Ecological Factors Determining Barking Deer Distribution and Habitat Use in the Mid-Hills of Nepal

Abstract

Barking deer is found in dense tropical and subtropical forests of Asia. It is listed as “least concerned” by the International Union of Conservation of Nature and as “vulnerable” in Nepal, where it is also protected. Due to the habitat loss and fragmentation by human activities, barking deer abundance is decreasing, which may even ultimately lead to its extinction. This in turn might negatively affect local ecosystem such as the abundance of the endangered common leopard, for which barking deer is the main prey species in the mid-hills of Nepal. We therefore need to know factors affecting barking deer abundance and its habitat preferences. To determine these factors, we recorded barking deer either by direct sighting or by any evidence of its indirect presence observed through transect surveys in January and February, 2019. To analyze habitat preference, the presence of barking deer was set to 1 if the barking deer or any sign of its presence were observed “used plots,” or to 0 if the barking deer or any sign of its presence were not observed (“habitat availability plot”). We measured main four ecological drivers such as forest management regime, microclimate, disturbance and food resources, which include 11 habitat characteristics in spots where barking deer was present, and in randomly selected spots. We found that elevation, slope, distance from settlement, presence of tree species, depth of leaf litter and percentage cover of leaf litter were most significantly affecting its presence. These results can serve as guidelines for local authorities to prevent decline in abundance of barking deer.

Factors affecting the occupancy of Chinese pangolins (Manis pentadactyla) suggest a highly specialized ecological niche

“…A team of three experienced field technicians, who already had some level of firsthand field experience researching pangolins, intensively searched for burrows (both active and old) and other signs of pangolin presence (e.g., digs, pugmarks, scales, and scat) making sure that no burrows were missed within each belt transect (i.e., up to 25 m on either side of the centerline). Also, during the winter season, there is thinner vegetation in the forest (Neupane et al, 2022; Safford, 2004; Sanusi et al, 2013), which increased the probability of burrow detection. Burrows with freshly dug soil, footprints, and scat near the entrance were categorized as active, while burrows with compacted soil, presence of dead leaves, and spider webs in the entrance were categorized as old (DNPWC, 2019).…”

“…However, the conditions at the unused burrows alone might not represent the overall habitat conditions of the study area, so to minimize this bias, we established plots (the same size as were established around active and unused burrows) 200 m uphill and 200 m downhill randomly from each active burrow (Aryal & Poudel, 2018) and assessed the same habitat parameters. The plots around unused burrows and the random plots at 200 m from active burrows were considered as habitat availability plots, and plots with active burrows were categorized as in-use plots (Neupane et al, 2022). We measured elevation with a handheld GPS (Garmin Etrex 30) and aspect using the compass application on an iPhone7 Plus (model number MNR52LL/A).…”

Identifying risk zones and landscape features that affect common leopard depredation

“…Furthermore, linear features such as roads and trails serve as linear corridors, influencing both the movement patterns of common leopards and the distribution of ungulate species, notably cattle, and goats, drawn by the availability of abundant forage in landscapes subjected to human exploitation. The increased potential of prey near roads amplifies the risk of common leopard attacks, given that people and animals utilize these well-defined paths frequently ( Neupane et al, 2022 ; Dhami et al, 2023d ).…”

Impact of climate change on distribution of common leopard (Panthera pardus) and its implication on conservation and conflict in Nepal

“…As the tiger ( Panthera tigris ) is the apex predator in the flatland Terai ecosystem [ 78 ] and the snow leopard ( Panthera uncia ) is the apex predator in the high Himalayan region [ 79 ], common leopards generally occupy mid-hill forest ecosystem [ 80 ]. Moreover, leopards' preferred prey are medium-sized ungulates such as barking deer ( Muntiacus muntjak ) and wild boar ( Sus scrofa ) [ 81 ] and the mid-hills region, with dense sub-tropical forest, is one of the most favorable habitats for barking deer [ 82 ], thereby facilitating the niche partition between apex predators.…”