Habitat relationships between wild and domestic ungulates in Nepalese trans-Himalaya

Shrestha, Rinjan; Wegge, Per

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.12.002

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Vegetation type and altitude were the most influential variables in explaining the distribution of ungulates in our study area (Shrestha & Wegge 2008). We therefore used data on use of vegetation types and altitude from our earlier habitat study (Shrestha & Wegge 2008), based on direct observation of 766 groups of naur, 392 groups of yak and 257 groups of smallstock throughout the course of a year. While doing so, we systematically searched the opposite slopes from fixed vantage points and mapped the distribution of animals on 1:10000 topographic maps.…”

Section: Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Between naur and yak, high resource-use overlaps occurred temporally in spring and cross-seasonally in autumn (Fig. 4a), at which times both preferentially used alpine Shrestha & Wegge 2008). * Availability was assumed to be constant for naur in all seasons, but was adjusted for domestic stock according to seasonal restrictions imposed on certain pastures by herders.…”

Section: Resource-use Overlapmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: coexistence or competition?

Shrestha

Wegge

2008

Envir. Conserv.

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SUMMARYExcessive grazing by livestock is claimed to displace wild ungulates in the Trans-Himalaya. This study compares the seasonal diets and habitat use of sympatric wild naur Pseudois nayaur and domestic goat Capra hircus, sheep Ovis aries and free-ranging yak Bos grunniens in north Nepal and analyses their overlap both within and across seasons. Alpine meadow and the legumes Oxytropis and Chesneya were critical resources for all animal groups. High overlap occurred cross-seasonally when smallstock (sheep and goats) in summer used the spring and autumn ranges of naur. Relatively high total ungulate biomass (3028 kg km−2) and low recruitment of naur (56 young per 100 adult females in autumn) suggested interspecific competition. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity in composition and phenology of food plants across the steep gradient of altitude, together with rotational grazing, appears to indirectly facilitate coexistence of naur and smallstock. However, owing to high cross-seasonal (inter-seasonal) overlaps, competition is likely to occur between these two groups at high stocking densities. Within seasons, naur overlapped more with free-ranging yak than with smallstock. As their habitat use and diets were most similar in winter, when both fed extensively on the same species of shrubs, naur was most likely to compete with yak during that season.

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Section: Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resource-use Overlapmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: coexistence or competition?

Shrestha

Wegge

2008

Envir. Conserv.

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“…Kittur et al (2010) evaluated the livestock grazing impacts on the Himalayan tahr population in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttarakhand, and reported that in addition to affecting the habitat adversely, heavy grazing may cause shortages of food for Himalayan tahr during the resource crunch period. Studies dealing with livestock and wild ungulate interactions in the Trans-Himalayas have been carried out by Mishra (2001), Raghavan (2003), Bagchi et al (2004), Mishra et al (2004), Namgail et al (2007), and Shrestha and Wegge (2008). These studies confirmed that livestock grazing and collateral human activities can interfere with resource acquisition by wild ungulates.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Natural Resource Use by Humans and Response of Wild Ungulates

Bhattacharya¹,

Sathyakumar²

2011

Mountain Research and Development

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“…Argali was reported to use habitat away from cliffs with moderate slopes and high vegetation cover in the absence of livestock, and shifted close to cliffs with steeper slopes and low vegetation cover in their presence (Namgail et al 2007). In addition, the intrusion of goat and sheep further up the hill during summer resulted in competition on elevations of Blue sheep Pseudois nayaur (Shrestha & Wegge 2008). In Nandadevi Biosphere Reserve 49% diet overlap was reported between livestock and wild ungulates (Bhattacharya et al 2012); 68% Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) and livestock in Tungnath (Bhattacharya et al 2012); 58% between kiang and sheep (Hussain et al 2010); 57% kiang and goats (Hussain et al 2010); 82% kiang and horses (Hussain et al 2010).…”

Section: R E S U L T S a N D D I S C U S S Iomentioning

confidence: 99%

<b>Livestock and wild herbivores in the western Himalaya: competition or co-existence?</b>

Syed

Khan

2017

J. Threat. Taxa

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Pastoralism is among the major land use practices in the Himalaya and the main source of livelihood for local communities. In naturally occurring herbivore populations, the co-occurrence of native species has evolved through evolutionary processes over millions of years which has enabled coexistence. In the modern scenario, however, the intrusion of livestock into the wild habitats impose additional pressure on the limited resources, given that there has been insufficient time for resource partitioning to evolve. Realizing the need to develop a better understanding of wild herbivores and livestock interactions, the present review was compiled. The review demonstrates that a group of similar species using similar habitats and feeding on similar foods leads to more competition. Also, goat/sheep impose a potential threat to the resource of wild herbivores and such resource exploitation by livestock is not compatible with their conservation. Further, wild herbivores shift their habitat to avoid the risk of being exposed to competition or predation. Livestock grazing and associated activities affect the wild herbivores’ habitat use and foraging behaviour, and these are changes that may also affect their survival in the future. There is a prime need to find out the threshold of livestock population which can sustain itself without compromising livestock production and wildlife. High conflict areas need to be identified and compensatory mechanisms should evolve. It is also necessary for ecology to be integrated with an understanding of the social dynamics that influence the status of the resources.

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Habitat relationships between wild and domestic ungulates in Nepalese trans-Himalaya

Cited by 22 publications

References 30 publications

Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: coexistence or competition?

Wild sheep and livestock in Nepal Trans-Himalaya: coexistence or competition?

Natural Resource Use by Humans and Response of Wild Ungulates

<b>Livestock and wild herbivores in the western Himalaya: competition or co-existence?</b>

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