Identifying conservation priorities for an understudied species in decline: Golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) in mainland Tropical Asia

Petersen, Wyatt Joseph; Savini, Tommaso; Gray, Thomas N. E.; Baker-Whatton, Megan C; Bisi, Francesco; Chutipong, Wanlop; Cremonesi, Giacomo; Gale, George; Mohamad, Shariff Wan; Rayan, D. Mark; Seuaturien, Naret; Shwe, Nay Myo; Siripattaranukul, Kittiwara; Sribuarod, Kriangsak; Steinmetz, Robert; Sukumal, Niti; Ngoprasert, Dusit

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01762

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, the random walk grid survey could be used as a pilot protocol to locate burrows of rare and cryptic species such as pangolins (Willcox et al . 2019), to detect elusive cats such as cheetahs (Brassine and Parker 2015) or Asian golden cats (Petersen et al . 2021), and setting up targeted camera trap surveys.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Combining the random walk grid survey with camera traps or passive acoustic surveys could help increase the area coverage, reduce search efforts and therefore greatly improve the precision of long-term monitoring programs. For example, the random walk grid survey could be used as a pilot protocol to locate burrows of rare and cryptic species such as pangolins (Willcox et al 2019), to detect elusive cats such as cheetahs (Brassine and Parker 2015) or Asian golden cats (Petersen et al 2021), and setting up targeted camera trap surveys. Another use could be to follow this survey protocol to collect data on the species habitat selection and high occupancy areas in order to start habituation processes for species difficult to habituate, because considerable search effort is dedicated to maximising the probability of encounter at the onset of the process (Gazagne et al 2020a).…”

Section: Perspectives For the Random Walk Grid Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Elusive species and where to find them: assessment of survey protocols for primates habitat selection

Gazagne

Wilputte²,

Ngoprasert³

et al. 2023

Wildlife Res.

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Context With the ongoing biodiversity crisis and the continued loss of species, it becomes crucial to find practical solutions to monitor threatened animal populations for wildlife conservation and management. However, in practice, monitoring is especially challenging for elusive, rare, and wide-ranging species, where estimating abundance is often expensive and time-consuming. Alternatively, estimating occupancy (i.e. detection/non-detection data) may be less resource-intensive, while still providing useful information for monitoring population trends. Aims We aimed to describe a new field method, the random walk grid survey, to conduct a habitat selection study on elusive diurnal forest-dwelling primates. We explored how to improve occupancy estimates when detection probability is low and determined the minimal effort needed for reasonable estimates on the species habitat selection by using site-occupancy models. Methods We collected data to assess the northern pigtailed macaques’ (Macaca leonina) occupancy and detection probability using a random walk survey of degraded forest fragments in Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Northeast Thailand. We ran simulations to identify what is required for minimum survey efforts to obtain reasonable estimates of occupancy and detection probability on small or relatively large spatial scales, covering a small primate community in Southeast Asia. Key results Simulations showed that the probability of detecting macaques increased dramatically with an increased survey effort. However, compared with similar line-transect survey methods, the random walk grid survey was less time-consuming. Additionally, the occupancy and habitat selection estimates were similar to our knowledge of macaque distribution within the study area. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the new random walk grid survey method is effective to assess the elusive northern pigtailed macaques’ occupancy, and to provide reliable data on habitat selection where there is low macaque abundance and detection probability in a degraded forest fragment. Implications Our survey protocol could be used as a starting point to target high location occupancy to start habituation processes, but also for further intensive studies on primate behaviour and habitat use of primate communities. Finally, combining the random walk grid survey with automated recording devices (e.g. camera traps or passive acoustic surveys) could help improve occupancy and detection probability estimates for long-term monitoring programs and over large spatial scales.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Perspectives For the Random Walk Grid Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Elusive species and where to find them: assessment of survey protocols for primates habitat selection

Gazagne

Wilputte²,

Ngoprasert³

et al. 2023

Wildlife Res.

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“…Asiatic golden cats are still requested on the market for pelts, with trading records along the Myanmar–Thailand border (Nijman & Shepherd, 2015). Because the Asiatic golden cat is classified as a near threatened species, and few focused studies on golden cats have been undertaken (Petersen et al ., 2021), it is paramount to gain a clearer picture of the species’ status in RYER.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why we went to the woods?: effects of human disturbance on species presence in a disturbed Myanmar forest ecosystem

Cremonesi

Bisi

Gaffi³

et al. 2021

Animal Conservation

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Human activities are affecting habitats and wildlife populations worldwide. Tropical forests are one of the most affected environments, mainly due to deforestation and poaching. Since high levels of anthropogenic pressure on forest ecosystems, including illegal logging and hunting, occur in southwest Myanmar (Rakhine State), we analyzed the effects of human disturbance on medium to large mammals in this region. We used camera-trapping data collected over three consecutive years to investigate occurrence probabilities of 10 species: five common species exploited for bushmeat consumption, and five threatened species targeted by the illegal wildlife trade. We used a hierarchical single-species multi-season occupancy model implemented in a Bayesian framework to evaluate the effects of human disturbances and persistent habitat characteristics, such as the proportion of remaining pristine evergreen forest and the elevation, on occurrence probabilities. We found that occupancy probabilities of three out of five target species for the illegal wildlife trade were positively linked to forest habitats, whereas among common species hunted for bushmeat consumption the Northern red muntjak and the Malayan porcupine were negatively affected by human presence. The effects of human and habitat covariates were varied for other species of both groups. We confirmed results from previous studies that human disturbance is a driver of occurrence probabilities for some species in tropical areas. Our findings suggest that as protection of rainforest habitat is fundamental to the conservation of tropical ecosystems, law enforcement, patrolling, and local engagement activities are also recommended to mitigate forest and species exploitation. Finally, camera trapping could be a first step to identify areas where human presence affects species occupancy and help local authorities to develop more fine-tuned conservation plans.

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“…A recent range‐wide assessment by Petersen et al. ( 2021 ) indicated a 68% decline in area of this species between 2000 and 2020, with a further 18% decline predicted over the next 20 years. Its historical distribution in China covered most of the eastern, central, southern, and southwestern mainland provinces (Liu, Wu, et al., 2020 ), but its current distribution is unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of the Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) and variations in its coat morphology in China

Duan,

Zhu,

Wang

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Of the 12 wild felid species found in China, Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is one of the least studied species. This medium‐sized cat with a prominently polymorphic coat was once distributed across much of southern China, but is believed to have experienced severe decline and range contraction during the past decades, primarily due to anthropogenic pressures. A lack of knowledge of its current distribution, ecology, and natural history has greatly hindered the implementation of conservation and management actions for this species. In this study, for the first time, we compiled the state‐wide occurrence records (N = 409), mainly from the camera‐trapping surveys, of Asiatic golden cats from 2008 to 2019, and predicted its distribution across the country through species distribution modeling using random forest algorithm. The results showed that the predicted habitats were mainly located in southwest China and suggested a rather low probability of possible current distribution across its vast historic range in central, eastern, and southern China. We divided its current range into four geographic regions (i.e., Qinling Mountains, Hengduan Mountains, East Himalayas, and southern Yunnan region) and considered the cats in each region as a regional population within the country. From the 287 camera‐trapping detections with photographs and/or videos collected across all populations, we identified six coat morphs and determined their occurrence percentages: common golden (47.4%), spotted (20.9%), red (13.6%), dark cinnamon (10.1%), melanistic (7.0%), and gray (1.0%). The complexity of coat morph composition within regional populations showed an increasing gradient from northeast to southwest. Among the four regional populations, the East Himalayas hosted the highest abundance and coat variation with all six morphs recorded. Our study results update the current distribution and coat morphology variations of this elusive cat in China and provide important knowledge to guide future research and conservation planning for this threatened species.

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Identifying conservation priorities for an understudied species in decline: Golden cats (Catopuma temminckii) in mainland Tropical Asia

Cited by 8 publications

References 36 publications

Elusive species and where to find them: assessment of survey protocols for primates habitat selection

Elusive species and where to find them: assessment of survey protocols for primates habitat selection

Why we went to the woods?: effects of human disturbance on species presence in a disturbed Myanmar forest ecosystem

Distribution of the Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) and variations in its coat morphology in China

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