Himalayan Vultures in Khodpe, far-west Nepal: is there any threat?

Joshi, Manoj Kumar; Chalise, Mukesh Kumar; Chaudhary, Anand; Katuwal, Hem Bahadur

doi:10.11609/jott.2427.7.14.8128-8133

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 10 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In some areas of Nepal, community‐based conservation and social–ecological approaches are increasing (Bhandari & Chalise, 2016; Mehta & Heinen, 2001). So far, these studies employ a species‐specific approach, with a predisposition towards flagship species such as tigers (Bajracharya et al, 2006; Bhattarai & Fischer, 2014) and vultures (Baral & Gautam, 2007; Joshi et al, 2015), due to their significant conservation implications. While such research presents local attitudes on prominent wildlife, there is limited examination of how and why perceptions may differ comparatively among species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local ecological knowledge and education drive farmers' contrasting perceptions of scavengers and their function in Nepal

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

There is a long‐standing relationship between humans and vertebrate scavengers, as scavengers' contributions take on regulating (e.g. nutrient recycling and disease control), material (e.g. competition and livestock depredation) and non‐material (e.g. sky burials and ecotourism) roles in society. A social–ecological approach to studying biodiversity is increasingly needed, since the inclusion of local perceptions and knowledge has proven critical for effective conservation programs and ecosystem management. We examine livestock farmers' perceptions and knowledge related to vertebrate scavengers in the highly diverse Chitwan‐Annapurna Landscape (Nepal) and assess the socio‐demographic traits that influence their perceived value of scavengers' ecosystem service provisioning (ESP) index, and function via scavenging services (SS). Farmers' perceptions of functional importance (SS) showed species‐specific gradation, unlike ESP, where only avian scavengers were perceived as beneficial. Our results show that the perception of scavenging as a beneficial ecosystem service and its importance as a biological function are decoupled for facultative scavengers and coupled for obligate scavengers. Relatedly, we identify that affluence‐related traits drove positive perceptions of ESP, and local ecological knowledge‐based traits were linked to increased knowledge of function via SS. Thus, this increased awareness of functional importance based on close contact with nature does not guarantee positive valuations of scavengers' contributions, whereas formal education did influence positive perceptions despite reduced awareness of function. Additionally, our findings suggest that existing environmental education measures are targeting the right groups, as these respondents coincide with lower favourability of scavengers' ecosystem services, but may be unable to overcome existing human–wildlife conflict. For the first time in South Asia, we survey relevant community stakeholder's attitudes towards an entire scavenging guild and their associated benefits, detriments and functional importance. Our study illustrates the varied perceptions that exist for different scavenger species and closely examines a wide‐ranging set of socio‐demographic traits that show disparate influences on farmers' knowledge of ecological function and perceived ecosystem service benefits. Crucially, these findings can guide conservation and management priorities by considering the differences in public perception and awareness of scavenging, as well as the interpretation of nature's contribution to people. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local ecological knowledge and education drive farmers' contrasting perceptions of scavengers and their function in Nepal

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Population levels and productivity of the Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) in Baitadi District, Nepal

Bhusal¹,

Dangaura²,

McClure

2021

Environmental Challenges

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Resurveys Reveal Potential Population Increases of the Himalayan Griffon in Central West Nepal

McClure

Bhusal²,

Karmacharya

et al. 2022

Journal of Raptor Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) is listed as near threatened and its populations are poorly monitored. During late May and early June of 2013, 2014, and 2016, we resurveyed transects that were originally sampled 2002–2006. These transects were within the Annapurna region of Nepal. From 2010 through 2020, we also monitored a breeding colony of Himalayan Griffons within the Arghakhanchi District of Nepal. The number of non-adults, adults, and total Himalayan Griffons counted along the transects approximately doubled from the previous counts. At the colony, the number of breeding pairs and young fledged increased during the study (yearly growth rate [r] = 0.049 and 0.089, respectively). The number of offspring fledged per breeding pair also increased (r = 0.040). Our results are encouraging, but we only surveyed a small portion of the global population and over a relatively short time period. We recommend expanded and coordinated population monitoring for this species across its range.

show abstract

Himalayan Vultures in Khodpe, far-west Nepal: is there any threat?

Cited by 5 publications

References 10 publications

Local ecological knowledge and education drive farmers' contrasting perceptions of scavengers and their function in Nepal

Local ecological knowledge and education drive farmers' contrasting perceptions of scavengers and their function in Nepal

Population levels and productivity of the Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) in Baitadi District, Nepal

Resurveys Reveal Potential Population Increases of the Himalayan Griffon in Central West Nepal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About