@article {118431, title = {Chasms in charismatic species research: Seventy years of carnivore science and its implications for conservation and policy in India}, journal = {BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION }, volume = {273}, year = {2022}, month = {09/2022}, abstract = {

Substantial research and conservation resources are invested towards studying, protecting, and managing carnivore populations, globally. But scholarly investigations that link the outcomes of ecological research and their applications are not commonplace. Such syntheses can have implications for large predator management and human well-being. India holds strategic importance for carnivore conservation and management, supporting 60 species (including two sub-species), at relatively high densities. Reviewing all carnivore studies published in post-independence India (1947-2020), we investigate the academic impacts of published journal articles, and the role of institutions and collaborative research. We then present an analysis of the thematic patterns, trends, and biases in carnivore research. Using multiple case studies, we discuss the pertinence of ecological research in shaping litigation, policy, and conservation, while also deliberating on the facilitative role of funding and bureaucracy. Despite their purported charisma, not all carnivores benefited from extensive ecological studies, nor did conservation policy adequately draw from available scientific information; research studies were skewed towards large felids, and litigation/policies were overwhelmingly shaped by one species, the Bengal tiger Panthera tigris. We argue for reorienting current research efforts through increased focus on lesser-known species, adopting best practices in socio-ecological studies, widening the ambit of interdisciplinary work, democratizing carnivore science through partnerships, and enhancing synergy between carnivore researchers and research groups. Considered together, we believe this paper can serve as a guide for planning future research, for amplifying the overall profile of carnivore conservation science, and may be adapted across tropical countries of the Global South.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.biocon.2022.109694}, author = {Srivathsa, Arjun and Banerjee, Aditya and Banerjee, Soumya and Chawla, Malaika Mathew and Das, Anshita and Ganguly, Divyajyoti and Rodrigues, Ryan G. and Adhya, Tiasa and Bhatia, Saloni and Kshettry, Aritra and Majgaonkar, Iravatee and Punjabi, Girish A. and Puri, Mahi and Singh, Priya and Surve, Nikit} } @article {85182, title = {Conservation status of the dhole Cuon alpinus in north-east India, with a focus on Dampa Tiger Reserve, Mizoram}, journal = {ORYX}, volume = {54}, year = {2020}, month = {11/2020}, pages = {873-877}, abstract = {

Despite the efforts invested in their conservation, the status of many threatened carnivores in key conservation landscapes remains unknown. The dhole Cuon alpinus is an Endangered social carnivore whose geographical range has contracted by c. 80\% since the early 20th century. North-east India is a critical link between South Asian and South-east Asian dhole populations. In this study we compiled presence records of dholes across north-east India, from multiple sources. We also conducted camera-trap surveys in one part of this region, Dampa Tiger Reserve in the state of Mizoram. We examined the influence of ecological and management factors on fine-scale site-use by dholes in Dampa Tiger Reserve, showing a positive association of dhole site-use with sambar Rusa unicolor encounters, distance to the forest boundary and presence of forest department personnel, underscoring the importance of prey and protection. Our findings also highlight the need for targeted, multi-scale assessments of dhole ecology across other sites in north-east India.

}, doi = {10.1017/S0030605319000255}, author = {Singh, Priya and Srivathsa, Arjun and Macdonald, David W.} } @article {84070, title = {Predicting biodiversity richness in rapidly changing landscapes: climate, low human pressure or protection as salvation?}, year = {2020}, month = {2020/10/09}, abstract = {

Rates of biodiversity loss in Southeast Asia are among the highest in the world, and the Indo-Burma and South-Central China Biodiversity Hotspots rank among the world{\textquoteright}s most threatened. Developing robust multi-species conservation models is critical for stemming biodiversity loss both here and globally. We used a large and geographically extensive remote-camera survey and multi-scale, multivariate optimization species distribution modelling to investigate the factors driving biodiversity across these two adjoining biodiversity hotspots. Four major findings emerged from the work. (i) We identified clear spatial patterns of species richness, with two main biodiverse centres in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and in the mountainous region of Southwest China. (ii) Carnivores in particular, and large ungulates to a lesser degree, were the strongest indicators of species richness. (iii) Climate had the largest effect on biodiversity, followed by protected status and human footprint. (iv) Gap analysis between the biodiversity model and the current system of protected areas revealed that the majority of areas supporting the highest predicted biodiversity are not protected. Our results highlighted several key locations that should be prioritized for expanding the protected area network to maximize conservation effectiveness. We demonstrated the importance of switching from single-species to multi-species approaches to highlight areas of high priority for biodiversity conservation. In addition, since these areas mostly occur over multiple countries, we also advocate for a paradigmatic focus on transboundary conservation planning.

}, isbn = {1572-9710}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-02062-x}, author = {Macdonald, David W. and Chiaverini, Luca and Bothwell, Helen M. and Kaszta, {\.Z}aneta and Ash, Eric and Bolongon, Gilmoore and Can, {\"O}zg{\"u}n Emre and Campos-Arceiz, Ahimsa and Channa, Phan and Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben and Hearn, Andrew J. and Hedges, Laurie and Htun, Saw and Kamler, Jan F. and Macdonald, Ewan A. and Moore, Jonathan and Naing, Hla and Onuma, Manabu and Rasphone, Akchousanh and Rayan, D. Mark and Ross, Joanna and Singh, Priya and Tan, Cedric Kai Wei and Wadey, Jamie and Yadav, Bhupendra P. and Cushman, Samuel A.} } @article {80777, title = {A strategic road map for conserving the Endangered dhole Cuon alpinus in India}, journal = {MAMMAL REVIEW}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, abstract = {

1. Large carnivores face high extinction risks, often exacerbated by the absence of adequate information on their ecological requirements, and the high economic and socio-political commitments that their conservation warrants. Country-scale conservation plans can serve as effective frameworks to prioritise areas, actions, and conservation investments.

2. We explore conservation tenets of retention, recovery, and restoration for the Endangered dholeCuon alpinusin India - a global stronghold for the species. Specifically, we: 1) examine the current status of dholes in India{\textquoteright}s states using a recent distribution assessment; 2) identify areas for directing management interventions - zones to be targeted for population recovery and for habitat recovery; 3) identify potential areas for range expansion; 4) use eco-socio-political criteria to determine state-wise conservation priority scores and likelihood of conservation action; and 5) conduct an exhaustive review of all published literature on dholes.

3. Dholes occupy similar to 49\% of potential habitats in 685 of mainland India{\textquoteright}s 2342 sub-districts. We identified 143 sub-districts with potential for dhole population recovery, 145 for habitat recovery, and 404 for range expansion. Of the 34 mainland states/union territories, 17 were identified as high priority for dhole conservation. Of these, nine are adequately equipped to implement management actions to conserve dholes, while eight need to improve capacity towards increasing likelihood of conservation success.

4. Literature on dholes (from 1874 to 2019;n=237) was dominated by natural history notes, followed by distribution records and studies of population ecology. A majority of the reviewed studies were from India (55\% of 215 country-specific papers). The number of studies showed an exponential increase over time: 43\% were published in the last decade.

5. Our review of published literature revealed significant knowledge gaps in terms of quantitative ecological assessments across all dhole range-countries. Given this context, our results provide a comprehensive, multi-dimensional, and administratively feasible road map for dhole conservation in India, with potential applicability in other dhole range-countries and also for other threatened species.

}, doi = {10.1111/mam.12209}, author = {Srivathsa, Arjun and Sharma, Sushma and Singh, Priya and Punjabi, Girish A. and Oli, Madan K.} } @article {28258, title = {Populations and activity patterns of clouded leopards and marbled cats in Dampa Tiger Reserve, India}, journal = {JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY}, volume = {98}, year = {2017}, month = {10/2017}, pages = {1453-1462}, abstract = {

The rapidly declining tropical forests of Asia support a diversity of felid species, many of which are rare and little known. We used camera traps in Dampa Tiger Reserve (TR), Mizoram, northeastern India, to estimate population density and describe activity patterns of 2 rare felids, the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) and marbled cat (Pardofelis marmorata). With a survey effort of 4,962 trap nights, we obtained 84 photo-captures of clouded leopards and 36 of marbled cats. We used spatially explicit capture-recapture methods to estimate population densities of both species. Using the Bayesian approach implemented in SPACECAP, we derived estimates of 5.14 (+/- 1.80 SD)/100 km(2) for clouded leopards and 5.03 (+/- 2.07 SD)/100 km(2) for marbled cats. Using camera-trap images, we compared diel activity patterns and activity overlaps for these 2 rare felids, together with 3 other sympatric carnivores, by estimating a coefficient of overlap between species. Among felids, clouded leopards and golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) displayed the highest overlap in activity, whereas marbled cats and leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) showed the lowest, with marbled cats being primarily diurnal and leopard cats nocturnal. Our study provides the first density estimates from continental Southeast Asia for marbled cats and one of the highest recorded densities for clouded leopards. These results are of special significance since Dampa sustains an ecosystem that has in recent times undergone near extirpation of large predators.

}, doi = {10.1093/jmammal/gyx104}, author = {Singh, Priya and Macdonald, David W.} }