Assessment of endemic northern swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) distribution and identification of priority conservation areas through modeling and field surveys across north India

AbstractRecent declines in large herbivores have led to significant conservation efforts globally. However, the niche-specific megaherbivores residing outside protected areas face more imminent extinction threats. Swamp deer, the obligate grassland-dwelling endemic cervid is the most extinction-prone megaherbivore in the Indian subcontinent. Limited information on distribution and habitat status pose significant conservation and management challenges for the remaining fragmented populations in north, north-east and central India. To this end, we combined exhaustive field surveys and Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling to generate the most detailed distribution map for the northern swamp deer subspecies. We used primary data from more than 6000 km2 field surveys and eight ecologically relevant covariates for model predictions. Grassland cover, annual mean temperature and distance from water were the major factors that predicted the species distribution. Models predicted swamp deer distribution in only ~3% of the entire landscape, covering both protected (~1.4%) as well as non-protected (~1.6%) areas. Our validation surveys in some of these predicted areas confirmed swamp deer presence and indicated ~85% model accuracy. Finally, we identified four ‘Priority Conservation Areas’ still retaining adequate grassland habitat and species presence that require immediate attention to ensure population connectivity across this landscape. These results highlight the importance of the marginalized grassland ecosystems of northern India that still retains high biodiversity. We suggest a swamp deer-centric conservation approach to protect these human-dominated habitats and emphasize in generating such information for other endemic, habitat-specialist species across the globe.

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New records and distribution extensions of the glassfrogs Hyalinobatrachium taylori (Goin, 1968) and H. tricolor Castroviejo-Fisher, Vilà, Ayarzagüena, Blanc & Ernst, 2011 (Anura, Centrolenidae) in Amapá, Brazil

Check List ◽

10.15560/17.2.637 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 637-642

Author(s):

Carlos Eduardo Costa-Campos ◽

Davi Lee Bang ◽

Vinícius Antônio Martins Barbosa de Figueiredo ◽

Rodrigo Tavares-Pinheiro ◽

Antoine Fouquet

Keyword(s):

French Guiana ◽

New Records ◽

The State ◽

Distribution Data ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Acoustic Data ◽

Northern Brazil ◽

Geographic Distributions ◽

New Distribution

Based on field surveys undertaken in two conservation areas, we report new distribution data of Hyalinobatrachium taylori (Goin, 1968) and H. tricolor Castroviejo-Fisher, Vilà, Ayarzagüena, Blanc & Ernst, 2011 from the state of Amapá, northern Brazil. We provide acoustic data from these new populations. These are the first records of H. taylori and H. tricolor from Amapá, extending the geographic distributions of these species by 317 km from Mitaraka and 320 km from Saut Grand Machicou, both in French Guiana, respectively.

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Current distribution and status of swamp deerRucervus duvaucelii duvauceliiin the upper Gangetic plains of north India

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605318000078 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 52 (4) ◽

pp. 646-653 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shrutarshi Paul ◽

Bivash Pandav ◽

Dhananjai Mohan ◽

Bilal Habib ◽

Parag Nigam ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Uttar Pradesh ◽

Central India ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

North India ◽

Fragmented Landscape ◽

Gangetic Plains ◽

The Status ◽

Habitat Conversion ◽

Threatened Fauna ◽

Swamp Deer

AbstractThe swamp deerRucervus duvauceliiis the largest grassland-dwelling endemic cervid of India and Nepal. With a declining population trend across its range, this species is found in fragmented habitats of northern, north-eastern and central India and south-western Nepal. The northern swamp deer subspeciesRucervus duvaucelii duvauceliioccurs in small wetland patches across the states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in India and has lost most of its habitat in the last century. Information about the distribution of the swamp deer in the upper Gangetic plains is limited, except in the Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve in Uttarakhand and around the Bijnor barrage area of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh. We surveyed the upper Gangetic plains between the Reserve and the Sanctuary, including some adjoining areas and three tributaries of the Ganges, to assess the status of these habitats, current swamp deer distribution and the threats faced by the species. We found several areas harbouring swamp deer within non-protected wetlands along the entire surveyed stretch of the upper Ganges and a previously unreported population in Uttar Pradesh. We documented major threats including habitat conversion, livestock grazing, poaching, conflict and other anthropogenic disturbances. We recommend community driven conservation and management ofRucervus duvaucelii duvauceliiin this fragmented landscape to ensure survival of this species and other threatened fauna of these wetlands and grasslands.

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Complexity of zoning management in biosphere reserves: the case of the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve in DRC

International Forestry Review ◽

10.1505/146554821832140358 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 55-67

Author(s):

D.D. Kipute ◽

S.W. Mampeta ◽

J-M.M. Kahindo ◽

U.D.M. Lelo ◽

R. Sufo Kankeu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Dynamics ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Biosphere Reserves ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Over Exploitation ◽

Document Review

Riparian communities activities threaten conservation in biosphere reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (YBR) is no exception to this degradation. Thus, the objective of the presents study was to elucidate the local factors underlying the high pressure on natural resources and analyze the complexity of biosphere reserve zoning management using an interdisciplinary approach combining document review, field surveys and semi-structured interviews.<br/> Our results revealed that the zoning applied to the YBR did not take into account social dynamics. With population growth, the riparian community is doomed to remain in restricted areas, leading to over-exploitation of the space and land degradation, forcing the population to travel long distances to reach fertile plots into the protected area. Also, the lack of employment and the absence of participatory zoning also exacerbate tensions between the manager and the riparian community. For an effective management of the YBR, political authorities should become more involved in the participatory zoning of conservation areas and village exploitations. In addition, they should improve farming techniques to mitigate soil degradation.

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MEANING OF THE HOUSE BASED ON COSMOLOGICAL ASPECTS IN THE CULTURE OF WESTERN SUMBA STUDY OBJECT: TARA MANU TRADITIONAL HOUSE IN WEE LEWO VILLAGE

Riset Arsitektur (RISA) ◽

10.26593/risa.v4i02.3803.155-172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (02) ◽

pp. 155-172

Author(s):

Aurelius Aaron Rosimin ; Caecilia S. Wijayaputri

Keyword(s):

Human Relations ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Traditional Architecture ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Architectural Elements ◽

Analysis Process ◽

Home Based ◽

Cultural Conservation ◽

Gathering Place ◽

Home Users

Abstract- Wee Lewo traditional village is one of the cultural conservation areas that still hold the traditions and culture closely that applied from generation to generations. In Wee Lewo traditional houses village, the uniqueness of traditional houses found that their house use is not devoted to the needs of their users only, but also covers theological needs and traditional needs that surround their human relations horizontally and vertically. Tara manu traditional house was chosen because it has complete data and has a different arrangement of space than other traditional houses in Wee Lewo traditional village.The purpose of this study was to identify the meaning of Tara manu's home based on the cosmological aspects that exist in Sumba culture. The research method used in this study uses a descriptive-qualitative method by describing the analysis of objects based on a cosmology that is in Sumbanese culture, which is then explained through the existence of architectural elements in it. The data taken as an analysis material is physical data and object data that can be obtained through field surveys and related interviewees. The analysis process is carried out by examining all local activities and understanding of traditional houses which are then comprehensively studied using the cosmological theory of Sumba culture.Cosmological analysis in Sumba's culture of the architectural elements in the traditional Sumba house can be concluded by concluding that traditional houses are a gathering place for users both in families and in colonization; traditional houses are also a manifestation of Marapu who is always present among traditional home users; in the traditional house there is also a balance that is interconnected with each other but both cannot be separated. Key Words: Traditional architecture, meaning, traditional house, cosmology, Wee Lewo

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Waning grasslands: a quantitative temporal evaluation of the grassland habitats across human-dominated upper Gangetic Plains, north India

10.1101/2021.10.10.463811 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Shrutarshi Paul ◽

Sohini Saha ◽

Parag Nigam ◽

SK Zeeshan Ali ◽

Navendu Page ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

North India ◽

Grass Species ◽

Suitability Analysis ◽

Entire Area ◽

Gangetic Plains ◽

Cascading Effects ◽

Grassland Habitats ◽

Swamp Deer

Grassland habitats currently face severe anthropogenic exploitations leading to cascading effects on the survival of grassland-dependent biodiversity globally, particularly in non-protected areas. Significant amount of such biodiversity-rich grasslands in India are found outside protected areas but lack quantitative information on their status. We evaluated the current and historical (30 years) status of the grasslands using a combination of intensive field surveys and GIS tools across one of the most fertile, human-dominated region: the upper Gangetic Plains of north India. On-ground mapping and visual classifications revealed 57% decline in grassland habitats between 1985 (418 km2) and 2015 (178km2), mostly driven by conversion to croplands (74% contribution). Radio-telemetry data from the largest endemic cervid swamp deer (n=2) showed grassland-dominated average home range (50% BBMM) size of 1.02 km2. The animals highly preferred these patches (average Ivlevs index- 0.85) and showed the highest temporal continuity (88%) compared to other LULC classes. Camera trapping within the core habitats suggests critical use of these patches as fawning/breeding grounds. Habitat suitability analysis indicates only ~18% of the entire area along the Ganges is suitable for swamp deer. Accurate mapping (86% accuracy) and characterization of four major grass species revealed a total 144.04 km2 vegetation area, dominated by Saccharum sp. (35%). We recommend protection and recovery of these critical grassland patches to maintain dynamic corridors and other appropriate management strategies involving multiple stakeholders to ensure survival of this critical ecosystem. Such evaluations, if spatially expanded, would be critical to restore this rapidly vanishing ecosystem worldwide.

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Investigating Sri Lanka’s human-monkey conflict and developing a strategy to mitigate the problem

Journal of Threatened Taxa ◽

10.11609/jott.3657.10.3.11391-11398 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 11391 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Surendranie Judith Cabral ◽

Tharaka Prasad ◽

Thulmini Pubudika Deeyagoda ◽

Sanjaya Nuwan Weerakkody ◽

Ashwika Nadarajah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Wildlife Conservation ◽

Strategic Plan ◽

New Paradigm ◽

Conservation Areas ◽

Field Surveys ◽

The Public ◽

Rapid Economic Growth ◽

The Government

Human-monkey conflicts reached crisis proportions in Sri Lanka over the last 10 years due to extensive deforestation to promote rapid economic growth and agricultural expansion. This resulted in complaints from the public with demands for Sri Lanka’s Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) to solve the problem without delay. Caught between political pressure and public outcry, the DWC’s efforts to deal with the crisis gradually fell into disarray. To overcome this, the SPEARS Foundation--, offered to help the DWC to develop a strategic plan to deal with human-monkey conflicts. This plan was developed through a series of workshops and submitted to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Wildlife in March 2016 for approval. During and after the development of the strategy, some of its key elements were implemented by the SPEARS Foundation. One of these elements was documenting details of human-monkey conflict from letters of complaint received by DWC. This information was used to initiate a series of field surveys to identify sites suitable for long-term protection of monkeys and other wildlife. When these areas are identified they would be designated as community conservation areas (CCAs), and managed by local stakeholders on a sustainable basis under the supervision of DWC. Establishing CCAs is a new paradigm for Sri Lanka to conserve wildlife while benefitting local communities. Its details were presented in the strategic plan submitted to the government. In this paper, we present the information obtained from the letters of complaint received by DWC and discuss its details. In subsequent reports, we will discuss the results of our field surveys to identify areas suitable for the establishment of CCAs.

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DOCUMENTATION & CONDITION MAPPING FOR RESTORATION & REVITALISATION OF HISTORIC SHEESH MAHAL & CHAR BAGH COMPLEX IN PATIALA (PUNJAB), INDIA

ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences ◽

10.5194/isprs-annals-iv-2-w2-47-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol IV-2/W2 ◽

pp. 47-52

Author(s):

S. Dasgupta

Keyword(s):

Management Strategy ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Research Field ◽

North India ◽

Large Database ◽

Architectural Heritage ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Historic City ◽

The City ◽

Architecture And Music

Located in the Northern State of Punjab, the historic city of Patiala has always been a centre of culture in north India, and has seen the evolution of its own distinct style of architecture with Rajput and Mughal influences. The city is renowned for its rich architectural heritage, Music, Craft, Sports and Cuisine. The fourth Maharaja Narinder Singh was a great patron of art, architecture and music and it was during his time that several palaces like the Moti Bagh Palace, Sheesh Mahal and Banasur Bagh were designed followed by Baradari Palace. Later it was Maharaja Bhupinder Singh (1900&ndash;1938) who made Patiala State famous with his lavish lifestyle.This paper describes the process followed for Documentation and condition assessment of the historic Sheesh Mahal & Char Bagh Complex in order to restore and revitalise the palace building and the Mughal garden. The exercise included Archival research, Field surveys, Condition Mapping, inventories using traditional methods as well as GIS and preparation of restoration & conservation solutions along with post conservation management manual. The Major challenges encountered were identifying the correct documentation methodology for mapping as well as managing the large database generated on site. The Documentation and Mapping was used as a significant tool to guide towards the conservation and Management strategy of the complex.

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