Geospatial Modelling of Ungulate Habitat Relationships in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra

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Study of Leopard Menace, Food Habits and Habitat Parameters in Mandi District, Himachal Pradesh

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Conservation Against Conservation: Contesting Ways of Understanding Forests in Southern Myanmar

M.A.M.A. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 201

A Study on Vegetation Ecology in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh with Reference to Gaur (Bos gaurus),

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Habitat Modeling for Tiger (Penthra Tigris) Using Geo-spatial Technology of Panna Tiger Reserve (M.P.) India

Abstract. The Tiger (Panthera tigris) population in India has undergone a sharp decline during the last few years. Habitat zones where prey populations are abundant are likely to be preferred by the tiger in comparison to those where they are scarce or absent. An area having a high density of road would be avoided by wild animals as compared to an area with few or no roads because there is a high traffic and constant noise. Habitat suitability index (HSI) models have been used to evaluate wildlife habitat. These models are based on functional relationships between wildlife and habitat variables. Values of habitat variables (e.g., herbaceous canopy cover, tree canopy cover, tree height) are related to habitat quality on a suitability index (SI) scale from 0 = "not habitat" to 1 = "habitat of maximum suitability." Habitat suitability index scores, also on a 0-1 scale, are usually calculated using a mathematical formula representing hypothesized relationships among the individual SIs. Tiger (Panthera tigris) prefer core habitats, generally avoid area with high edge density. In the study area landscape, the Ken River is the perennial water sources; Prey species of tiger and the Tiger also preferred areas proximate to perennial water sources is favored. Tigers, under normal circumstances of human settlement, avoid traversing through such areas. Tiger"s preferred prey includes in the study area, this group is commonly represented by Chital (Axis axis), Sambar (Cervus unicolor), Wild-boar (Sus scrofa), Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), and Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) were also encountered in the study area

Evaluation of impact of landscape changes on large Mammal Habitats in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

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UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS HUMAN-WILDLIFE INTERACTION AND CONFLICT IN A TIGER LANDSCAPE-COMPLEX OF INDIA

Human-population of the earth exceeding 6 billion and growing at an estimates rate of 1.2% per year (US census Bureau, 2002) will lead to increase in human-wildlife encounters. Attacks on humans are perhaps the least understood of these encounters, but the most interesting and emotionally connected to people (Quigley Howard 2005). The main aim of the study if to understand stakeholders’ perception towards human-wildlife interaction and conflicts in Corbett National park, India. We used a standardized IRB (Institutional Review Board) approved questionnaire to survey 315 household from 15 villages lying within and around Corbett National Park of India using snow-ball technique and stratified random sampling technique.. We also surveyed and analyzed the head of the village, snow-ball technique and stratified random technique survey differently. We used multivariate regression analysis to understand the data obtained from questionnaire survey. Later, we also designed a conceptual model to understand factors influencing human-wildlife interaction; and an empirical model to identify factors affecting human-wildlife conflicts. The results of the study identified that most of the encounters with wildlife occurred while collecting timber or grass from forests. Wild pigs, elephants and cheetal are the species mainly responsible for crop-loss in our study area. Majority of the stakeholders were engaged in timber and grass collection from forested area. Multivariate regression results suggests that stakeholders whose farms were located far from highway, had good fencing and who had better socio-economic status faced least threat from wildlife with respect to crop-loss, livestock loss and human-life loss/injury. The simulation results of dynamic system experiment suggests that habitat loss and poaching play a very significant role in tiger population and its future. The study concludes that a holistic multi-disciplinary conservation approach is needed to address the increasing conflict issues in India. More emphases should be given on community based-conservation strategies and policies. Watch-towers, pits, solar-powered fencing are the best and most effective ways to keep wildlife away from damaging crops and killing livestock. Sustainable development and better higher education is the key to conserving tigers in India

Application of interdisciplinary approaches to improve the welfare of big cats

This research, across five studies, examines the effectiveness of broad interdisciplinary approaches from the fields of natural and social sciences to assess big cat welfare. It first reviews the research on the role of individual variation in understanding the relationship between personality and stress physiology in big cats. In reviewing the past literature on big cat personality and stress physiology, we compared the methods used and identified five factors - social interactions, environment, life history and evolutionary traits, genetics, and health, that may influence this integrated relationship. We then applied these inferences to explore personality in captive Twenty-two African lions (13 males and 9 females). A strong correlation was found between lion personality and cortisol levels, where African lions with agreeable personality types had lower cortisol levels. Next, we examined social and environmental factors identified as influencing factors in the review and measured it using the association index, the spread of participation index and electivity index in these captive African lions (n=22). These three indices were then compared with the lion’s personality, cortisol levels, enclosure size and age, to determine the driving factors affecting social and environmental preferences. The social interactions in African lions were negatively influenced by dominant personality types and lions rated higher on agreeableness showed some tendency to use secluded shaded areas with enrichments to remove themselves. While previous study focused on understanding the individual animal’s welfare by observing animals directly, this time we analysed the role of human attitudes towards big cat welfare. We assessed the attitudes of the general public (n=375) towards captive big cats in India and Australia via an online survey and identified the demographic factors influencing their attitudes and found that the number of zoo visits is a common factor influencing people’s perspectives of captive big cats and their welfare, with factors such as location, age, gender and education, and some of their interactions, also influencing several parameters. Finally, we assessed the attitudes of thirty-five stakeholders towards wild leopards in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, India using an online survey followed by a semi-structured. We examined if these perceptions varied with their role but found that there was no difference in the perceptions of the seven stakeholder groups towards leopards as an issue, in threats towards leopards in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park as part of the urban landscape of Mumbai, and factors resulting in the reduction of leopard attacks