@article {145425, title = {Differentially biased sampling strategies reveal the non-stationarity of species distribution models for Indian small felids}, journal = {ECOLOGICAL MODELLING}, volume = {493}, year = {2024}, month = {06/2024}, abstract = {

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been used extensively to understand species-habitat relationships and design conservation strategies. The ability to train these models using a wide variety of datasets and modelling algorithms has led to their wide applicability across systems. However, the ease of modelling also leads to their use as off-the-shelf models without a detailed investigation of the data and their suitable end-use application. The effect of various modelling parameters on inferences has been explored, however, their interaction with training data type is limited. We used country-wide data for four sympatric Indian small cat species to understand the sensitivity of SDMs to data types, sampling extents and their interaction. Our results reveal the non-stationarity of models with varying modelling parameters. The extent of the training dataset had major implications on the inferences and interacted strongly with the type of dataset used. The divergent distribution of the target species revealed that the effect of sampling extent was more pronounced for species that have limited distribution within the predictive extent. Lastly, our results highlight the significance of sampled environmental space in explaining the non-stationarity of the model outputs.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2024.110749}, author = {Rana, Divyashree and Sartor, CC and Chiaverini, Luca and Cushman, SA and Kaszta, Z and Ramakrishnan, U. and Macdonald, David W.} } @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 {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.} }