1. Spatio-temporal human snow leopard (Panthera uncia) conflicts and mitigation measures in Baltistan - free-livestock grazing pastoral areas.
- Author
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Zaman, Muhammad, Jackson, Rodney, and Hussain, Shafqat
- Subjects
GENETIC sex determination ,SNOW leopard ,BIOTIC communities ,TOP predators ,SMALL capitalization stocks ,PREDATION - Abstract
• Conflicts between humans and snow leopards are increasingly prevalent in areas where their habitats overlap. • Non-invasive camera traps enable researchers to study predator-prey interactions in remote mountainous regions while minimizing behavioural disturbances. • Spatio-temporal predation refers to the heightened activity of predators during specific seasons resulting in an increased incidence of livestock attacks. • Predator-proofed corrals are designed to keep livestock safe from predators. • Insurance programs aid livestock producers by mitigating the financial impact of predation incidents. • Pastoral grazing livestock can lead to habitat loss and enhance conflicts. Apex predators are essential for maintaining ecosystem balance by controlling biotic communities. The spatio-temporal grazing of livestock in pastoral areas can pose threats to endangered carnivores and their prey resulting in resource competition, conflicts and increased disease transmission. Our research aimed to assess the spatio-temporal distribution of snow leopards and livestock determine factors causing snow leopard-livestock conflicts identify seasonal conflict zones through public claims and interviews and evaluate conservation benefits and challenges. In this study, camera traps were used in 20 villages of Baltistan from November to April resulting in 720 snow leopard sightings and 8277 livestock events. Snow leopards preyed on 195 livestock in the 2022–2023 period resulting in an estimated loss of $225,004.51 USD including sheeps, goats, cows and yaks.We utilized the Generalized Linear Regression Model to examine snow leopard attacks finding that the timing of attacks was not significant. Proximity to predator-proofed corrals, traditional corrals, bite marks and distance to the nearest village or shepherd huts were positively correlated with attacks, while small stock body size was not significant. Through 110 public interviews we discovered that awareness campaigns and avoidance strategies successfully mitigated human-snow leopard conflicts. In conclusion, our results found that livestock attacks occur in pastures during both day and night with the size and sex of the livestock affecting the likelihood of attacks. Snow leopard attacks were linked to increased grazing and poorly constructed corrals. Snow leopards targeted vulnerable areas of their prey including the neck, mouth, ears and anal region. Compensation claims and field visits were used to identify conflict areas and public perception. In the future research should prioritize the use of camera traps to study prey and snow leopard density, grazing effects, food habits using genetic tools and sex determination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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