scholarly journals Potential Distribution of the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in Different Land Covers of Nepal: Implications for Conservation

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hari Prasad Sharma ◽  
Bhagawat Rimal ◽  
Mingxia Zhang ◽  
Sandhya Sharma ◽  
Laxman Prasad Poudyal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Manis Pentadactyla ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Species Specific

Anthropogenic activities have driven many wildlife species towards extinction. Among these species, the geographic distributions of many are poorly documented, which can limit the effectiveness of conservation. The critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) is experiencing population decline throughout its range due to land-use changes and illegal trade for food and traditional medicine. Using distribution records and maximum entropy modeling, we predicted the potential distribution of the Chinese pangolin across Nepal. Most suitable potential habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred in forest areas of the mid-hill region in central and eastern Nepal, followed by cultivated land. Almost all potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin occurred outside of protected areas, and most of them were encroached upon by cultivated land, human settlements, and infrastructure developments. The results from this study provide baseline information on the potential suitable habitats of the Chinese pangolin in Nepal, which helps to develop site- and species-specific management plans and to identify priority areas to minimize the current threats to the pangolin and enhance the stewardship of species conservation.

scholarly journals Deforestation projections imply range-wide population decline for critically endangered Bornean orangutan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Voigt ◽  
Hjalmar S Kühl ◽  
Marc Ancrenaz ◽  
David Gaveau ◽  
Erik Meijaard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Bornean Orangutan ◽  
Lowland Forests ◽  
Business As Usual

Assessing where wildlife populations are at risk from future habitat loss is particularly important for land-use planning and avoiding biodiversity declines. Combining projections of future deforestation with species density information provides an improved way to anticipate such declines. Using the endemic and critically endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) as a case study we applied a spatio-temporally explicit deforestation model to forest loss data from 2001-2017 and projected future impacts on orangutans to the 2030s. Our projections point to continued deforestation across the island, amounting to a loss of forest habitat for 26,200 (CI: 19,500-34,000) orangutans. Populations currently persisting in forests gazetted for industrial timber and oil palm concessions, or unprotected forests outside of concessions, were projected to experience the worst losses within the next 15 years, amounting to 15,400 (CI: 12,000-20,500) individuals. Lowland forests with high orangutan densities in West and Central Kalimantan were also projected to be at high risk from deforestation, irrespective of land-use. In contrast, most protected areas and logging concessions currently harboring orangutans will continue to face low levels of deforestation. Our business-as-usual projections indicate the importance of protected areas, efforts to prevent the conversion of logged forests for the survival of highly vulnerable wildlife, and protecting orangutan habitat in plantation landscapes. The modeling framework could be expanded to other species with available density or occurrence data. Our findings highlight that species conservation should not only attempt to act on the current situation, but also be adapt to changes in drivers to be effective.

scholarly journals Loss of vocal culture and fitness costs in a critically endangered songbird

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1947) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross Crates ◽  
Naomi Langmore ◽  
Louis Ranjard ◽  
Dejan Stojanovic ◽  
Laura Rayner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Fitness Costs ◽  
Cultural Norm ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Declining Populations ◽  
Song Production ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Impact

Cultures in humans and other species are maintained through interactions among conspecifics. Declines in population density could be exacerbated by culture loss, thereby linking culture to conservation. We combined historical recordings, citizen science and breeding data to assess the impact of severe population decline on song culture, song complexity and individual fitness in critically endangered regent honeyeaters ( Anthochaera phrygia ). Song production in the remaining wild males varied dramatically, with 27% singing songs that differed from the regional cultural norm. Twelve per cent of males, occurring in areas of particularly low population density, completely failed to sing any species-specific songs and instead sang other species' songs. Atypical song production was associated with reduced individual fitness, as males singing atypical songs were less likely to pair or nest than males that sang the regional cultural norm. Songs of captive-bred birds differed from those of all wild birds. The complexity of regent honeyeater songs has also declined over recent decades. We therefore provide rare evidence that a severe decline in population density is associated with the loss of vocal culture in a wild animal, with concomitant fitness costs for remaining individuals. The loss of culture may be a precursor to extinction in declining populations that learn selected behaviours from conspecifics, and therefore provides a useful conservation indicator.

scholarly journals Microsatellite analysis reveals low genetic diversity in managed populations of the critically endangered gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Surya Prasad Sharma ◽  
Mirza Ghazanfarullah Ghazi ◽  
Suyash Katdare ◽  
Niladri Dasgupta ◽  
Samrat Mondol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Indian Subcontinent ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Mitochondrial Control Region ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Genetic Status ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Gavialis Gangeticus

AbstractThe gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is a critically endangered crocodylian, endemic to the Indian subcontinent. The species has experienced severe population decline during the twentieth century owing to habitat loss, poaching, and mortalities in passive fishing. Its extant populations have largely recovered through translocation programmes initiated in 1975. Understanding the genetic status of these populations is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of the ongoing conservation efforts. This study assessed the genetic diversity, population structure, and evidence of genetic bottlenecks of the two managed populations inhabiting the Chambal and Girwa Rivers, which hold nearly 80% of the global gharial populations. We used seven polymorphic nuclear microsatellite loci and a 520 bp partial fragment of the mitochondrial control region (CR). The overall mean allelic richness (Ar) was 2.80 ± 0.40, and the observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities were 0.40 ± 0.05 and 0.39 ± 0.05, respectively. We observed low levels of genetic differentiation between populations (FST = 0.039, P < 0.05; G’ST = 0.058, P < 0.05 Jost’s D = 0.016, P < 0.05). The bottleneck analysis using the M ratio (Chambal = 0.31 ± 0.06; Girwa = 0.41 ± 0.12) suggested the presence of a genetic bottleneck in both populations. The mitochondrial CR also showed a low level of variation, with two haplotypes observed in the Girwa population. This study highlights the low level of genetic diversity in the two largest managed gharial populations in the wild. Hence, it is recommended to assess the genetic status of extant wild and captive gharial populations for planning future translocation programmes to ensure long-term survival in the wild.

scholarly journals Modeling Land Use Changes and their Impacts on Non-Point Source Pollution in a Southeast China Coastal Watershed

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1593 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Lin Zhou ◽  
Yuqi Liu
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Point Source ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Landscape Metrics ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Landscape Patterns ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Point Source Pollution ◽  
Coastal Watershed ◽  
Non Point Source Pollution

Changes in landscape patterns in a river basin play a crucial role in the change on load of non-point source pollution. The spatial distribution of various land use types affects the transmission of non-point source pollutants on the basis of source-sink theory in landscape ecology. Jiulong River basin in southeast of China was selected as the study area in this paper. Aiming to analyze the correlation between changing landscape patterns and load of non-point source pollution in this area, traditional landscape metrics and the improved location-weighted landscape contrast index based on the minimum hydrological response unit (HRULCI) were applied in this study, in combination with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) technique. The results of the landscape metrics showed the enhanced fragmentation extent and the decreasing polymerization degree of the overall landscape in the watershed. High values of HRULCI were concentrated in cultivated land, while low HRULCI values mostly appeared in forestland, indicating that cultivated land substantially enhanced non-point source pollution, while forestland inhibited the pollution process.

scholarly journals Species conservation profiles of cave-dwelling arthropods from Azores, Portugal

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Borges ◽  
Lucas Lamelas-Lopez ◽  
Isabel Amorim ◽  
Anja Danielczak ◽  
Mário Boieiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Arthropod Species ◽  
Area Of Occupancy ◽  
The Creation

Azorean volcanic cave biodiversity is under considerable pressure due to ongoing threats of pollution, land use change, touristic activities or climate change. In this contribution, we present the IUCN Red List profiles of 15 cave-adapted arthropod species, endemic to the Azorean archipelago, including species belonging to the speciose genus Trechus (Carabidae), which is represented in Azores by seven species. The objective of this paper is to assess all endemic Azorean cave-adapted species and advise on possible future research and conservation actions critical for the long-term survival of the most endangered species. Most species have a restricted distribution (i.e. occur in one or two caves), very small extent of occurrence (EOO) and a small area of occupancy (AOO). A continuing decline in the number of mature individuals is inferred from the ongoing cave habitat degradation. The two troglobitic species of the homopteran genus Cixius are in great danger of extinction due to major land-use changes in epigean habitats above their known localities. We suggest, as future measures of conservation, the regular monitoring of the species (every five years), the creation of additional protected caves, the limitation of several aggressive activities around the caves (e.g. decreasing pasture intensification) and in some cases the creation of fences in the entrance of the most important caves.

scholarly journals Areal sizes of high, intermediate, low and total suitable habitats are correlated to the global extinction risk for mammals

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 963-967
Author(s):  
You-Hua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Species Extinction ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Global Extinction ◽  
Extinction Risk Assessment ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Threatened Status ◽  
Polyserial Correlation

The relationships between areal sizes of high, intermediate, low, and total sum of habitats with low, intermediate and high suitability habitat ranges, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threatened status of global terrestrial mammals were studied. Polyserial correlation analysis showed that all types of areal size closely and positively correlated with IUCN categories of threatened species. The results indicate that area-based extinction risk assessment is feasible and reliable in species? conservation prioritization. Furthermore, the partial polyserial correlation test indicates that significant correlations between the IUCN threatened status of species and range sizes of high, intermediate and low suitability habitats are not influenced by the polyserial correlation between IUCN threatened status and total suitability habitat range size. Thus, the prediction of species? extinction risks can be accurately fulfilled by evaluating the areal size of any one of total, high, intermediate or low suitability ranges. The present study implies that if the area size information of a totally suitable range is not available for species? extinction risk assessment, the usage of areal sizes from any parts of suitable habitats (high, intermediate or low) are effective surrogates.

scholarly journals Effect of Land Use on Soil Quality in Afaka Forest Northern Guinea Savannah of Nigeria

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
H. Haruna
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Soil Quality ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Soil Fertility Management

Land use changes from forest into cultivated ecosystems result in negative impact on soil structure and quality. The purpose of this study was to determine effect of land use on soil quality in Afaka forest northern guinea savannah of Nigeria. Land use systems, including natural forest and cultivated land were identified. Eighteen (18) composite disturbed and undisturbed samples were collected from depth of 0-5 and 5-10 cm for analysis of pertinent soil properties in the laboratory using grid procedure. Most physical and chemical properties show relative variations in response to land use types and geomorphic positions. Results  indicate  that the soils had  high degree of weathering potentials, low  to moderate  bulk density at 0-5cm depth values between 1.42 to 1.49 Mg m-3 in  forest and  cultivated land, bulk density of  1.34 and 1.46 1.Mg m-3at 5 -1ocm depth   for forest and  cultivated land respectively. The soil water at 0-5cm depth is from 4.20 to 2.63 cm3/cm3, while at 5-10 cm depth these values vary from 4.32 to 2.13 cm3/cm3 under forest and cultivation land use. The pH (H2O) is 6.9 to 7.16 with low electrical conductivity of 0.13 dS/m(forest) and 0.12 dS/m (cultivation). The CEC of soils is recorded as 8.60 cmol kg-1 (forest) to 8.54 cmol kg-1 (cultivated)whereas  total nitrogen content of 1.21 g kg-1 and 1.11 g kg-1 and available phosphorus of 8.78 mg kg-1 (cultivated) and 5.47 mg kg-1 (forest).. Results indicate that soil fertility parameters were moderate to low for cultivated land and at all slope positions, suggesting that soil fertility management is required in order to make agriculture sustainable on Afaka area.

scholarly journals Community-based study to demonstrate the presence and local perspectives of the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla in Zhejiang Wuyanling, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 15547-15556
Author(s):  
Hongying Li ◽  
Shusheng Zhang ◽  
Ji Zhang ◽  
Zupei Lei ◽  
Fangdong Zheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mainland China ◽  
Infrared Camera ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
The Status ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Manis Pentadactyla ◽  
Camera Surveillance

Illegal hunting and trading of the Chinese Pangolin Manis pentadactyla has pushed this Critically Endangered species close to extinction.  While local reports have suggested its continued presence in mainland China, this has not been confirmed by a research group except for a survey of presumed pangolin burrows in 2004.  We conducted a six-month field study using infrared camera surveillance and community questionnaire survey in Zhejiang Wuyanling National Nature Reserve in China, to determine the status of Chinese Pangolins and understand local attitudes towards the conservation of this species.  Our study details the first verifiable documentation of two visual records of a Chinese Pangolin in the wild, demonstrating the suitability of pangolin habitat in Wuyanling region, and suggests an increasing awareness and strong willingness in local communities to conserve the Chinese Pangolin.  

Predicting the potential distribution ofVexillata(Nematoda: Ornithostrongylidae) and its hosts (Mammalia: Rodentia) within America

2012 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.A. Martínez-Salazar ◽  
T. Escalante ◽  
M. Linaje ◽  
J. Falcón-Ordaz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factor ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Distribution Modelling ◽  
Distributional Patterns ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Temperature Seasonality ◽  
Host Parasite

AbstractSpecies distribution modelling has been a powerful tool to explore the potential distribution of parasites in wildlife, being the basis of studies on biogeography.Vexillataspp. are intestinal nematodes found in several species of mammalian hosts, such as rodents (Geomyoidea) and hares (Leporidae) in the Nearctic and northern Neotropical regions. In the present study, we modelled the potential distribution ofVexillataspp. and their hosts, using exclusively species from the Geomyidae and Heteromyidae families, in order to identify their distributional patterns. Bioclimatic and topographic variables were used to identify and predict suitable habitats forVexillataand its hosts. Using these models, we identified that temperature seasonality is a significant environmental factor that influences the distribution of the parasite genus and its host. In particular, the geographical distribution is estimated to be larger than that predicted for its hosts. This suggests that the nematode has the potential to extend its geographical range and also its spectrum of host species. Increasing sample size and geographical coverage will contribute to recommendations for conservation of this host–parasite system.

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