Wildife Conservation

Macan tutul jawa (Panthera pardus melas) merupakan jenis kucing besar terahir yang hidup di pulau Jawa setelah Harimau jawa (Panthera tigris sundaica) dinyatakan punah pada tahun 1980 an. Macan tutul jawa hanya hidup di pulau Jawa dan statusnya dilindungi berdasarkan Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 7 tahun 1999.  Macan tutul jawa juga  termasuk dalam daftar satwa terancam punah IUCN, dengan kategori kritis (critically endangered).  Penyusutan luas, degradasi dan fragmentasi habitat serta perburuan merupakan ancman utama satwa langka ini.  Satwa ini juga sudah ber konflik dengan manusia.  Diperlukan upaya terpadu dari semua pihak untuk menyelamatkan macan tutul awa dari kepunhan.  Oleh karena telah disusun Strategi dan Aksi Konservasi (SRAK) Macan Tutul Jawa 2016-2026 sebagai panduan dan acuan semua pihak dalam upaya konservasi macan tutul jawa.  Karena habitatnya yang luas meliputi lintas wilayah administrasi dan lintas tata guna lahan, maka SRAK ini juga memberikan arahan untuk penataan dan pengelolaan ruang  bagi pemangku wilayah, para pemangku kawasan hutan dan pengelola lahan.

Macan tutul jawa (Panthera pardus melas) adalah satwa endemik Pulau Jawa yang statusnya kritis (Critically Endangered) dan menjadi salah satu spesies prioritas konservasi nasional. Populasi macan tutul jawa diperkirakan terus menurun akibat kerusakan habitat, penyusutan habitat dan fragmentasi habitat yang semakin masif dalam dua dekade terakhir. Hal ini juga memicu konflik antara macan tutul jawa dengan manusia juga cenderung meningkat sejak tahun 2001.  Salah satu upaya dalam Strategi dan Rencana Aksi Konservasi (SRAK) macan tutul jawa 2016-2026 adalah membiasakan manusia hidup berdampingan dalam harmoni dengan macan tutul jawa. Hal ini juga sebagai upaya mitigasi konflik satwa yang merupakan agenda kebijakan prioritas Direktorat Konservasi Keanekaragaman Hayati, Kementerian Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan.

People’s urge to see and experience the environment around them has led the tourism industry to become one of the fast-growing industries all around the globe. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve has always been alluring to the tourist to experience the scenic beauty of the mangrove forest and see the Royal Bengal Tiger. Successful execution of Project Tiger for protecting this endangered species from getting extinct has put India on the international platform. The aim of the research paper is to (1) identify the contribution of conservation plan in boosting tourism, (2) conduct the strengths, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis of the study area, and (3) estimate the potential of tiger tourism in the study area. The study concludes that the conservation plans are helping in building the product image, financing the study to area which is upgrading the surroundings for tourism along with other benefits. Trend analysis result predicts a continuous rise of tourist footfall in the reserve, which suggests big potential of the reserve.

Human-elephant conflicts (HEC) have been persistent in Ikorongo-Grumeti Game Reserves (IGGRs) and the adjacent communities of Bunda and Serengeti districts, Mara region. This study aimed to identify factors leading to HEC, examine losers and gainers, determine barriers to applied measures and suggest new approaches and techniques for effective mitigation of HEC. Data collection involved direct observations, key informant interviews and household survey using questionnaires. The analysis was done using R, SPSS and MS Excel computer softwares. Results showed that factors that significantly  influenced HEC occurrence (P<0.05) were crop raiding incidences, increasing elephant population, encroachment, lack of clear buffer zone, lack of compensation plan, infrastructure damages and direct elephant attack. Major effects of HEC in the study villages were crop damage (99%), infrastructure damage (36%), domestic animal killings (18.7%) and human killings and injury (18.3%). Farmers were the main losers, whereas in 2017 about 46.6% of cultivated farms were destroyed and none of which was compensated. On the other hand, corrupt village leaders seemed to gain from the conflicts. The major barriers to HEC mitigation measures included few and large distance between scout camps, use of poor tools like handheld torches, inadequate manpower in HWC mitigation units, and ability of elephants to adapt to most of the detterents used by farmers. A number of non- conventional mitigation measures were identified and recommended; namely construction of trench (95.3%), electric fencing (92.7%), establishment of buffer zone management units (BZMUs) (92.7%), geo-fencing system (92.3%), Wireless Sensing Network (WSN) (85.3%), translocation of problem elephants (11.7%), and evacuation of people near PAs boundaries (22%) as HEC prevention and mitigation measures with long-term impacts. Generally, no single solution is effective as different approaches need to be intergrated to address the problem proactively. Hence, it is recommended that community involvement in decision-making and policy formulation should be emphasized for effective implementation of proposed mitigation measures.

As Asian turtle populations have crashed, China has increasingly turned to international import to meet domestic demand, which has increased pressure on global turtle populations. Snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) are being harvested in unprecedented numbers in the United States (US) to meet the needs of this international market. Here we report US snapping turtle live export from 1999 to 2013, and for the first time test the effectiveness of size limits in reducing commercial harvest numbers. Over three million live snapping turtles from farm and wild caught stock were exported from the US to Asia in 2012–14 alone. Increases in the export of wild caught snapping turtles to over 200,000 individuals in 2012 and 2014, compared to under 50,000 in other years, may indicate that farms are becoming unable to keep up with increasing demand. Annual harvest pressure at the state level increased linearly from 1998 to 2013, mirroring trends in federal export over the same time period. Our model estimates that size-limits were effective at reducing harvest by 30–87% in years with high harvest pressure. However, the majority of size limit regulations result in the removal of larger breeding adults, which has been shown to be detrimental to long term population viability. Regulatory approaches dedicated to the long term management of this iconic species will need to balance the short term gains, in the form of reduced harvest rates, with long term population viability.

Human impact on wildlife is managed through two main institutional
arrangements – regimes of strict protection and managed harvest. The advantages
of one regime over the other have been debated, particularly in light of global and
socioeconomic changes, but rarely directly compared. I compared population
trends of four species of furbearers – ermine (Mustela erminea), otter (Lutra lutra),
red fox (Vulpes vulpes), and sable (Mustela zibellina) – in a strictly protected
Kronotzky Zapovednik and harvested Bystrinsky Nature Park, Russia. I examined
the effects of multiple biotic and abiotic variables on population abundance during
the period of Soviet rule (1977-1991) and during the dramatic socioeconomic
changes of the post-Soviet transition (1992-2001).
I found the type of institutional arrangement to be the most important factor
in explaining changes in population abundance. During the Soviet period, both
managed harvest and strict protection adequately maintained wildlife populations.
The regime of strict protection, however, continued to support stable population of
furbearers during the period of the post-Soviet transition, while wildlife populations
of sable, the most economically valuable species, declined under the regime of
managed harvest.
I concluded that strict protection is a vital institutional arrangement for the
long-term maintenance of valuable wildlife populations. This conclusion suggests
the need for renewed support by the Russian Government for the strictly protected
areas in Russia and Kamchatka for their role in conserving economically important
wildlife.

The Republic of Namibia recently lost a High Court case preventing the sale of antelope that were selectively bred and intensively managed to produce traits that are uncommon in the wild. This paper looks at the foundations that the Namibian government may draw on to develop a policy context which would enable the country to redraft and amend existing legislation. The Namibian Nature Conservation Ordinance has exceeded its usefulness, in that it is ill-equipped to maintain and protect the country's wildlife and its traditional enclosed extensive wildlife systems on private farms – and the Ordinance should be replaced. It is further concluded that the provisions of the Maputo Convention and the Nagoya Protocol apply to selective breeding and intensive management of wildlife. Caution is raised that provisions of these agreements, when read in isolation with the definition of biodiversity in the Namibian Environmental Management Act, may be interpreted in a manner contrary to the conservation of this resource. It is concluded that a formal inclusion of the public trust doctrine into the Namibian environmental jurisprudence, as has occurred in many African and countries elsewhere, would provide the necessary omnibus to address current and future challenges to the country's wildlife and other components of the environment.

Experimental surveys were used to gather evidence on the likeability of the focal species, the stated willingness of survey participants to contribute funds for the conservation of species and the impact of information pro­ vision on these factors. Information was given to participants to increase their knowledge about the focal species, including their conservation status.
After providing some general background on the focal species, the methodology is outlined. The willingness to pay for the conservation of the species (the demand results) obtained from the experimental survey is then reported. This is followed by an estimate of actual expenditures in Queensland (at the time of the surveys) on the conservation of koalas and hairy-nosed wombats and these are compared with the estimated willingness-to-pay figures. Discrepancies are observed and then discussed and possible limitations of the study are outlined.

Conservation of wildlife while minimally affecting the people has always been a challenge. While it is very important to protect the wildlife and ensuring they have enough landscape for food, it is equally important to ensure that the forest dependent communities do not experience any sort of livelihood stress and the transition is as smooth as possible. The field study examines the pre and post relocation experiences and livelihood changes of the forest dwellers of the relocated Ratibandar Village of the Satpura Tiger reserve.

The Big Gulch is a great piece of land that the City of Mukilteo should use as a tool to inform the public of what wildlife is prestent.  The area has been increasingly populated with new development of houses but the wildlife continues to survive and flourish in the environment.

Human-elephant conflicts (HEC) have been persistent in Ikorongo-Grumeti Game Reserves (IGGRs) and the adjacent communities of Bunda and Serengeti districts, Mara region. This study aimed to identify factors leading to HEC, examine losers and gainers, determine barriers to applied measures and suggest new approaches and techniques for effective mitigation of HEC. Data collection involved direct observations, key informant interviews and household survey using questionnaires. The analysis was done using R, SPSS and MS Excel computer softwares. Results showed that factors that significantly influenced HEC occurrence (P&amp;lt;0.05) were crop raiding incidences, increasing elephant population, encroachment, lack of clear buffer zone, lack of compensation plan, infrastructure damages and direct elephant attack. Major effects of HEC in the study villages were crop damage (99%), infrastructure damage (36%), domestic animal killings (18.7%) and human killings and injury (18.3%). Farmers were the main losers, whereas in 2017 about 46.6% of cultivated farms were destroyed and none of which was compensated. On the other hand, corrupt village leaders seemed to gain from the conflicts. The major barriers to HEC mitigation measures included few and large distance between scout camps, use of poor tools like handheld torches, inadequate manpower in HWC mitigation units, and ability of elephants to adapt to most of the detterents used by farmers. A number of non- conventional mitigation measures were identified and recommended; namely construction of trench (95.3%), electric fencing (92.7%), establishment of buffer zone management units (BZMUs) (92.7%), geo-fencing system (92.3%), Wireless Sensing Network (WSN) (85.3%), translocation of problem elephants (11.7%), and evacuation of people near PAs boundaries (22%) as HEC prevention and mitigation measures with long-term impacts. Generally, no single solution is effective as different approaches need to be intergrated to address the problem proactively. Hence, it is recommended that community involvement in decision-making and policy formulation should be emphasized for effective implementation of proposed mitigation measures.

This article uses a short historical study of Mozambican conservation legislation to show how local knowledges have been systematically disenfranchised from legislation since colonial period through a discourse analysis of conservation legal documents including constitutions. This study shows that the country has favoured modernity as a framework to deal with nature conservation which clashed in complex ways with local modes of living. Hence the article uses James Scott's concept of 'high-modern ideology' to trace continuities and changes in local knowledges and people marginalisation because of conservation legislation since the colonial period to the present. The article shows that, more market-based approaches to nature conservation are currently being promoted by the state and international donors and organisations; this in turn could lead to local communities treating nature as a commodity.

Flying Squirrels are nocturnal gliding mammals, and occur in 15 genera and 43 species worldwide and 11 species reported in India, out of them, only Indian Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista philippensis found in Gujarat state. The species is mentioned as Least Concern (LC) in IUCN Red data book, but few studies indicate its decreasing status in India due to hunting, anthropogenic disturbances, habitat destruction, and agricultural encroachment. There are no existing baseline records and data on status and distribution of the species in Gujarat. However, some scattered records indicating presence of the species in Ratanmahal Wildlife sanctuary, Kevdi Reserve forest, Polo Reserve forest, Dangs forest and Vyara forest of Gujarat. Current study is first ever photographic evidence of the species from Jambughoda wildlife sanctuary of Gujarat state.

Accuracy of home-range estimates in animals is influenced by a variety of factors, such as method of analysis and number of
locations, but animal space use is less often considered and frequently over-generalized through simulations. Our objective
was to assess effect of an ad hoc ( h_ad hoc ) smoothing parameter in kernel analysis from two species that were predicted to have different patterns of utilization distributions across a range of sample sizes. We evaluated variation in homerange estimates with location data collected from GPS collars on two species: mule deer Odocoileus hemionus and coyotes Canis latrans . We calculated home ranges using 95% and 50% kernel contours using reference ( h_ref ) and h_ad hoc
smoothing parameters. To evaluate the influence of sample size, we calculated home ranges using both smoothing parameters for random subsamples of 5, 10, 25 and 50% of GPS locations and compared area estimates to estimates for 100% of GPS locations. On mule deer, we also conducted visual relocations using conventional radiotelemetry, which resulted in
fewer locations than GPS collars. Area was overestimated at smaller sample sizes, but an interesting pattern was noted with
higher relative bias at 60 – 100 locations than at sample sizes  50 locations. Relative bias was most likely due to increased
smoothing of outer data points. Subsampling allowed us to examine relative bias across a range of samples sizes for the
two smoothing parameters. Minimum number of points to obtain a consistent home range estimates varied by smoothing
method, species, study duration, and volume contour (95% or 50%). While h_ad hoc performed consistently better over
most sample sizes, there may not be a universal recommendation for all studies and species. Behavioral traits resulting in concentrated or disparate space use complicates comparisons among and between species. We suggest researchers examine their point distribution, justify their choice of smoothing parameter, and report their choices for home-range analysis based on their study objectives.

Takandjandji M, Gunawan H, Sihombing VS. 2018. Rapid assessment method for population estimation of softshell turtle (Amyda cartilaginea Boddaert, 1770) and reticulated python (Python reticulatus Schneider, 1801). Biodiversitas 19: 265-271. The decreasing number of soft-shell turtle and reticulated python in the wild is due to high demand of the animal in local as well as international market. The condition made the Indonesian government set particular collecting and trading quota for the reptiles, but unfortunately, it does not automatically guarantee their preservation. Current collecting practices will lead to population decline and even extinction of the species since the reptiles’ population in the wild has not yet been accurately determined. The purpose of the research was to determine a rapid method of population estimation to establish a baseline for determining collecting quota for the reptiles, especially of softshell turtles and reticulated pythons. The study was conducte...

The role of Pleistocene forest refugia and rivers in the evolutionary diversification of tropical biota has been the subject of considerable debate. A range-wide analysis of gorilla mitochondrial and nuclear variation was used to test the potential role of both refugia and rivers in shaping genetic diversity in current populations. Results reveal strong patterns of regional differentiation that are consistent with refugial hypotheses for central Africa. Four major mitochondrial haplogroups are evident with the greatest divergence between ...

This document is a final report that compiles the results obtained after apply an innovative approach to manage fauna species located on an urban  park.  The most remarkable output of this work it is the validation of a rotation system of protection areas as an alternative to warding off wildlife species confined on urban parks.

The role of Pleistocene forest refugia and rivers in the evolutionary diversification of tropical biota has been the subject of considerable debate. A range-wide analysis of gorilla mitochondrial and nuclear variation was used to test the potential role of both refugia and rivers in shaping genetic diversity in current populations. Results reveal strong patterns of regional differentiation that are consistent with refugial hypotheses for central Africa. Four major mitochondrial haplogroups are evident with the greatest divergence between ...

This qualitative study, based on fifty-two focus groups, interviews, and participant observation within a 10-km buffer around Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India, builds on Monica Ogra’s foundational work bringing together feminist political ecology and human–wildlife conflict studies. Specifically, it exposes gender-based violence as a hidden cost of the socioenvironmental network of the tiger reserve landscape. This study asks these questions: How do gendered geographies in and around a protected area influence tiger reintroduction, and how do tiger reintroductions influence gendered geographies? What is the nature of the relationships between women’s economic and gender roles and attitudes toward tigers (original and reintroduced), and what are the main factors influencing this relationship? This research finds that (1) gender-based violence is a hidden cost of women working in and around Sariska and the reintroduced tigers, a hidden cost of human–wildlife conflict otherwise unnoted in the literature, (2) this hidden cost is not solely the product of human–wildlife encounters but in large part a consequence of the highly patriarchal society that dictates gendered human–environmental relations. The results and presented framework seek to inform developing debates and theory around just conservation, gender-based violence in relation to environmental change, human dimensions of apex predator conservation, and sustainable rural livelihoods in and adjacent to protected areas.

The role of Pleistocene forest refugia and rivers in the evolutionary diversification of tropical biota has been the subject of considerable debate. A range-wide analysis of gorilla mitochondrial and nuclear variation was used to test the potential role of both refugia and rivers in shaping genetic diversity in current populations. Results reveal strong patterns of regional differentiation that are consistent with refugial hypotheses for central Africa. Four major mitochondrial haplogroups are evident with the greatest divergence
between eastern (A, B) and western (C, D) gorillas. Coalescent
simulations reject a model of recent east–west separation
during the last glacial maximum but are consistent with a divergence time within the Pleistocene. Microsatellite data also support a similar regional pattern of population genetic structure. Signatures of demographic expansion were detected in eastern lowland (B) and Gabon/Congo (D3) mitochondrial haplogroups and are consistent with a history of postglacial expansion from formerly isolated refugia. Although most mitochondrial haplogroups are regionally defined, limited admixture is evident between neighboring haplogroups. Mantel tests reveal a significant isolation-by distance
effect among western lowland gorilla populations. However,
mitochondrial genetic distances also correlate with the
distance required to circumnavigate intervening rivers, indicating a possible role for rivers in partitioning gorilla genetic diversity. Comparative data are needed to evaluate the importance of both mechanisms of vicariance in other African rainforest taxa.