The Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbances on the Spatiotemporal Patterns of Medium–Large Mammals in Tropical Volcanic Landscapes

Abstract

A comprehensive understanding of the consequences of human interactions with mammals is a critical factor in supporting and conserving species in landscapes dominated by humans, which are increasingly threatened. This study aimed to identify the spatial and temporal interactions between humans and mammals. A non-parametric statistical approach with kernel density was used to detect human–mammal temporal interactions. The species interaction factor (SIF) was applied to calculate the spatial overlap based on the two-species occupancy detection model. The activity patterns of medium mammals were nocturnal, diurnal, and cathemeral. The human–medium mammal pairs with SIF values that were <1 and statistically significant included the human–long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) pair, the human–leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) pair, and the human–barking deer (Muntiacus muntjac) pair. Based on their SIF values and the high overlap in their activity times, the human–macaque pairings had a high risk of conflict. Barking deer and leopard cats displayed a coexistence with humans via time-sharing activities. Due to temporal niche variations with human activities, the existence of nocturnal mammals was relatively uninterrupted. This study showed that most mammals are able to adapt spatially and temporally to various human activities. Nonetheless, efforts to mitigate human–wildlife conflict must be maintained, particularly in the case of severely endangered species, such as the Sunda pangolin.

The protection effort of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis Kerr, 1792) in the Upper Cisokan Pumped Storage, West Java, Indonesia

“…Leopard cats may return to their old habitat if the intensity of human activity decreases. Leopard cats adapt temporally to human activity within a narrow time niche (Sulaksono et al 2023). Leopard cats adjusted their activity time to prevent coinciding with human activity (Sulaksono et al 2023).…”

“…Leopard cats adapt temporally to human activity within a narrow time niche (Sulaksono et al 2023). Leopard cats adjusted their activity time to prevent coinciding with human activity (Sulaksono et al 2023). Carnivores that persist in areas with high humanrelated risks have been shown to respond to anthropogenic threats through temporal and spatial behavioral adjustments, for example, by minimizing the risk of human encounters through fine-scaled habitat selection (Gehr et al 2017;Belotti et al 2018).…”