Conserving the Forest Owlet in India: Challenges, Opportunities, and Hopes

Jathar, Girish

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-821139-7.00226-9

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…The average occupancy of Forest Owlet was higher around Dangs (0.27) and Tansa (0.24) compared to Toranmal RF (0.14). Forests in Toranmal RF are highly degraded Rahmani 2004, Jathar andPatil 2011) and had the lowest occupancy for all three owlets (Fig. 2).…”

Section: Landscape/local Differences In Occupancymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This mosaic of forested and agricultural land is likely a remnant of its original habitat. However, these areas are vulnerable to constant threats such as agricultural expansion, encroachment, habitat degradation, and fragmentation due to anthropogenic activities (Mehta et al 2008, Jathar and Patil 2011, Patel et al 2015, Mehta et al 2017, Kulkarni and Mehta 2020. In Toranmal, threats due to loss of vegetation, illicit wood cutting, and collection of firewood, especially of teak, are well documented (Jathar and Patil 2011).…”

Section: Conservation Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, these areas are vulnerable to constant threats such as agricultural expansion, encroachment, habitat degradation, and fragmentation due to anthropogenic activities (Mehta et al 2008, Jathar and Patil 2011, Patel et al 2015, Mehta et al 2017, Kulkarni and Mehta 2020. In Toranmal, threats due to loss of vegetation, illicit wood cutting, and collection of firewood, especially of teak, are well documented (Jathar and Patil 2011). The Forest Owlet occurrence is known to be strongly associated with these teakdominated forests (Jathar and Rahmani 2004, Ishtiaq and Rahmani 2005, Mehta et al 2007, 2008, Kulkarni and Mehta 2020, and it is known to avoid areas with anthropogenic activities such as fuelwood collection and logging (Kulkarni and Mehta 2020).…”

Section: Conservation Challengesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat determinants of species occupancy and niche partitioning among sympatric owlets: the paradoxical role of agricultural lands for the endangered Forest Owlet, Athene blewitti

Khan¹,

Sushma²,

B³

et al. 2023

JFO

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Species with highly restricted distributions are intriguing especially when they co-occur with similar and related species that are more widely distributed. They are also of conservation concern because of their restricted distributions and low population size. The Forest Owlet (Athene blewitti) is an endangered species endemic to the central Indian landscape that occurs in apparently unconnected pockets. Two other species of owlets, with wide distributions in India, Jungle Owlet (Glaucidium radiatum) and Spotted Owlet (Athene brama) co-occur with Forest Owlet. Understanding how species use the habitat matrix is central to prioritizing conservation action. We studied the three species across an extensive part of the predicted range of Forest Owlets through 350 surveys.Our results indicate that Jungle Owlet occupancy (ψ = 0.5896, SE = 0.08) was highest, followed by Forest Owlet (ψ = 0.2517, SE = 0.10), and Spotted Owlet (ψ = 0.1781, SE = 0.07). The Forest Owlet showed a preference for stands of forests with large trees but not necessarily with closed canopies, as well as open habitats (agricultural land cover). The Spotted Owlet showed a preference for agricultural land cover with lower litter and bare ground cover. In contrast, the Jungle Owlet showed a preference for dense forest and canopy cover. The preference for agricultural cover by the Forest Owlet provides important insights into our understanding of the ecology of this owlet. Most significantly, it brings up several conservation challenges for managing this endangered species across a human-use landscape.RESUMEN. Las especies con una distribución altamente restringida son intrigantes especialmente cuando co-occurren con especies cercanamente emparentadas y similares que están más ampliamente distribuidas. Estas especies son también de interés para la conservación por su distribución restringida y bajo tamaño poblacional. Athene blewitti es una especie amenazada y endémica al paisaje del centro de India donde se encuentra en bolsillos de hábitat aparentemente desconectados. Otras dos especies de búhos, con una amplia distribución en India, Glaucidium radiatum y Athene brama co-occurren con Athene blewitti. Comprender como la especie utiliza la matriz del hábitat es central para priorizar acciones de conservación. Estudiamos las tres especies a lo largo de una porción extensiva del rango predicho de Athene blewitti usando 350 muestreos. Nuestros resultados indican que la ocupación de Glaucidium radiatum (ψ = 0.5896, SE = 0.08) fue la más alta, seguida por Athene blewitti (ψ = 0.2517, SE = 0.10) y Athene brama (ψ = 0.1781, SE = 0.07). Athene blewitti mostro una preferencia por fragmentos de bosque con árboles grandes, pero no necesariamente con dosel cerrado, así como hábitats abiertos (cobertura de agricultura). En contraste, Athene brama mostró una preferencia por bosque denso y con alta cobertura de dosel. La preferencia por coberturas de agricultura por parte de Athene blewitti provee información importante para nuestro entendimiento de la ecología de e...

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Section: Landscape/local Differences In Occupancymentioning

confidence: 99%