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Anthropogenic activities have driven many wildlife species towards extinction. Among these species, the geographic distributions of many are poorly documented, which can limit the effectiveness of conservation. The critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is experiencing population decline throughout its range due to land-use changes and illegal trade for food and traditional medicine. Using distribution records and maximum entropy modeling, we predicted the potential distribution of the Chinese pangolin across Nepal. Most suitable potential habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred in forest areas of the mid-hill region in central and eastern Nepal, followed by cultivated land. Almost all potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred outside of protected areas, and most of them were encroached upon by cultivated land, human settlements, and infrastructure developments. The results from this study provide baseline information on the potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin in Nepal, which helps to develop site- and species-specific management plans and to identify priority areas to minimize the current threats to the pangolin and enhance the stewardship of species conservation.

Chinese pangolin is the world's most heavily trafficked small mammal for luxury food and traditional medicine. Although their populations are declining worldwide, it is difficult to monitor their population status because of its rarity and nocturnal behavior. We used site occupancy (presence/absence) sampling of pangolin sign (i.e., active burrows) in a protected (Gaurishankar Conservation Area) and non‐protected area (Ramechhap District) of central Nepal with multiple environmental covariates to understand factors that may influence occupancy of Chinese pangolin. The average Chinese pangolin occupancy and detection probabilities were trueΨ^  ± SE = 0.77 ± 0.08; truep^  ± SE = 0.27 ± 0.05, respectively. The detection probabilities of Chinese pangolin were higher in PA ( truep^  ± SE = 0.33 ± 0.03) than compared to non‐PA ( truep^  ± SE = 0.25 ± 0.04). The most important covariates for Chinese pangolin detectability were red soil (97%), food source (97.6%), distance to road (97.9%), and protected area (97%) and with respect to occupancy was elevation (97.9%). We recommended use of remote cameras and potentially GPS collar surveys to further investigate habitat use and site occupancy at regular intervals to provide more reliable conservation assessments.

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The Vulnerable red panda Ailurus fulgens is endemic to the Himalayas. Anthropogenic activities, including deforestation, have degraded the species' habitat but the effects of livestock have not been examined. We assessed the effects of illegal livestock activity on the presence of the red panda in Rara National Park, Nepal. The probability of detecting red panda faecal pellets decreased with livestock occurrence but not with elevation or aspect. The presence of bamboo and proximity to water are important to red pandas but did not influence their habitat use at the spatial resolution evaluated. Livestock grazing in Rara National Park appears to adversely affect the presence of the red panda within its habitat. To reduce illegal livestock grazing we recommend enforcement of existing regulations, that training workshops be held for herders, and awareness-raising and dialogue with residents.Keywords Ailurus fulgens, conservation, grazing, habitat, Nepal, red panda, threatened species T he red panda Ailurus fulgens, endemic to the Himalayan areas of Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar and Nepal (Roberts & Gittleman, 1984), inhabits evergreen, deciduous, and mixed evergreen-deciduous forests with dense understories (Yonzon & Hunter, 1991) at elevations of 1,500-4,800 m (Choudhury, 2001). Red pandas require fallen logs for resting and feeding, bamboo or fruits for forage, and open water (Wei et al., 2000). The red panda is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List (Wang et al., 2008) and in Nepal is a protected priority species (Jnawali et al., 2011) under the National Parks and Wild Conservation Act 1973. Range-wide threats include killing by poachers and dogs, and habitat loss (Wei et al., 1999;Williams, 2003). Livestock grazing and collecting livestock feed (Sharma & Belant, 2010) may further reduce the quality of habitat for the red panda. Understanding habitat selection by the red panda, especially any effects of anthropogenic activities on such selection, is important for the conservation of the species.Livestock grazing is considered a major threat to wildlife in protected areas in Nepal, including in Langtang National Park, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve and Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (Berkmueller et al., 1990;Yonzon & Hunter, 1991;Sharma & Belant, 2010), and elsewhere (e.g. Bhutan; Dorji et al., 2012). Livestock, particularly cattle and buffalo, can damage habitats, compete with native species for food and introduce diseases (Jolles et al., 2005;Schmidt et al., 2005). Consequently, we considered it relevant for red panda conservation generally to assess the effects of livestock use on red panda habitat selection in Rara National Park.We collected data on presence of livestock sign and red panda faecal pellet groups in Rara National Park ( Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. NIBR Norsk Institutt for By og Regionforskning, on 25 Jul 2017 at 12:13:52, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at was 1.46 ± SD 0.51 km (range 0.6-2.5 km). Transects started within 50 m of the road that c...

Wildlife attacks on livestock near human settlements are increasing due to the proximity of humans to protected areas. These attacks are often severe due to depredations of livestock adversely affecting the livelihoods of people. The nature of carnivore depredations on livestock can differ based on the carnivore species, animal husbandry practices, season, and deterrent technique. We surveyed people living near Bardia National Park (BNP), Nepal, to compare hoofed livestock depredations by leopards (Panthera pardus) and tigers (P. tigris) near (<1 km) and far (>1 km) from this protected area. Overall, 1476 hoofed livestock were reportedly depredated by leopards, and 209 by tigers, during 2015–2019. The number of hoofed livestock killed by leopards each season was, at least, 86% higher than the number killed by tigers. More livestock were killed at BNP irrespective of carnivore deterrent techniques used. Due to severe effects created by livestock depredations near BNP, we recommend using more efficacious deterrent techniques when practical, in addition to improved livestock husbandry practices such as night penning.

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