Abundance and management of Mariana Fruit Bats and feral ungulates on Anatahan, Mariana Islands

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Worthington ◽  
Ann P. Marshall ◽  
Gary J. Wiles ◽  
Curt C. Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Capra Hircus ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Fruit Bats ◽  
Mariana Islands ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Feral Animals ◽  
Pandanus Tectorius ◽  
Made In ◽  
Feral Ungulates

A survey of Mariana Fruit Bats Pteropus mariannus and feral ungulates was conducted on Anatahan, Mariana Islands, in July 1995. We estimated that a population of 1 902-2 136 bats persists on the island, based on a combination of direct colony counts, departure counts, and station counts of non-colonial animals. Our data suggest that bat numbers have declined since the last surveys were made in 1983 and 1984. We located seven colonies, which held approximately 85-92% of the total population. Most colonies and foraging animals were associated with native forest or isolated native trees in other habitats. Bats fed on five species of plants, with the fruit of Pandanus tectorius eaten most frequently. Anatahan supports a very large Feral Goat Capra hircus population estimated at roughly 5 000-6 000 animals. Feral Pigs Sus scrofa are less common. Both species cause severe damage to plant communities of the island. We recommend that a legal hunting programme for fruit bats be deferred until 1) population censuses on neighbouring islands are completed and it is determined that bat populations can sustain harvesting, 2) habitat degradation is reversed through the control of feral animals, and 3) illegal hunting is curtailed.

scholarly journals Population status of Heptner's markhor Capra falconeri heptneri in Tajikistan: challenges for conservation

Oryx ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 506-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Michel ◽  
Tatjana Rosen Michel ◽  
Abdusattor Saidov ◽  
Khalil Karimov ◽  
Munavvar Alidodov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Population Status ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Trophy Hunting ◽  
Disjunct Populations

AbstractHeptner's markhor Capra falconeri heptneri is an Endangered wild goat occurring in disjunct populations in southern Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Surveys to determine the total population in Tajikistan were conducted during February–April 2012. A total of 1,018 animals were observed. In most areas, which include state protected areas and family- and community-based conservancies, markhor populations are stable or increasing. Threats include illegal hunting, habitat degradation, competition with livestock and disease transmission. To motivate conservancies economically to protect markhor populations, trophy hunting should be permitted to accommodate the sustainable use of markhor, with revenues distributed in a transparent and equitably shared manner.

scholarly journals Poor horse traders: large mammals trade survival for reproduction during the process of feralization

2009 ◽  
Vol 276 (1663) ◽  
pp. 1911-1919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Grange ◽  
Patrick Duncan ◽  
Jean-Michel Gaillard
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
High Density ◽  
Adult Survival ◽  
Demographic Parameters ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
High Fecundity ◽  
Population Growth Rates ◽  
Feral Animals ◽  
Feral Ungulates

We investigated density dependence on the demographic parameters of a population of Camargue horses ( Equus caballus ), individually monitored and unmanaged for eight years. We also analysed the contributions of individual demographic parameters to changes in the population growth rates. The decrease in resources caused a loss of body condition. Adult male survival was not affected, but the survival of foals and adult females decreased with increasing density. Prime-aged females maintained high reproductive performance at high density, and their survival decreased. The higher survival of adult males compared with females at high density presumably results from higher investment in reproduction by mares. The high fecundity in prime-aged females, even when at high density, may result from artificial selection for high reproductive performance, which is known to have occurred in all the major domestic ungulates. Other studies suggest that feral ungulates including cattle and sheep, as these horses, respond differently from wild ungulates to increases in density, by trading adult survival for reproduction. As a consequence, populations of feral animals should oscillate more strongly than their wild counterparts, since they should be both more invasive (as they breed faster), and more sensitive to harsh environmental conditions (as the population growth rate of long-lived species is consistently more sensitive to a given proportional change in adult survival than to the same change in any other vital rate). If this principle proves to be general, it has important implications for management of populations of feral ungulates.

scholarly journals Contribution of illegal hunting, culling of pest species, road accidents and feral dogs to biodiversity loss in established oil-palm landscapes

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Badrul Azhar ◽  
David Lindenmayer ◽  
Jeff Wood ◽  
Joern Fischer ◽  
Adrian Manning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Road Accidents ◽  
Illegal Hunting ◽  
Introduced Predators ◽  
Feral Dogs ◽  
Anthropogenic Threats

Context Understanding the ecological impacts of the palm-oil industry on native fauna requires information on anthropogenic threats that may cause species decline or local extinction. Aim The main aim of the study was to assess wildlife deaths caused by illegal hunting, road accidents and introduced predators in established oil-palm landscapes in Peninsular Malaysia. Methods Between April and October 2009, we interviewed 362 oil-palm workers at 36 sites, including large industrial estates and semi-traditional smallholdings. Key results Our results showed that (1) illegal hunting by oil-palm workers in different oil-palm management systems was not statistically significant (P = 0.097), (2) native fauna were more often destroyed as pests in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.005), (3) non-local poachers conducted illegal activity more often in smallholdings than in conventional and eco-friendly plantation estates (P = 0.011), (4) road accidents were reported to kill more native fauna in conventional plantation estates than in smallholdings and eco-friendly plantation estates (P < 0.001) and (5) feral dogs were reported as killing more native fauna in eco-friendly plantation estates than in conventional plantation estates and smallholdings (P = 0.034). Conclusion In addition to the conversion of native forest to oil-palm monocultures, various other anthropogenic threats can have a substantial effect on wildlife in oil-palm landscapes. Implications To improve the conservation value of oil-palm landscapes, we recommend that palm-oil stakeholders should implement anti-poaching patrols, organise conservation programs to educate workers, reduce vehicle speeds on roads within oil-palm landscapes, and control local populations of feral dogs.

Road-Kills of the Swamp Wallaby, Wallabia-Bicolor, on North-Stradbroke-Island, Southeast Queensland

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Osawa
Keyword(s):  
Significant Variation ◽  
Faecal Pellet ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
The Road ◽  
Pellet Counts ◽  
Wallabia Bicolor ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Southeast Queensland ◽  
Swamp Wallaby ◽  
Made In

A total of 127 road-kills of the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor, on North Stradbroke Island in south-east Queensland was recorded between May 1981 and April 1982. The majority of kills were of adults. Road-kills occurred mainly at night, suggesting that W. bicolor is nocturnal, and were significantly correlated with the number of vehicles brought onto the island by ferries. Faecal pellet counts were made in classified habitats along the road in order to determine the relationship between the population density and road-kills of W. bicolor. Road-kills were significantly correlated with the faecal pellet counts in the Disturbed Ares (narrow, artificially cleared areas adjacent to the road) but not with the counts in the Native Area (i.e. native forest). This indicates that the wallabies were attracted to the disturbed area and became more susceptible to being killed by vehicles. There was no significant variation in the number of road-kills between lunar phases.

Crumbling Island Keystones: Threat Diversity and Intensification on Islands Push Large Island Fruit Bats to the Brink

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tigga Kingston ◽  
F B Vincent Florens ◽  
Christian E Vincenot
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Life History ◽  
Captive Breeding ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Fruit Bats ◽  
Island Conservation ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Large Island

Large island fruit bats (LIFB), species of Pteropus, Acerodon, and related genera in the pteropodid subfamily Pteropodinae, are keystone species for island conservation in the Palaeotropics, playing critical roles as agents of dispersal and pollination of native island plant communities. This keystone role is crumbling because LIFB are collectively the most threatened group of bats in the world. Six species (7.4%) have gone extinct in the last 200 years and ~66% of extant species are assessed as threatened by the IUCN. Life history characteristics, long lives, and low reproductive rates, elevate vulnerability and species are commonly subject to multiple threats. Here we review the primary threats to LIFB, namely unsustainable hunting, habitat degradation and loss, urbanisation, climate change, invasive species, and persecution. We highlight how the island context intensifies and accelerates population and species declines. We make specific recommendations in response to the major threats and identify overarching research needs to support conservation action. Specifically, research is needed that addresses: (1) population sizes and trends; (2) life history and social ecology; (3) dietary, roosting and movement ecology; (4) human attitudes and behaviors towards LIFB; (5) island-specific threats to LIFB; (6) distributions, populations and ecology of non-Pteropus species. Although there is great complexity of threats and contexts, five key conservation actions emerge that have the collective potential to secure LIFB populations throughout their ranges: (1) protect and restore native habitats; (2) improve attitudes and behaviours towards LIFB; (3) strengthen protective legislation and enforcement; (4) captive breeding of species at immediate risk of extinction; (5) build and network research and conservation capacity.Key words: flying fox, monkey-faced bat, island conservation, keystone species, Pteropus, Acerodon, hunting, habitat loss, climate change.

Differences in the foraging behaviour of male and female Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus)

2011 ◽  
Vol 89 (6) ◽  
pp. 466-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M.R. Barclay ◽  
D.S. Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Range Size ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Fruit Bats ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Males And Females

Male and female animals frequently have different foraging behaviours owing to differences in body size or nutritional demand, or to intraspecific competition. We studied foraging by Egyptian fruit bats ( Rousettus aegyptiacus (E. Geoffroy, 1810)) in Cape Town, South Africa, to test predictions based on differences in nutritional demand during reproduction. Using radiotelemetry, we compared emergence, return, and foraging times of males and females during pregnancy and lactation. We also determined home-range size, habitat use, and use of figs (genus Ficus L.), which are a potential source of calcium for lactating females. During the pregnancy period, males left their roost later than females and were away from the roost for shorter periods. There were no differences in timing of foraging during lactation. Females foraged in native forest more than males did, but home-range size did not differ. There was no evidence that females fed on figs more than males did. Differences in foraging behaviour were not as predicted based on nutritional and energetic differences. The small population may have meant that there was little competition for food, and figs may have provided a profitable source of energy for both males and females. Differences in the timing of foraging are best explained by the need for males to defend roosting sites.

The farmer as conservationist

2003 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 206-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Badgley
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Native Forest ◽  
Land Area ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Dominant Form ◽  
Species Lists

AbstractAgricultural landscapes are essential for preserving biodiversity, even though agricultural activities are the leading cause of habitat degradation worldwide. About half of the Earth's productive land area is farmed or grazed, whereas only about 6% of the total land area is protected for native species and ecosystems. The ecological services of healthy ecosystems are fundamental to agriculture, and these services depend upon a large number of species interacting with each other and with inorganic nutrient cycles. Likewise, the quality of ecosystems between reserves is critical to the persistence of species and ecological processes within reserves. Thus, conservation-oriented farming methods are critically important for both agriculture and biodiversity. Three examples illustrate agricultural practices that benefit the farmers, the local ecosystem and the landscape: (1) In Minnesota, rotational grazing, evaluated by the collaborative research of farmers and scientists, improved soil, pasture and stream quality, and boosted the confidence of the farmers in developing more sustainable grazing practices. (2) Predator-friendly ranching in Montana, in which nonlethal methods are used to protect livestock from depredation by native predators, benefited the ranchers with premium prices for wool and meat. The persistence of native predators, many of which have been on endangered species lists for years, benefited the regional ecosystem. (3) Shade-grown coffee in Latin America, in which coffee shrubs grow under an intact forest canopy, often looks and behaves ecologically like native forest and may house high levels of native biodiversity. This system benefited farmers, as long as they received a price premium for shade-grown coffee. The economic viability of these conservation-oriented practices depends upon farmers receiving price premiums for their products and by society rewarding fanners for their practices. A vision of ecological farming as the dominant form of agriculture is presented, with benefits at the scale of the farm, the landscape and society.

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