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Urbanization of natural landscapes and increasing human populations have brought people and our companion animals into closer contact with wildlife, even within protected areas. To provide guidance for human–wildlife coexistence, it is therefore critical to understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbances and how well native wildlife species survive in human-dominated landscapes. We investigated the spatio-temporal responses of 10 vertebrate taxa, with an emphasis on the Endangered Eld's deer Rucervus eldii thamin , to anthropogenic disturbances in Shwesettaw Wildlife Sanctuary, Myanmar. We quantified anthropogenic disturbances as distance from human settlements, distance from a highway, and the presence of people and free-ranging dogs Canis familiaris. Anthropogenic disturbances had stronger negative impacts on the detection of native wildlife species than on occupancy. Eld's deer avoided areas close to human settlements and showed low diel activity overlap with both people and dogs, although we found a positive association with human presence at the camera-trap sites. Five species exhibited lower diel activity overlap with people in the rainy season when human activity is the highest in our study area. All studied wildlife species shifted to nocturnal activity or did not show any clear activity pattern during the cool-dry season when the presence of dogs increased. The ecological and conservation impacts of dogs are underestimated in South-east Asia, particularly in Myanmar, and this case study highlights the impacts of dogs on the temporal use of habitat by wildlife and the need for better practices in the management of dogs within protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a Near Threatened small carnivore species distributed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, peninsular Thailand, and Myanmar. However, the status of banded civet in Myanmar is uncertain, as it has not been recorded there since 1914. Here, we report the first photographic evidence of banded civet in Htaung Pru Reserved Forest of Tanintharyi Region, which is located in the far northwest from the known historical location in Myanmar, and contributes to our knowledge of the current distribution of banded civet in Southeast Asia. Protection and conservation of lowland rainforest by using community-based conservation approaches is critically important for the persistence of this species in this particular area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful plant recruitment is crucial for maintaining forest ecosystems, but knowledge of the responses of early life stages of tropical montane tree species to complex environmental factors is still limited across the Himalayas. Vegetation was surveyed along an altitudinal gradient (2450–3070 m) in six altitudinal bands in a tropical montane forest of Myanmar. We examined the effects of microclimate, soil, and microsite conditions on seedling and sapling recruitment in three dominant tree species (Quercus semecarpifolia, Rhododendron arboreum, and Symplocos lucida). We found that densities of R. arboreum and Q. semecarpifolia were higher in high and mid-altitudinal bands (2800–3000 m), whereas density of S. lucida was higher in lower altitudinal bands (2600–2700 m). Seedlings showed better recruitment in humid conditions and more sensitive to soil properties than saplings. R. arboreum and S. lucida preferred debris microsites, followed by shrub and grass microsites, whereas Q. semecarpifolia showed no significant microsite preference. Seedling recruitment mainly depended on soils and microsites, whereas sapling recruitment depended on microclimate and altitude. The study provides information on species-specific preferences and responses of montane tree species to complex environmental factors, which may contribute to restoration and sustainable forest conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood loss models are essential tools for assessing flood risk. Flood damage assessment provides decision makers with critical information to manage flood hazards. This paper presents a multivariable flood damage assessment based on data from residential building and content damage from the Bago flood event of July 2018. This study aims to identify the influences on building and content losses. We developed a regression-based flood loss estimation model, which incorporates factors such as water depth, flood duration, building material, building age, building condition, number of stories, and floor level. Regression approaches, such as stepwise and best subset regression, were used to create the flood damage model. The selection was based on Akaike's information criterion (AIC). We found that water depth, flood duration, and building material were the most significant factors determining flood damage in the residential sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A massive flood in Myanmar struck the Bago river in July, 2018. In this study, because of the limitation of real-time data availability, the satellite-based precipitation was used for clarifying the characteristics of the flood. The total precipitation during 10 days from July 22, when the flood first began at the western Bago city, was estimated approximately 753 mm and 527 mm at the Bago and Zaungts stations in the Bago river watershed. These values were corresponding to 355% and 294% of average of the 10-day total precipitation at the Bago (1967–2015) and Zaungts (1987–2014) stations. Furthermore, not only the 3-day and weekly peak precipitations but also the annual accumulative precipitations during July 22 and August 16 were estimated larger than the largest recorded precipitations at both stations. Although the Zaungts dam stored approximately 140 million m3 during this period, which was an amount equivalent to 40% of inflow volume during July 22 and 28, the resulting flood widely propagated in the Bago city. Based on the flood survey, the 2018 Bago river flood was classified into 4 areas; the right bank of the Bago river, the eastern town, the northern town, and the downstream from the Zaungts Weir and Bago city. These areas were marked as vulnerable areas in the Bago city. The Bago river watershed has experienced many floods in the past, and floods on the same scale as this flood are expected to occur in the future. Therefore, it is essential to understand the characteristics of the 2018 Bago river flood and develop near real-time monitoring of hydrometeorological situation to be prepared for the next flood disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]