Comparison of the conservation of medium and large-sized mammals in a national park and military area

Abstract

National parks (NP) and military areas (MA) preserve natural ecosystems. Although both regions have positive and negative effects on animal communities, studies comparing their impacts on conservation are limited. We monitored mammalian communities using 21 sensor cameras in a MA (6 sites) and NP (15 sites) located on Gyeryongsan Mountain, South Korea from May to November 2021 to compare the conservation of medium and large-sized mammals between the two regions. Forty-one environmental variables, including anthropogenic and geographical factors, were extracted from different spatial ranges (50, 500, and 1000 m). A linear model and non-metric multidimensional scaling were used to identify the factors influencing community diversity. We also analyzed species habitat type preferences using a multispecies occupancy model and compared temporal activities in the two regions. Species diversity was similar between the two sites, with most animals preferring habitats with lower slopes located at greater distances from human trails. Only the Korean hare (Lepus coreanus) preferred the NP habitat of the eight species found. Active periods were similar for the species in both regions, except for differences in some carnivore species. Although not all species were affected by human activity, most preferred the MA over the NP. The carnivores were especially able to flexibly alter their active periods and locations in response to human activities, especially in the NP where human activity was more prevalent. Thus, strategies should be implemented to improve NP conservation success, such as spatial and temporal accessible and inaccessible section separation.