
1. Relocating Humans for Tiger Conservation is a Win for Both by Jason G. Goldman in Conservation Magazine
2. Would You Ditch Your House to Help Out a Tiger? by Richard Conniff in takepart and on Conniffs strangebehaviors blog
![]() Following the press release by the University of Kent, on our recent research, several news portals carried the article and many versions of it. There were two pieces that stood out: 1. Relocating Humans for Tiger Conservation is a Win for Both by Jason G. Goldman in Conservation Magazine 2. Would You Ditch Your House to Help Out a Tiger? by Richard Conniff in takepart and on Conniffs strangebehaviors blog
9 Comments
![]() Presented below is the release University of Kent made on our recent articles Research from the University of Kent has revealed that people in the western Terai Arc Landscape, India, are prepared to relocate their homes and families to help conserve tigers. Undertaken by researchers from the University’s Durrell Institute for Conservation and Ecology (DICE), the research evaluates the ecological and habitat needs of wildlife in the region and the socio-economic needs and priorities of the local forest-dependent community, known as the Gujjars. The research aims to provide an objective framework for conservationists and policymakers to prioritise efforts in order to reach their goal of doubling tiger numbers by 2022. Described in two published papers, the research provides evidence that recovery of wild tiger populations can be achieved hand-in-hand with meeting the livelihood aspirations of the Gujjars. In the first part of the research, the team found that by reintroducing tigers into a section of the landscape that suffers from a lack of connectivity to high density tiger populations, as well as carrying out targeted actions to recover important tiger prey at specific sites across the landscape, there was the potential to increase tiger populations by around 68%. Results from the second part showed an overwhelming preference among Gujjars households interviewed for resettlement outside the forests. This signalled an unexpected opportunity to expand inviolate habitat for tigers in a specific human-dominated landscape by meeting larger livelihood issues for local people, such as better access to education and health services. ![]() Identifying realistic recovery targets and conservation actions for tigers in a human-dominated landscape using spatially explicit densities of wild prey and their determinants Wild tiger Panthera tigris populations have reduced to < 3600 and occupy a mere 7% of their historic range. Recognizing this decline, heads of the 13 range countries convened at the Tiger Summit in 2010 and set an aspirational goal of doubling the population of wild tigers by the year 2022. While large-scale initiatives such as this are among the most effective responses to guide conservation investment, they do not identify targets and actions for site-level conservation. Therefore in this study, we estimate the spatially explicit densities of an assemblage of wild ungulates across a landscape of multiple-uses to evaluate landscape-wide conditions for tigers and identify opportunities for recovery, consistent with global conservation targets. In this study we carry out one such exercise where we estimate densities of 6 ungulate prey species across a landscape managed under 3 land management categories to predict potential carrying capacities for tigers. Our results indicate that the western TAL that currently supports 2 (2–7) and 225 (199–256) tigers across two fragmented sections of the landscape is capable of supporting 82 (62–106) and 299 (225–377) tigers, representing a c. 68% increase to the existing population. Based on our findings we recommend that this systematic approach of setting realistic population targets and prioritizing spatially explicit recovery strategies should aid in developing effective landscape conservation plans towards achieving global tiger conservation targets and should ideally precede pledging investments to recover tiger populations. ![]() Human resettlement and tiger conservation – Socio-economic assessment of pastoralists reveals a rare conservation opportunity in a human-dominated landscape Resettlement of people for conservation is a contentious issue, but remains an important policy for conserving species like tigers which require vast, inviolate habitats. Recommendations to resettle communities should ideally be supported with careful evaluation of the needs of wildlife, socio-economic characteristics of dependent communities and their attitudes, and we (Mousumi, Douglas MacMillan and myself) present one such case study. Using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 158 households across a gradient of tiger occupancy, we found overwhelming preference for resettlement among pastoralist Gujjars and hence an unexpected conservation opportunity to expand inviolate areas for tigers in the western Terai-Arc Landscape. Conserving large carnivores such as tigers in human-dominated landscapes, where they can potentially inflict considerable costs upon largely impoverished local communities, is particularly challenging. Conserving and recovering the dwindling populations of tigers is contingent upon securing protected areas which serve as undisturbed habitats required for breeding, and maintaining connectivity between such protected reserves through a matrix of forests which are inhabited and utilized by local communities. With heads of governments of all 13 tiger range countries pledging to double tiger numbers by 2022, conservationists and policy makers at the global and national level are debating the best ways to delineate ‘inviolate cores’ and ‘areas of coexistence’ within larger landscapes to achieve these twin objectives, our research provides an objective framework to make such conservation prioritizations. ![]() While researchers have assessed socio-economic parameters of communities affected by large carnivores in the past, our research is novel in making such assessment across a gradient of tiger presence to prioritize areas where co-existence needs to be promoted (low tiger occupancy, benefits of coexistence outweigh the costs to the community), or voluntary resettlement is necessary (high tiger occupancy, costs exceed the benefits for the community). We used semi-structured questionnaires among 158 Gujjar households across the western Terai Arc Landscape, situated in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Specifically, our objectives were to (a) assess the livelihoods of the forest-dwelling pastoralist Gujjars, (b) document the number and nature of livestock losses and identify the correlates of livestock depredation, and finally (c) assess the preferences of Gujjars towards interventions required to improve their well-being. ![]() Influence of Connectivity, Wild Prey and Disturbance on Occupancy of Tigers in the Human-Dominated Western Terai Arc Landscape Fragmentation and the loss of connectivity between suitable habitats have led to range wide population declines among many mammalian species. In this study, we develop a spatially explicit tiger occupancy model with survey data from 2009–10 based on a priori knowledge of tiger biology and specific issues plaguing the western TAL, which occurs in two disjunct units (Tiger Habitat Blocks; THBs). Although the overall occupancy of tigers was 58%, our results clearly indicate that loss in functionality of a regional corridor has resulted in tigers now occupying 17.58% of the available habitat in THB I (western extreme) in comparison to 88.5% in THB II. ![]() The current patterns of occupancy were best explained by models incorporating the interactive effect of habitat blocks on wild prey availability and anthropogenic disturbances. Our analysis has helped identify areas of high tiger occupancy both within and outside existing protected areas, which highlights the need for a unified control of the landscape under a single conservation unit with the primary focus of managing tigers and associated wildlife. Finally, in the light of global conservation targets and recent legislations in India, our study assumes significance as we identify opportunities to secure (e.g. THB II) and increase (e.g. THB I) tiger populations in the landscape. |
Archives
February 2014
Categories
All
|