Authors' Contribution CZ and BW are the main contributors of this research. JR is the person in charge of this project. QS and MMAR revised the manuscript.The giant panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca is one of the most iconic mammals in the world. The species has experienced declines in its habitat and population due to human disturbance. To protect this species, we investigated the relationship between giant panda habitat use intensity and human disturbance density in the Daxiangling Mountains. The results indicated that, among multiple kinds of disturbances, roads affected the giant panda habitat use significantly. In addition, roads caused the giant panda habitat use intensity to decline sharply. The giant panda nearly stopped using the habitat when road density was more than 0.4 km/km 2 . Thus, road density should be considered in the protection program. Furthermore, in areas inhabited by giant pandas, we recommend to optimizing and enhancing increased regulations to minimize the expansion and impact of roads.
Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA) of Punjab-Pakistan are comprised of hilly mountains with small ruminants as the sole source of income. In this study, farming practices, their productivity, health and the economic value of sheep were evaluated in PATA through a survey of farmers (n = 138) holding 11,558 heads of sheep. Out of a total population, 87% were non-descriptive flocks, and nine percent and four percent were purebred flocks belonging to the Kajli and Thali populations, respectively. Sheep flocks were mainly (86%) reared under the traditional production system and had a delayed onset of puberty. There was low influence of season on the reproduction, and the majority of flocks (78%) were bred throughout the year. The lack of proper vaccination and poor management exposed the flocks to bacterial, viral and parasitic infections, which lead to high mortality in lambs (~22%) and adults (~32%). The share of sheep in farmers livelihood was 42%, and only 20% of producers’ living standard was improved with sheep farming, but the rise in rearing more sheep was quite low (20%). Although the livestock department arranged farmers’ training, the majority of farmers (83%) never participated in training and had no knowledge of modern technologies. Collectively, the traditional sheep production systems, poor management, lack of vaccination, marketing channels and farmers training hampered the sheep rearing and producers’ livelihood in the PATA of Punjab-Pakistan. However, developing model livestock farms, conducting farmer training, establishing a viable market for dairy products, and introducing subsidy policy interventions can improve the sheep farming in these areas.
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