Identifying key habitats to conserve the threatened brown bear in the Himalaya

Abstract

The threatened Himalayan brown bear has a fragmented range in the Himalayas. However, its habitat has never been documented, which hinders conservation efforts. The Deosai Plateau in northern Pakistan has long been recognized as the core area for this subspecies in the country. To provide knowledge to help conserve the remnant populations in the Himalayan region, and especially in protected areas, we investigated habitat selection of brown bears and the influence of human presence on brown bear distribution in Deosai National Park, Pakistan.We used an Ecological Niche Factor Analysis to assess brown bear habitat selection, using scats sampled along transect routes throughout the park as location data. Habitat use based on 137 observations of brown bears during monitoring confirmed that differential scat detectability did not bias our results. Only 65% of the park area had productive vegetation. Our analyses indicated that brown bears avoided higher elevations and steeper slopes and selected more productive parts of the park (marshy, grassy, and stony vegetation types). The marshy vegetation was the most preferred habitat, probably because it had the highest forage production and density of golden marmots. Brown bears tolerated human infrastructures, like roads and camps, but strongly avoided grazing areas with high livestock density. The habitat suitability map generally followed the biomass productivity patterns of the park. It indicated the central part as suitable, and classified half of the park, mainly peripheral areas, as unsuitable for brown bears.The vegetation and habitat suitability maps also provide an objective criterion for evaluating present and future developments in the park. Until recently, communities seem to have used the park’s resources without significantly affecting the brown bear population. However, in recent years a large influx of nomadic communities with their livestock has become a challenge, which needs urgent attention to continue the present brown bear population recovery and to secure its habitat. We recommend monitoring the livestock and conducting a detailed inventory of the rangeland to understand grazing dynamics in the park and to maintain sustainable stocking rates.