Anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss for the red-listed Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ): Using ecological niche modeling and nighttime light satellite imagery

Escobar, Luis E.; Awan, Muhammad Naeem; Qiao, Huijie

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.040

Cited by 78 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(51 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Moreover, many areas have high anthropogenic pressure, e.g., in terms of human populations densities, agriculture and many suitable areas will be unreachable for Rhinopithecus due to natural and anthropogenic dispersal barriers such as rivers, urban areas and agricultural land (Liu et al 2009; Chang et al 2012). Other studies which have tried to model the potential distribution of species have also emphasised the importance of taking anthropogenic pressure into account (Kuemmerle et al 2011; Escobar et al 2015). In our study, human population density contributed to the predictive power of our models, while HII contributed little.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus): potential distribution and its implication for conservation

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Many threatened species have undergone range retraction, and are confined to small fragmented populations. To increase their survival prospects, it is necessary to find suitable habitat outside their current range, to increase and interconnect populations. Species distribution models may be used to this purpose and can be an important part of the conservation strategies. One pitfall is that such mapping will typically assume that the current distribution represents the optimal habitat, which may not be the case for threatened species. Here, we use maximum entropy modelling (Maxent) and rectilinear bioclimatic envelope modelling with current and historical distribution data, together with the location of protected areas, and environmental and anthropogenic variables, to answer three key questions for the conservation of Rhinopithecus, a highly endangered genus of primates consisting of five species of which three are endemic to China, one is endemic to China and Myanmar and one is endemic to Vietnam; Which environmental variables best predict the distribution? To what extent is Rhinopithecus living in an anthropogenically truncated niche space? What is the genus’ potential distribution in the region? Mean temperature of coldest and warmest quarter together with annual precipitation and precipitation during the driest quarter were the variables that best explained Rhinopithecus’ distribution. The historical records were generally in warmer and wetter areas and in lower elevation than the current distribution, strongly suggesting that Rhinopithecus today survives in an anthropogenic truncated niche space. There is 305,800–319,325 km 2 of climatic suitable area within protected areas in China, of which 96,525–100,275 km 2 and 17,175–17,550 km 2 have tree cover above 50 and 75%, respectively. The models also show that the area predicted as climatic suitable using Maxent was 72–89% larger when historical records were included. Our results emphasise the importance of considering historical records when assessing restoration potential and show that there is high potential for restoring Rhinopithecus to parts of its former range. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s10531-018-1507-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus): potential distribution and its implication for conservation

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The U. thibetanus is a common species in JSWNP with the species being recorded from the sub-tropical forests to the alpine zone clearly indicating that this species is a habitat generalist (Escobar et al, 2015;Garshelis & Steinmetz, 2016). However only four camera stations above 4000 m a.s.l.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Therefore, it is vital that effective crop protection measures such as electric fencing are put in place, and livestock guarding and herd management alternatives are explored to reduce a loss to people. Habitat fragmentation and loss due to development is impacting every species in the biosphere (Escobar et al, 2015) and such anthropogenic disturbances will not spare habitat generalist species such as U. thibetanus. Conversely, expanding forests in JSWNP reinforces the need for a detailed assessment of the feeding habits of bears, as the lack of adequate food resources in the wilderness drives bear closer to settlements where palatable food resources are easily available, which could lead to human-bear conflict incidences.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of Asiatic black bear and its interaction with humans in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan

Letro¹,

Wangchuk²,

Dhendup

2020

Nat. Conserv. Res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We assessed the human-bear interactions and distribution patterns of the Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (JSWNP) in Bhutan through a questionnaire survey of park residents and by remote camera trapping. Our study revealed 26% (N = 311) of the respondents experiencing one or another form of human-bear interaction. Crop damage accounted for the highest interaction rate at 65%, followed by livestock depredation (25%), between 2012 and 2016. About 10% of the interactions involved human mual-bout 10% of the interactions involved human mualing cases in 2006-2016. About 80% of the respondents expressed support for bear conservation influenced mainly by conservation awareness programmes. Observations from 39 camera trap stations across the national park indicated a wide distribution of Asiatic black bears in JSWNP, with a mean site use probability of 0.55 (SE = 0.10, N = 39). With emerging perceived threats such as habitat fragmentation and loss, retaliatory killing, and poaching, it is recommended that the national park management adopt conservation measures that will enable a harmonious coexistence between humans and bears. Habitat enrichment with natural food resources for the bear, equipping communities with conflict preventive measures, and advocating local people on bear conservation are some of the measures that need to be adopted in the national park.

show abstract

“…In fact, the Asiatic black bear face several threats due to human activity. The species is listed as "vulnerable" by the IUCN (Garshelis & Steinmetz, 2016), due to widespread illegal killing, trade in bear parts, and habitat loss (e.g., Ahmadzadeh et al, 2008;Escobar, Awan, & Qiao, 2015). The species is also included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet and macronutrient niche of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in two regions of Nepal during summer and autumn

Panthi

Aryal

Coogan

2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Relatively little is known about the nutritional ecology of omnivorous Asiatic black bears ( Ursus thibetanus ) in Nepal. We characterized the diet of black bears in two seasons (June–July, “summer”; and October–November “autumn”) and two study areas (Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve [DHR]; and Kailash Sacred Landscape [KSL]). We then conducted nutritional analysis of species consumed by black bears in each study area, in combination with nutritional estimates from the literature, to estimate the proportions of macronutrients (i.e., protein [P], lipid [L], and carbohydrate [C]) in the seasonal bear foods and diets, as well as their macronutrient niche breadth. We found that bamboo ( Arundinaria spp.) had the highest relative frequency in both study areas and seasons. Ants and termites were found in DHR diets, but not KSL diets. One anthropogenic crop was found in DHR summer diets ( Zea mays ) and two were found in KSL summer diets ( Z. mays ; and Kodo millet [ Paspalum scrobiculatum ]). Other than insects, no animal prey was found in either diet. The proportions of macronutrients in diets (i.e., realized macronutrient niches) were relatively high in carbohydrate for both study areas and seasons: DHR summer 24.1P:8.7L:67.2C; KSL summer 16.7P:8.2L:75.1C; DHR autumn 21.1P:10.5L:68.4C; KSH autumn 19.0P:11.0L:70.0C. Macronutrient niche breadth was 3.1 × greater in the DHR than KSL during summer, and 4.0 × greater in the autumn, primarily due to the higher proportion of lipid in ants and termites relative to plant foods. Within‐study area differences in niche breadth were greater during summer than autumn; in the KSH the macronutrient breadth was 1.4 × greater in summer, while in the DHR it was 1.1 × greater in summer. Similarity in dietary macronutrient proportions despite differences in foods consumed and niche breadth are suggestive of foraging to reach a preferred macronutrient balance.

show abstract

Anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss for the red-listed Asiatic black bear ( Ursus thibetanus ): Using ecological niche modeling and nighttime light satellite imagery

Cited by 78 publications

References 36 publications

Snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus): potential distribution and its implication for conservation

Snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus): potential distribution and its implication for conservation

Distribution of Asiatic black bear and its interaction with humans in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan

Diet and macronutrient niche of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in two regions of Nepal during summer and autumn

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About