower occupancies in the hunted sites. Canopy closure was the main predictor of occurrence in the degraded sites, while village density primarily influenced occurrence in the hunted sites. Our findings suggest that intensive, indiscriminate hunting may be a more immediate threat than moderate habitat degradation for tropical faunal communities, and that conservation stakeholders should focus as much on overhunting as on habitat conservation to address the defaunation crisis.
Highlights
Habitat degradation and hunting have caused the widespread loss of larger vertebrate species from tropical biodiversity hotspots
Methods), we found that the three hunted sites have functionally lost a considerable proportion of their terrestrial mammal and bird community (Dequal Bach Ma NP = 0.48, Dequal Saola NRs = 0.48, Dequal Xe Sap/Palé = 0.45), whereas functional extinction rates were low in all degraded sites (Dequal Deramakot FR = 0.06, Dequal Tangkulap FR = 0.16, Dequal Kuamut FR = 0.09) (Fig. 1)
Our results provide insight into the differential impacts of moderate habitat degradation and intensive, indiscriminate hunting on tropical mammal and bird communities at multiple hierarchical levels of the defaunation process
Summary
The effects of defaunation on species occurrence was assessed using an occupancy-based defaunation index, calculated using the posterior occupancy estimates from the Bayesian community occupancy model for the 15 species pairs, and using the least degraded and non-hunted site (Deramakot FR) as the reference assemblage (Doccupancy = 0). Defaunation values were higher for the three hunted sites (Doccupancy Bach Ma NP = 0.26 ± 0.07, Doccupancy Saola NRs = 0.16 ± 0.07, Doccupancy Xe Sap/Palé = 0.56 ± 0.09) than the two degraded sites (Doccupancy Tangkulap FR = 0.05 ± 0.05, Doccupancy Kuamut FR = −0.04 ± 0.05) and the reference site (Fig. 2b). Village density shows a strong effect on species occurrence for the hunted sites, with little impact on occupancies for the degraded sites (Fig. 3b). Asiatic brush tailed porcupine Crab eating mongoose Common palm civet Dark muntjac Leopard cat Malayan porcupine Red muntjac Pig tailed macaque Owston’s civet Asian black bear Crested argus Spotted linsang Pangolin Eurasian wild pig Yellow-throated marten Long-tailed porcupine Short-tailed mongoose Common palm civet Bornean yellow muntjac Leopard cat Malayan porcupine Red muntjac Pig tailed macaque Banded civer Sun bear Great argus Banded linsang Pangolin Bearded pig Yellow-throated marten
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