Spatial distribution drivers of Amur leopard density in northeast China

Qi, Jianzhao; Shi, Quanhua; Wang, Guiming; Li, Zhilin; Sun, Quan; Hua, Yan; Jiang, Guangshun

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.034

Cited by 40 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models are increasingly advancing the field of population ecology (Efford, ; Royle, Karanth, Gopalaswamy, & Kumar, ; Royle & Young, ) and are less biased than conventional closed capture–recapture methods by study design, sample sizes, and variation in detection probabilities for effective conservation and management (Ramesh & Downs, ; Sollmann, Gardner, & Belant, ). SECR models generate convincing inferences with low sample sizes under the Bayesian framework (Alexander, Gopalaswamy, Shi, & Riordan, ; Gopalaswamy et al., ) which have been applied to account for the external variable effects on the density of other carnivores, such as black bear ( Ursus americanus ) (Howe, Obbard, & Kyle, ), Amur leopard ( Panthera pardus orientalis ) (Qi et al., ), and snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) (Alexander et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low leopard populations in protected areas of Maputaland: a consequence of poaching, habitat condition, abundance of prey, and a top predator

Ramesh

Kalle

Rosenlund

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Identifying the primary causes affecting population densities and distribution of flagship species are necessary in developing sustainable management strategies for large carnivore conservation. We modeled drivers of spatial density of the common leopard (Panthera pardus) using a spatially explicit capture–recapture—Bayesian approach to understand their population dynamics in the Maputaland Conservation Unit, South Africa. We camera‐trapped leopards in four protected areas (PAs) of varying sizes and disturbance levels covering 198 camera stations. Ours is the first study to explore the effects of poaching level, abundance of prey species (small, medium, and large), competitors (lion Panthera leo and spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta), and habitat on the spatial distribution of common leopard density. Twenty‐six male and 41 female leopards were individually identified and estimated leopard density ranged from 1.6 ± 0.62/100 km2 (smallest PA—Ndumo) to 8.4 ± 1.03/100 km2 (largest PA—western shores). Although dry forest thickets and plantation habitats largely represented the western shores, the plantation areas had extremely low leopard density compared to native forest. We found that leopard density increased in areas when low poaching levels/no poaching was recorded in dry forest thickets and with high abundance of medium‐sized prey, but decreased with increasing abundance of lion. Because local leopard populations are vulnerable to extinction, particularly in smaller PAs, the long‐term sustainability of leopard populations depend on developing appropriate management strategies that consider a combination of multiple factors to maintain their optimal habitats.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Low leopard populations in protected areas of Maputaland: a consequence of poaching, habitat condition, abundance of prey, and a top predator

Ramesh

Kalle

Rosenlund

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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“…We collected ungulate prey density data from 2010 to 2014 over an area of 878 km 2 in Jilin Wangqing Nature Reserve using snow track sample plots (Qi et al, 2015). We did a total of 33 plots in 2010-2011, 14 plots in 2012-2013, and 10 plots in 2013-2014.…”

Section: Population Size and Habitat Distribution Of Amur Tiger And Amentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We did a total of 33 plots in 2010-2011, 14 plots in 2012-2013, and 10 plots in 2013-2014. Each plot with the area of approximately 10 km 2 (i.e., 5 km × 2 km) consisted of five parallel 5 km transect lines separated by 500 m. We only used animal tracks within 24 h after snowfall to calculate the number of individuals of each prey species in each plot (Qi et al, 2015) and hence, we calculated ungulates prey density. Prey abundance data were not available across the whole study area for the entire study period.…”

Section: Population Size and Habitat Distribution Of Amur Tiger And Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Land sharing and land sparing reveal social and ecological synergy in big cat conservation

Jiang

Wang

Holyoak

et al. 2017

Biological Conservation

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Global biodiversity conservation has recently focused on the roles of land management strategies of land sharing vs. land sparing. However, few studies have evaluated the roles of social and ecological interactions in modifying the effectiveness of land management for top predator conservation. Using a 65-year dataset from northeastern China, we evaluated the roles of government social policies in resolving human-wildlife conflicts and improving human livelihood. From 1998 to 2015, both big cat populations and their habitats have increased. Concurrently, regional human population density decreased by 59.6%, forest volume logged was reduced by 62.6%. Consequently, increases of key prey species were observed during the same periods. Although populations remained small, the annual finite rate of increase was 1.04 for the Amur tiger population and 1.08 for Amur leopards from 1999 to 2015. Habitat areas occupied by big cats increased significantly. Overexploitation of forest resources and big cat declines under previous unsustainable land use are progressively being reversed under land sparing. Large economic investment and intense human-relocation projects coupled with efforts to reduce poaching and illegal hunting and trapping demonstrate a complex social and ecological synergy in big cat conservation in China.

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“…Abundance, or population size, is a primary parameter in wildlife conservation and management used to prioritize conservation actions and assess the conservation effectiveness (Seber 1973;McCarthy et al 2008;Jenks et al 2011;Jones 2011;Rovero et al 2014). Camera-trapping, in combination with the traditional capture-recapture or spatially explicit capture-recapture methods, has been widely applied to estimate the absolute abundance of individually identifiable species (Seber 1973;Nichols 1992;Karanth et al 2004;Royle and Young 2008;Russell et al 2012;Karki et al 2013;Avgan et al 2014;Qi et al 2015;Linden et al 2017). The camera-trapping is efficient for surveying wide-ranging, cryptic and elusive animals in inhospitable environment such as tropical rainforest (Tobler et al 2008, Rovero et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where to spot: individual identification of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) in South Korea

et al. 2019

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Knowledge of abundance, or population size, is fundamental in wildlife conservation and management. Cameratrapping, in combination with capture-recapture methods, has been extensively applied to estimate abundance and density of individually identifiable animals due to the advantages of being non-invasive, effective to survey wideranging, elusive, or nocturnal species, operating in inhospitable environment, and taking low labor. We assessed the possibility of using coat patterns from images to identify an individual leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), a Class II endangered species in South Korea. We analyzed leopard cat images taken from Digital Single-Lense Relfex camera (high resolution, 18Mpxl) and camera traps (low resolution, 3.1Mpxl) using HotSpotter, an image matching algorithm. HotSpotter accurately top-ranked an image of the same individual leopard cat with the reference leopard cat image 100% by matching facial and ventral parts. This confirms that facial and ventral fur patterns of the Amur leopard cat are good matching points to be used reliably to identify an individual. We anticipate that the study results will be useful to researchers interested in studying behavior or population parameter estimates of Amur leopard cats based on capture-recapture models.

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Spatial distribution drivers of Amur leopard density in northeast China

Cited by 40 publications

References 37 publications

Low leopard populations in protected areas of Maputaland: a consequence of poaching, habitat condition, abundance of prey, and a top predator

Low leopard populations in protected areas of Maputaland: a consequence of poaching, habitat condition, abundance of prey, and a top predator

Land sharing and land sparing reveal social and ecological synergy in big cat conservation

Where to spot: individual identification of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus) in South Korea

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