Assessing spatiotemporal changes in tiger habitat across different land management regimes

Abstract

Human-induced habitat loss and degradation are increasing the extinction probability of many wildlife species worldwide, thus protecting habitat is crucial. The habitat of thousands of imperiled wildlife species occurs in a variety of land management regimes (e.g., protected areas, multiple-use areas), each exerting differing effects. We used the globally endangered tiger (Panthera tigris) to examine the relationships between habitat change and land management in Nepal's Chitwan district, a global biodiversity hotspot. We evaluated the effects of environmental and human factors on tiger habitat based on data acquired by motion-detecting cameras and space-borne imaging sensors. Spatiotemporal habitat dynamics in Chitwan National Park and a multiple-use area outside the park were then evaluated in three time periods (1989, 1999, and 2009). Our results indicate that tigers preferred areas with more grasslands and higher landscape connectivity. The area of highly suitable habitat decreased inside the park over the entire 20 year interval, while outside the park habitat suitability increased, especially from 1999 to 2009. The loss of highly suitable habitat inside the park may be associated with an increasing trend of unauthorized resource extraction by a rapidly growing human population, coupled with natural processes such as flooding and forest succession. In contrast, community-based management of natural resources and the prohibition of livestock grazing since the late 1990s likely improved tiger habitat suitability outside the park. Results of this study are useful for evaluating habitat change and guiding conservation actions across the tiger range, which spans 13 countries. Moreover, quantitatively assessing habitat change across different land management regimes in human-dominated areas provides insights for conserving habitat of other imperiled wildlife species around the world.

Assessing Species Vulnerability to Climate Change in Tropical Asia: Implications for Biodiversity Conservation and Forest Management

“…The loss of highly suitable habitat for Bengal tiger is associated with flooding resulting from heavy rainfall in Nepal's Chitwan district (Carter et al 2013), and is consistent with our modelling results.…”

“…Results from previous studies suggest that the area of highly suitable habitat for Bengal tigers has decreased inside the park over 20 years in the Chitwan district of Nepal, while outside the park habitat suitability increased, especially from 1999 to 2009 (Carter et al 2013). The distribution range of all these large mammals across tropical Asia is not limited to Protected Areas (PAs) and areas outside PAs are subject to development projects that may be a problem for the conservation of these mammals (Sathyakumar 2006).…”

“…The habitat of the threatened large mammals occurs in a variety of land management regimes (e.g., protected areas, reserved forests, multiple land-use areas) across tropical Asia (Carter et al 2013;IUCN 2016). The habitat preferences differ among mammal species.…”

“…The habitat preferences differ among mammal species. For instance, Bengal tigers prefer habitats with more grasslands and higher landscape connectivity in Chitwan district of Nepal (Carter et al 2013), whereas Asian elephants prefer areas close to a permanent source of fresh water as they need 80-200 litres of water a day for drinking and bathing (Shoshani & Eisenberg 1982).…”

Coupled human and natural systems approach to wildlife research and conservation

“…Despite these similarities, there are important differences in biophysical context. For example, the topography of Wolong is more rugged, with elevations ranging from 1200 to > 6200 m (Viña et al 2008), whereas Chitwan lies at relatively low elevations between 150 and 815 m (Carter et al 2013). …”