Areas Of Human Use Research Articles

Identifying Priority Areas for the Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) Within a Shared Landscape.

Habitat loss is one of the primary drivers of large felid decline. The leopard (Panthera pardus), a generalist large felid species, has the behavioural and dietary flexibility to exploit different habitat types of varying human influence. Understanding habitat selection in a shared landscape is critical for the development of conservation strategies and managing negative human-leopard interactions. The development of conservation policy requires data on large spatial scales, which is mostly lacking, especially within shared landscapes in India. This study aims to determine habitat selection by Indian leopards and the anthropogenic, environmental, and climatic variables contributing to this selection. Leopard occurrence records were obtained from an occupancy survey conducted in the five administrative districts in Karnataka (28,375 km2). 267 randomly selected 30 km2 grids were each walked for 10 km and all leopard signs were recorded. Environment variables were chosen to reflect land use, climatic, topographic, and human disturbances that could affect habitat selection at a resolution of 0.1 km2. The mean ensemble model was projected to the state of Karnataka. Habitat selection predicted by the ensemble model was driven by proximity to forest cover and rocky outcrops, higher precipitation, and negatively by distance to cropland and roads. Protected Areas and Reserved Forests in the study covered 47% of the predicted habitat, while 25% is within human-use areas such as human habitation and croplands. This study predicts that half of the habitat selected by leopards is outside of protected areas and reserved forests. The selection of human-use areas is predicted because of the availability of cover from irrigated croplands and the proximity to natural cover that provides refuge. Livestock density did not drive large-scale habitat selection. The preservation of natural cover and rocky outcrops that provide refuge between protected areas is paramount for leopard conservation.

Widespread exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in wildlife communities

Pervasive SARS-CoV-2 infections in humans have led to multiple transmission events to animals. While SARS-CoV-2 has a potential broad wildlife host range, most documented infections have been in captive animals and a single wildlife species, the white-tailed deer. The full extent of SARS-CoV-2 exposure among wildlife communities and the factors that influence wildlife transmission risk remain unknown. We sampled 23 species of wildlife for SARS-CoV-2 and examined the effects of urbanization and human use on seropositivity. Here, we document positive detections of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in six species, including the deer mouse, Virginia opossum, raccoon, groundhog, Eastern cottontail, and Eastern red bat between May 2022–September 2023 across Virginia and Washington, D.C., USA. In addition, we found that sites with high human activity had three times higher seroprevalence than low human-use areas. We obtained SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences from nine individuals of six species which were assigned to seven Pango lineages of the Omicron variant. The close match to variants circulating in humans at the time suggests at least seven recent human-to-animal transmission events. Our data support that exposure to SARS-CoV-2 has been widespread in wildlife communities and suggests that areas with high human activity may serve as points of contact for cross-species transmission.

Impact of human activities on wild ungulates in Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh, India

Human activities affect wildlife in several ways, ungulates tend to avoid areas of high human use and alter their behavior to avoid human activity. We used remote camera traps to quantify the relative abundance and activity of wild ungulates in high and low human use areas within Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR). Major human activity in NSTR included collection of forest produce and fuel wood, and livestock grazing. Poaching for bush-meat and the use of hunting dogs was also prevalent, but could not be quantified. The relative abundance of wild ungulates was high in low human-use areas except for chital and wild pigs, which require flat terrain and water found in prime areas for settlements. Diurnal ungulates like Chital and Nilgai substantially altered their activity in response to human activity, as did nocturnal species like Sambar and Mouse Deer. The demographic response of ungulates in NSTR has been poor compared to other tiger reserves that have been made free of human use. Our research highlights the importance of having human-free protected areas so as to achieve the desired conservation objectives of harbouring viable populations of large carnivores that require high prey abundance.

Tree canopy cover and elevation affect the distribution of red harvester ant nests in a peri-urban setting.

With an increase in human population over the past 30 years, regional land use in south Texas has shifted from grassland and shrubland to a peri-urban matrix. Despite this shift from natural areas to more anthropogenically modified habitats, native red harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex barbatus) have maintained nest sites within parts of these matrices. To determine which habitat characteristics in a peri-urban landscape may play a role in red harvester ant nest site selection, we mapped the location of nests in 2020 and 2021. We then evaluated nest presence and absence relative to elevation, percentage of surrounding impervious surfaces, distance to roadways, and tree canopy cover (using NDVI). For a sub-sample of the study site, we also measured soil moisture and estimated the potential foraging area per colony with Voronoi tessellation. We found that nests were clustered together near high human-use areas such as athletic fields, lawns, sidewalks, and railroad tracks. Nests were more likely to be found in areas with higher elevation and lower tree canopy cover, with no impact from surrounding impervious surfaces or soil moisture. In fact, many nests were observed immediately adjacent to roadways and in paved parking lots. Red harvester ants are highly adept at nesting in disturbed, urbanized matrices, but still appear to be constrained by certain environmental factors like shading, potential flood risk (elevation), and access to food resources (foraging area).

Impacts of passive elephant rewilding: assessment of human fatalities in India

SummaryElephant ranges in Asia overlap with human-use areas, leading to frequent and often negative two-way interactions, a fraction of which result in human fatalities. Minimizing such negative interactions rests on gaining a mechanistic understanding of their patterns and underlying processes. In Chhattisgarh (India), a rewilding population of 250–300 elephants that have recently expanded their range from neighbouring states through dispersal has been causing annual losses of >60 human lives. Using logistic regression models, we examined the influences of eight plausible predictors of the occurrence of elephant-related human fatality incidents. We found that 70% of incidents occurred in areas with high-intensity habitat use by elephants; the other 30% were in areas of intermediate and sporadic elephant habitat use. The probability of human fatalities was high along the roads connecting settlements and in areas with frequent house break-ins by elephants, and this probability was also affected by the spatial geometry of forest patches. Immediate practical options to minimize fatal interactions include community-based early-warning systems and the use of portable barriers around settlements. Judicious landscape-level land-use planning aimed at maintaining the resilience of remnant intact elephant habitats will be critical to preventing the dispersal of elephants into suboptimal habitats, which can create complex conflict situations.

Leopard (Panthera pardus) Food Habits in Shared Landscapes: A Case Study of Two Watersheds

Leopard ( Panthera pardus ) food habits was investigated in the human-used landscape of Dabka and Khulgarh Watershed areas of Kumoan Himalayan, Uttarakhan, India between September 2007 and June 2009. In total, 91 and 118 leopard scats were collected from Dabka and Khulgarh respectively. Prey items were identified using non-digested material isolated from scats, as well as a reference collection of hairs and bones from potential prey. Faecal analysis revealed that leopards preyed on 11 and 12 species in Dabka and Khulgarh, respectively. Total diet diversity of leopard was 2.98 in Dabka and 3.00 in Khulgarh. Sambar (53.41%) in Dabka and domestic dog (36.23%) in Khulgarh constituted the bulk of leopards diet both in terms relative prey biomass consumed. Comparison of the observed and expected frequency of occurrence of prey species in leopard diet rejected the hypothesis of non-selective predation in both the study sites. This study showed the survival strategies of leopard by switching diet according to the prey composition of the study area indicating that leopard can survive anywhere. The study highlights the wide dietary width of leopards identified in other research but rarely investigated in shared spaces. Such studies are crucial to the successfull management of "potentially harmful" wildlife in human-use areas. In particular, our result suggest that there is no single key for the existence of the leopard, which should rather depend upon on ecological features of the study area for example, abundance, prey composition, habitat condition and human settlement.

Leopard (Panthera pardus) Food Habits in Shared Landscapes: A Case Study of Two Watersheds

Leopard ( Panthera pardus ) food habits was investigated in the human-used landscape of Dabka and Khulgarh Watershed areas of Kumoan Himalayan, Uttarakhan, India between September 2007 and June 2009. In total, 91 and 118 leopard scats were collected from Dabka and Khulgarh respectively. Prey items were identified using non-digested material isolated from scats, as well as a reference collection of hairs and bones from potential prey. Faecal analysis revealed that leopards preyed on 11 and 12 species in Dabka and Khulgarh, respectively. Total diet diversity of leopard was 2.98 in Dabka and 3.00 in Khulgarh. Sambar (53.41%) in Dabka and domestic dog (36.23%) in Khulgarh constituted the bulk of leopards diet both in terms relative prey biomass consumed. Comparison of the observed and expected frequency of occurrence of prey species in leopard diet rejected the hypothesis of non-selective predation in both the study sites. This study showed the survival strategies of leopard by switching diet according to the prey composition of the study area indicating that leopard can survive anywhere. The study highlights the wide dietary width of leopards identified in other research but rarely investigated in shared spaces. Such studies are crucial to the successfull management of "potentially harmful" wildlife in human-use areas. In particular, our result suggest that there is no single key for the existence of the leopard, which should rather depend upon on ecological features of the study area for example, abundance, prey composition, habitat condition and human settlement.

Effect of Land-Use Change on the Changes in Human Lyme Risk in the United States

The spatial extent and incidence of Lyme disease is increasing in the United States, particularly in the Upper Midwest and Northeast. Many previous studies have explored the drivers of its spatial pattern, however, few studies tried to explore the drivers for the changes of Lyme disease. We here compared the spatial patterns of changes of human Lyme cases and incidence in the Northeast and Upper Midwest between 2003–2005 and 2015–2017, and applied two different approaches (i.e., a statistical regularization approach and model averaging) to investigate the climatic and landscape factors affecting the risk change between the two periods. Our results suggested that changes in land-use variables generally showed different relationships with changes of human Lyme risk between the two regions. Changes of variables related to human-use areas showed opposite correlations in two regions. Besides, forest area and forest edge density generally negatively correlated with the change of human Lyme risk. In the context of ongoing habitat change, we consider this study may provide new insight into understanding the responses of human Lyme disease to these changes, and contribute to a better prediction in the future.

Biodiversity protection in the 21st century needs intact habitat and protection from overexploitation whether inside or outside parks

Biodiversity protection in the 21st century needs intact habitat and protection from overexploitation whether inside or outside parks

Assessing spatio-temporal patterns of human-leopard interactions based on media reports in northwestern India

Large carnivores in human-use areas make for sensational print media content. We used media reports to examine human-leopard interactions in Rajasthan, India. We extracted news reports on leopard-related incidents from January 2016 to December 2018. Incidents (n= 338) were categorized, mapped, and analysed to understand their nature and extent. We found leopard-related news from 26 of 33 districts; a majority of these were in the eastern region of the State. Most of the reported interactions appeared to be non-negative, despite losses to both leopards and people. Our results provide a synthesis of spatio-temporal patterns of leopard-related incidents, which could help wildlife managers in better addressing negative interactions. The study also demonstrates how news reports could be useful for examining human-wildlife interactions across large spatial scales.

Sliding Modes Control for Heat Transfer in Geodesic Domes

The analysis and modeling of unconventional thermal zones is a first step for the inclusion of low-cost spaces and for the assessment of the environmental impact among areas of human use in warm climates. In this paper, the heat transfer in a geodesic dome located at the University of Magdalena (Colombia) is modeled and simulated. The simulator is calibrated against experimental measurements and used to study the effect of different loads which are regulated by a controller in sliding modes explicitly designed for this case. The closed-loop system is used together with ASHRAE Standard 55 to characterize comfort conditions within the dome and the effect on the overall thermal sensation with increasing the number of occupants.

Active Humans, Inactive Carnivores, and Hiking Trails within a Suburban Preserve

As urban areas continue to proliferate, so does the demand for outdoor recreation. Hiking trails permeate almost all remaining forest fragments within highly urbanized areas. The effects of hiking trails on carnivores remain unclear, especially in the northeastern United States. Therefore, our objectives were to investigate the spatial and temporal activity patterns of mammalian carnivores in relation to distance from hiking trails. From 2011-2012, 236 camera stations were randomly deployed between trail and off-trail areas that covered an area of 4.8km2. A total of 3880 trap nights yielded 346 coyote (Canis latrans), 371 raccoon (Procyon lotor), 75 bobcat (Lynx rufus), and 78 red fox (Vulpes vulpes) detections. A consistent pattern of human avoidance by carnivores was observed in high human-use areas; although carnivores were detected more often on trails, detection was less likely during daytime than nighttime. We propose that within urban-forest fragments, trail-based recreation and habitat fragmentation may have similar impacts on carnivore spatio-temporal activity. Considering the top-down influence that coyotes have on ecosystem function (Henke and Bryant 1999), two approaches must be taken. First, efforts must be made to minimize the impacts of human recreation on carnivores through park management practices. Second, research and monitoring programs must be implemented to better understand the long-term effects that hiking trails have on carnivore activity and distribution.

The balancing act: Maintaining leopard-wild prey equilibrium could offer economic benefits to people in a shared forest landscape of central India

Abstract Human-felid interactions impose financial burden on people through livestock loss, and on wildlife managers and conservationists through investments in conflict resolution measures. Leopards (Panthera pardus) are among the most adaptable carnivores, but their widespread occurrence in human-dominated landscapes makes them highly vulnerable to negative interactions with people. Beyond their role in maintaining ecological balance, they may also provide economic benefits through control of wild prey populations in human-use areas. We assessed leopard distribution based on indirect sign surveys, and spatial drivers of livestock/human attacks by leopards based on interview surveys of local residents, in a forest landscape shared by humans and leopards in central India. We also examined the role of wild prey in leopard diet and the extent to which they offset leopard depredation on domestic livestock. Leopards occupied 80% of the landscape, positively influenced by forest cover and relative abundance of wild prey; size of human settlements had a negative influence. Average probability of livestock/human attacks was 84%, driven mostly by size of cattle-holding by local residents and anthropogenic disturbance within forests. Nearly 90% of leopard diet was composed of primates or wild ungulate herbivores; non-wild prey (domestic livestock and free-ranging dogs) accounted for less than 3% of total biomass consumed. Under hypothetical scenarios wherein wild prey population reduced by 25%, 50% and 75%, we estimated that the contribution of domestic livestock towards leopard diet would increase to 21%, 40% and 60% respectively in order to support the current leopard population. We demonstrate that adequate forest cover and wild prey abundance allow leopards to persist in shared, human-modified landscapes. We use a novel approach for mapping spatial risk of livestock depredation and predict future scenarios under reduced wild prey populations. An ecological imbalance caused by decline in either leopard or wild prey populations could result in a concomitant increase in crop loss (to wild herbivores) or livestock depredation (by leopards), ensuing greater financial losses to local residents. An understanding of the ecological services and economic benefits conferred by carnivores could help in better valuing and conserving conflict-prone species in shared habitats.

Population responses of common ravens to reintroduced gray wolves.

Top predators have cascading effects throughout the food web, but their impacts on scavenger abundance are largely unknown. Gray wolves (Canis lupus) provide carrion to a suite of scavenger species, including the common raven (Corvus corax). Ravens are wide‐ranging and intelligent omnivores that commonly take advantage of anthropogenic food resources. In areas where they overlap with wolves, however, ravens are numerous and ubiquitous scavengers of wolf‐acquired carrion. We aimed to determine whether subsidies provided through wolves are a limiting factor for raven populations in general and how the wolf reintroduction to Yellowstone National Park in 1995–1997 affected raven population abundance and distribution on the Yellowstone's Northern Range specifically. We counted ravens throughout Yellowstone's Northern Range in March from 2009 to 2017 in both human‐use areas and wolf habitat. We then used statistics related to the local wolf population and the winter weather conditions to model raven abundance during our study period and predict raven abundance on the Northern Range both before and after the wolf reintroduction. In relatively severe winters with greater snowpack, raven abundance increased in areas of human use and decreased in wolf habitat. When wolves were able to acquire more carrion, however, ravens increased in wolf habitat and decreased in areas with anthropogenic resources. Raven populations prior to the wolf reintroduction were likely more variable and heavily dependent on ungulate winter‐kill and hunter‐provided carcasses. The wolf recovery in Yellowstone helped stabilize raven populations by providing a regular food supply, regardless of winter severity. This stabilization has important implications for effective land management as wolves recolonize the west and global climate patterns change.

Diet Selection of Leopards (Panthera pardus) in a Human-Use Landscape in North-Eastern India

There is increasing evidence of large carnivores using human-use areas, but our understanding of their ecology in such landscapes is limited. The role of wild and domestic prey in sustaining populations of carnivores in human-use landscapes could be significant but is currently poorly documented. We studied the prey composition and diet selection of leopards ( Panthera pardus) in a forest and tea-garden landscape in north-eastern India where the population density is greater than 700 people per km2 and average domestic animal density is 340 animals per km2. Wild prey density in the landscape was 56 animals per km2. Both wild and domestic prey were used by leopards in proportion to their availability with no selectivity toward either (χ2 = 87.17, p = .99, SE = 0.001). Among wild prey, Rhesus macaque ( Macaca mulatta) was found in high densities (24 animals per km2) and was preyed by leopards more frequently that the proportional availability. High use of domestic prey by leopard, with 60% of the prey biomass comprising cattle and goats has the potential for negative impact on conservation support for the species. While on one hand, there is great scope for the persistence of large cats in dense human-use landscapes due to the availability of domestic prey, on the other hand, the study highlights the problems of livestock loss especially to poorer sections of the society which need to be reconciled for achieving long-term and sustainable conservation goals.

New insights into the factors influencing movements and spatial distribution of reintroduced Bengal tigers ( Panthera tigris tigris ) in the human-dominated buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve, India

Abstract The influence of tiger-specific (sex, age group), environmental (seasons, photoperiod) and anthropogenic (human use regimes) factors on the movements and spatial distribution of tigers using the human-dominated buffer zone of the Panna Tiger Reserve, India was studied. Generalised linear mixed models were used to test the significance of the relationships between the covariates influencing tiger presence. We report that tiger-specific factors – age group (generation) and sex – and environmental factors – seasons and day/night – significantly explain the observed variations in tiger use of the human-dominated buffer zone. For instance, second-generation tigers (sub-adults) spent 40% of their time in the human-use areas, compared to 10% spent by first-generation tigers (adult). When in human-use areas, sub-adult tigers approached areas near villages and spent 30% less time in areas close to water than adult tigers. Our study concludes that, in addition to tiger-specific factors, human factors, including livestock practices and peoples’ activities, influence tiger behaviour and their use of shared spaces. These unchecked human practices may lead to increased negative tiger-human interactions and restricts tigers from exploiting the resources in multiple-use areas.

Jaguar Densities across Human-Dominated Landscapes in Colombia: The Contribution of Unprotected Areas to Long Term Conservation.

Large carnivores such as jaguars (Panthera onca) are species of conservation concern because they are suffering population declines and are keystone species in their ecosystems. Their large area requirements imply that unprotected and ever-increasing agricultural regions can be important habitats as they allow connectivity and dispersal among core protected areas. Yet information on jaguar densities across unprotected landscapes it is still scarce and crucially needed to assist management and range-wide conservation strategies. Our study provides the first jaguar density estimates of Colombia in agricultural regions which included cattle ranching, the main land use in the country, and oil palm cultivation, an increasing land use across the Neotropics. We used camera trapping across two agricultural landscapes located in the Magdalena River valley and in the Colombian llanos (47–53 stations respectively; >2000 trap nights at both sites) and classic and spatially explicit capture-recapture models with the sex of individuals as a covariate. Density estimates were 2.52±0.46–3.15±1.08 adults/100 km2 in the Magdalena valley, whereas 1.12±0.13–2.19±0.99 adults/100 km2 in the Colombian llanos, depending on analysis used. We suggest that jaguars are able to live across unprotected human-use areas and co-exist with agricultural landscapes including oil-palm plantations if natural areas and riparian habitats persist in the landscape and hunting of both jaguar and prey is limited. In the face of an expanding agriculture across the tropics we recommend land-use planning, adequate incentives, regulations, and good agricultural practices for range-wide jaguar connectivity and survival.

Spotted in the News: Using Media Reports to Examine Leopard Distribution, Depredation, and Management Practices outside Protected Areas in Southern India.

There is increasing evidence of large carnivore presence outside protected areas, globally. Although this spells conservation success through population recoveries, it makes carnivore persistence in human-use landscapes tenuous. The widespread distribution of leopards in certain regions of India typifies this problem. We obtained information on leopard-human interactions at a regional scale in Karnataka State, India, based on systematic surveys of local media reports. We applied an innovative occupancy modelling approach to map their distribution patterns and identify hotspots of livestock/human depredation. We also evaluated management responses like removals of ‘problem’ leopards through capture and translocations. Leopards occupied around 84,000 km2 or 47% of the State’s geographic area, outside designated national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. Their presence was facilitated by extent of vegetative cover- including irrigated croplands, rocky escarpments, and prey base in the form of feral and free-ranging dogs. Higher probabilities of livestock/human attacks by leopards were associated with similar ecological features as well as with capture/removals of leopards. Of the 56 cases of leopard removals reported, 91% did not involve human attacks, but followed livestock predation or only leopard sightings. The lack of knowledge on leopard ecology in human-use areas has resulted in unscientific interventions, which could aggravate the problem rather than mitigating it. Our results establish the presence of resident, breeding leopards in human-use areas. We therefore propose a shift in management focus, from current reactive practices like removal and translocation of leopards, to proactive measures that ensure safety of human lives and livelihoods.

Finding pathways to human–elephant coexistence: a risky business

AbstractFinding ways for people and wildlife to coexist requires affording both parties access to critical resources and space, but also a behavioural change by both to avoid conflict. We investigated pathway use in a population of free-ranging African elephants Loxodonta africana in the Okavango Panhandle, Botswana that share their range with humans in a multi-use, heterogeneous landscape. We used detailed ground surveys to identify and map elephant movement pathways, and mixed-effect models to explore factors influencing elephant numbers and movement behaviour on and around these pathways. We found deviation in pathway use among the elephant population, suggesting behavioural adaptations to avoid human-associated risk: avoiding pathways near settlements, particularly near larger settlements; avoiding pathways close to cultivated land; and adopting a safety-in-numbers strategy when moving through areas of human use. Our findings suggest there is opportunity to capitalize on risk avoidance by elephant populations, to minimize resource-use overlap and reduce conflict between humans and elephants. We discuss a strategy that involves ensuring appropriate protection of elephant pathways in land-use planning, using development-free buffer zones, combined with mitigation techniques along the interface with agricultural lands to increase risk levels and reinforce human–elephant interface boundaries. We recommend further examination of the use of landscape-level mitigation techniques that encourage elephants to use pathways away from human activity and help define spatial boundaries for management of human–elephant conflict in multi-use landscapes.

A cat among the dogs: leopardPanthera pardusdiet in a human-dominated landscape in western Maharashtra, India

AbstractThe ecology and predator–prey dynamics of large felids in the tropics have largely been studied in natural systems where wild ungulates constitute the majority of the prey base. However, human-dominated landscapes can be rich in potential prey for large carnivores because of the high density of domestic animals, especially in tropical countries where pastoralism is an important livelihood activity. We report the almost complete dependence of leopardsPanthera parduson domestic animals as prey in the crop lands of Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India. From analysis of 85 confirmed leopard scats, 87% of the leopard's prey biomass consisted of domestic animals, with 39% consisting of domestic dogsCanis lupus familiarisalone. The only wild species that occurred in the leopard's diet were rodents, small indian civetViverricula indica, bonnet macaqueMacaca radiataand other primatesSemnopithecusspp., mongooseHerpestesspp., and birds. Interviews conducted in 77 households distributed randomly in the study area documented a high density of domestic animals: adult cattleBos taurus, calves, goatsCapra aegagrus, dogs and catsFelis catusoccurred at densities of 169, 54, 174, 24 and 61 per km2, respectively. Ivlev's electivity index indicated that dogs and cats were over-represented in the leopard's diet, given the higher densities of goats and cattle. The standing biomass of dogs and cats alone was sufficient to sustain the high density of carnivores at the study site. Our results show that the abundance of potential domestic prey biomass present in human-use areas supports a relatively high density of predators, although this interaction could result in conflict with humans.