Understanding the factors affecting the habitat occupancy of large mammals and their spatiotemporal response to human disturbance plays a crucial role in wildlife conservation and management. However, this knowledge is still limited for most mammals. 

In a study published in Biological Conservation, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) tried to reveal species habitat occupancy, together with the potential influence of human presence on the spatiotemporal distribution pattern of large mammals in a particular area, especially in data-deficient regions. 

 By using 174 camera traps from 2015 to 2019, the researchers conducted a long-term large mammal survey in both protected areas (PAs) and outside of PAs (non-PA) in Northern Mountain Forest Complex (NMFC), Myanmar. They evaluated the spatiotemporal response of mammals to human disturbance, their predicted potential distribution, and highlighted the priority region in the remaining poorly understood intact subtropical forest of NMFC of Myanmar. They also examined the influence of anthropogenic and environmental variables on mammal abundance. 

They found that human presence was not a focal threat to mammal species habitat occupancy, but it influenced the overall mammal abundance as well as their activity pattern. Mammals avoided humans using temporal scale, not spatial scale. Other human-related variables and invisible factors, such as distance to water and forest cover related to deforestation, had a remarkable influence on mammal species habitat occupancy and diel activity patterns.  

Furthermore, priority analysis showed that non-PA also hosted a priority region for mammal conservation, especially in the south-eastern part of current PAs. 

"Therefore, preserving both PAs and non-PA are crucial for maintaining biodiversity,” said Prof. QUAN Ruichang of XTBG. 

The researchers recommended that the south-eastern region of outside of the current PAs network should be prioritized. To ensure the efficacy of PA networks and biodiversity conservation in NMFC, community-based conservation strategies should be adopted. 

The study was financially supported by the CAS Southeast Asia Biodiversity Research Institute (CAS-SEABRI) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.  

  

Contact 

QUAN Ruichang Ph.D Principal Investigator 

Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China                 

E-mail:quanrc@xtbg.ac.cn     

Available online: 25 July, 2023 .