Journal Article

When Socio-Economic Plans Exacerbate Vulnerability to Physical Coastal Processes on the South East Coast of India

bhalla — Thu, 17 May 2018 07:22:04 +0000

When Socio-Economic Plans Exacerbate Vulnerability to Physical Coastal Processes on the South East Coast of India bhalla Thu, 05/17/2018 - 07:22

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2018

Authors

G.Muthusankar C.Proisy D.Balasubramanian N.Bautès bhalla R.MathevetR A.Ricout Senthil Babu S.Vasudevan

Journal

Journal of Coastal Research

Volume

Date Published

Fri, 02/02/2018 - 12:00

Abstract

Industrial and urban development along the coast may exacerbate the changes induced by oceano-climatic processes to such an extent that the coast becomes uninhabitable. This paper presents a baseline study carried out on the 360 km-long Coromandel coast of Tamil Nadu’s (TN) Bay of Bengal coast, Southeast India. About 30% of the 72 million
inhabitants of the state of TN live in low-lying coastal areas within a variety of ecosystems such as sandy beaches and dunes, wetlands, mudflats and mangroves. Exponential demographic growth combines with dense urban agglomerations, ever-growing industrial and harbour areas, aquaculture and luxury tourism expansion increasing vulnerabilities to coastal erosion and extreme meteorological events. We report here how very high spatial resolution satellite (VHSRS) images, freely provided by Google Earth® engine or from the public database offered by GIS software, may be used to impartially and significantly survey coastal land cover (LC) transformations at fine scales over a number of years using preliminary visual interpretation. The study also gathered demographic data, historical records on strength and trajectories of the cyclones that have hit the TN coast since 1900, and decadal series of daily ERA-Interim/ECMWF waves and Mercator-Ocean oceanic currents. Our results demonstrate a tangle of environmental and human activities and situations subject to specific coastal hazards, particularly severe during the Northeast monsoon season. The potential risks for coastal ecosystems and local communities are finally discussed.

Programme

Natural Resource Management

Cover Page

Issue

Refereed Designation

None

Maintaining tiger connectivity and minimizing extinction into the next century: Insights from landscape genetics and spatially-explicit simulations

srini — Wed, 16 May 2018 08:30:46 +0000

Maintaining tiger connectivity and minimizing extinction into the next century: Insights from landscape genetics and spatially-explicit simulations srini Wed, 05/16/2018 - 08:30

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2018

Authors

ThattePrachi JoshiAditya srini LandguthErin

Journal

Biological Conservation

Volume

218

Pagination

181 - 191

Date Published

Thu, 02/01/2018 - 12:00

ISBN Number

0006-3207

Abstract

AbstractHabitat loss is the greatest threat to large carnivores around the world. Maintenance of functional connectivity in fragmented landscapes is important for long-term species persistence. Here, we merge landscape genetics analyses and spatially-explicit simulations to understand future persistence and extinction of tigers (Panthera tigris) in Central India. Tigers in this landscape are restricted to Protected Areas (PAs) and forest fragments embedded within a mosaic of agricultural fields and human settlements. We examined current population connectivity of tigers across nine reserves (using 116 non-invasively sampled individuals and 12 microsatellites). Genetic data was used to infer resistance-to-movement. Our results suggest that dense human settlements and roads with high traffic are detrimental to tiger movement. We used landscape genetic simulations to model 86 different scenarios that incorporated impacts of future land-use change on inferred population connectivity and extinction. Our results confirm that genetic variability (heterozygosity) will decrease in the future and small and/or isolated PAs will have a high risk of local extinction. The average extinction risk of small PAs will reduce by 23–70% if a 5 km buffer is added around existing boundaries. Unplanned development will result in 35% lower heterozygosity and 56% higher average extinction probability for tigers within protected areas. Increasing tiger numbers in such a scenario will decrease extinction probability just by 12% (from 56% to 44%). Scenarios where habitat connectivity was enhanced and maintained, stepping-stone populations were introduced/maintained, and tiger numbers were increased, led to low overall extinction probability (between 3 and 21%). Our simulations provide a means to quantitatively evaluate the effects of different land-use change scenarios on connectivity and extinction, linking basic science to land-use change policy and planned infrastructure development.

URL

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320717307346

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.022

Programme

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Refereed Designation

None

Diet Selection of Leopards (Panthera pardus) in a Human-Use Landscape in North-Eastern India

srini — Mon, 14 May 2018 07:28:47 +0000

Diet Selection of Leopards (Panthera pardus) in a Human-Use Landscape in North-Eastern India srini Mon, 05/14/2018 - 07:28

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2018

Authors

Aritra-Kshettry srini Vidya-Athreya

Journal

Tropical Conservation ScienceTropical Conservation Science

Volume

Pagination

1940082918764635

Date Published

Thu, 02/22/2018 - 12:00

ISBN Number

1940-0829

Alternate Journal

Diet Selection of Leopards (Panthera pardus) in a Human-Use Landscape in North-Eastern India

Abstract

There is increasing evidence of large carnivores using human-use areas, but our understanding of their ecology in such landscapes is limited. The role of wild and domestic prey in sustaining populations of carnivores in human-use landscapes could be significant but is currently poorly documented. We studied the prey composition and diet selection of leopards (Panthera pardus) in a forest and tea-garden landscape in north-eastern India where the population density is greater than 700 people per km2 and average domestic animal density is 340 animals per km2. Wild prey density in the landscape was 56 animals per km2. Both wild and domestic prey were used by leopards in proportion to their availability with no selectivity toward either (x2=87.17, p=.99, SE=0.001). Among wild prey, Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) was found in high densities (24 animals per km2) and was preyed by leopards more frequently that the proportional availability. High use of domestic prey by leopard, with 60% of the prey biomass comprising cattle and goats has the potential for negative impact on conservation support for the species. While on one hand, there is great scope for the persistence of large cats in dense human-use landscapes due to the availability of domestic prey, on the other hand, the study highlights the problems of livestock loss especially to poorer sections of the society which need to be reconciled for achieving long-term and sustainable conservation goals.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1177/1940082918764635

DOI

doi.org/10.1177/1940082918764635

Short Title

Tropical Conservation Science

Programme

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Refereed Designation

None

Planning connectivity at multiple scales for large mammals in a human-dominated biodiversity hotspot

srini — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 09:48:48 +0000

Planning connectivity at multiple scales for large mammals in a human-dominated biodiversity hotspot srini Fri, 01/19/2018 - 09:48

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2017

Authors

Aditya Gangadharan srini St.Clair_CC

Journal

Journal for Nature Conservation

Volume

Pagination

38–47

Date Published

Wed, 02/01/2017 - 12:00

ISSN

1617-1381

Abstract

Abstract Connectivity for large mammals across human-altered landscapes results from movement by individuals that can be described via nested spatial scales as linkages (or zones or areas) with compatible land use types, constrictions that repeatedly funnel movement (as corridors) or impede it (as barriers), and the specific paths (or routes) across completely anthropogenic features (such as highways). Mitigation to facilitate animal movement through such landscapes requires similar attention to spatial scale, particularly when they involve complex topography, diverse types of human land use, and transportation infrastructure. We modeled connectivity for Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and gaur (Bos gaurus) in the Shencottah Gap, a multiple-use region separating two tiger reserves in the Western Ghats, India. Using 840 km of surveys for animal signs within a region of 621 km2, we modeled landscape linkages via resource selection functions integrated across two spatial resolutions, and then potential dispersal corridors within these linkages using circuit theoretical models. Within these corridors, we further identified potential small-scale movement paths across a busy transportation route via least-cost paths and evaluated their viability. Both elephants and gaur avoided human-dominated habitat, resulting in broken connectivity across the Shencottah Gap. Predicted corridor locations were sensitive to analysis resolution, and corridors derived from scale-integrated habitat models correlated best with habitat quality. Less than 1% of elephant and gaur detections occurred in habitat that was poorer in quality than the lowest-quality component of the movement path across the transportation route, suggesting that connectivity will require habitat improvement. Only 28% of dispersal corridor area and 5% of movement path length overlapped with the upper 50% quantile of the landscape linkage; thus, jointly modeling these three components enabled a more nuanced evaluation of connectivity than any of them in isolation.

URL

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1617138116301674

DOI

10.1016/j.jnc.2017.02.003

Programme

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Refereed Designation

None

Project

Keywords

connectivity, corridor, elephant, Gaur, Landscape linkage, Shencottah Gap, Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats

Navigating customary law and state fishing legislation to create effective fisheries governance in India

bhalla — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 11:59:19 +0000

Navigating customary law and state fishing legislation to create effective fisheries governance in India bhalla Thu, 01/18/2018 - 11:59

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2017

Authors

Divya Karnad

Journal

Marine Policy

Volume

Pagination

241-246

Date Published

Wed, 05/16/2018 - 12:00

Abstract

When customary legal systems exist alongside state regulations, individuals can choose between these different frameworks to support their claims to resources. Research suggests that such framework switching to maximize self-interest weakens and challenges resource management. Multiple legal systems are at work in India's fisheries and this study examines how they work to govern conflict over purse-seine fishing in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra State. Through participant observations, interviews and state fishing law reviews, this study finds evidence of strong customary legal systems, operating through local cultural practices, to protect common property rights, equitable access, ethical and ecological concerns. In contrast, state legislation appears weak because it addresses issues of local concern, such as equitable access, at a slow pace and over such a large scale as to be absent. Consequently, multiple legal systems in these fisheries do not create a management challenge that follows a predictable path towards resource degradation. Instead informal, customary rules applied alongside formal state legislation interact in complex ways that create opportunities for effective co-management.

URL

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X17304396

Programme

Marine Science

Cover Page

Refereed Designation

None

Project

Finding spaces for co-existence: fishing communities and threatened marine species conservation in India

Date Released

Fri, 12/01/2017 - 12:00

Hunting or habitat? Drivers of waterbird abundance and community structure in agricultural wetlands of southern India

bhalla — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 09:21:41 +0000

Hunting or habitat? Drivers of waterbird abundance and community structure in agricultural wetlands of southern India bhalla Sun, 01/14/2018 - 09:21

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2017

Authors

Ramachandran_Ramesh Ajith Kumar Sundar_Kolla_S.Gopi bhalla

Journal

Ambio

Pagination

1-8

Date Published

Wed, 02/01/2017 - 12:00

Abstract

The relative impacts of hunting and habitat on waterbird community were studied in agricultural wetlands of southern India. We surveyed wetlands to document waterbird community, and interviewed hunters to document hunting intensity, targeted species, and the motivations for hunting. Our results show that hunting leads to drastic declines in waterbird diversity and numbers, and skew the community towards smaller species. Hunting intensity, water spread, and vegetation cover were the three most important determinants of waterbird abundance and community structure. Species richness, density of piscivorous species, and medium-sized species (31–65 cm) were most affected by hunting. Out of 53 species recorded, 47 were hunted, with a preference for larger birds. Although illegal, hunting has increased in recent years and is driven by market demand. This challenges the widely held belief that waterbird hunting in India is a low intensity, subsistence activity, and undermines the importance of agricultural wetlands in waterbird conservation.

URL

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-017-0907-9

DOI

10.1007/s13280-017-0907-9

Refereed Designation

None

Heading West

srini — Sat, 13 Jan 2018 09:53:28 +0000

Heading West srini Sat, 01/13/2018 - 09:53

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2017

Authors

Divya Karnad

Journal

Samudra

Pagination

17–19

Date Published

Sun, 01/01/2017 - 12:00

ISSN

0973-1121

URL

https://www.icsf.net/en/samudra/article/EN/75-4244-Heading-West.html

Programme

Natural Resource Management

Issue

Refereed Designation

None

Project

Finding spaces for co-existence: fishing communities and threatened marine species conservation in India

Document Download

HeadingWest.pdf

Big concerns with small projects: Evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of small hydropower projects in India

bhalla — Wed, 10 Jan 2018 10:34:01 +0000

Big concerns with small projects: Evaluating the socio-ecological impacts of small hydropower projects in India bhalla Wed, 01/10/2018 - 10:34

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2017

Authors

Suman Jumani Rao-Shishir Machado-Siddarth Prakash-Anup

Journal

Ambio

Pagination

1-12

Date Published

Sun, 01/01/2017 - 12:00

Abstract

Although Small Hydropower Projects (SHPs) are encouraged as sources of clean and green energy, there is a paucity of research examining their socio-ecological impacts. We assessed the perceived socio-ecological impacts of 4 SHPs within the Western Ghats in India by conducting semi-structured interviews with local respondents. Primary interview data were sequentially validated with secondary data, and respondent perceptions were subsequently compared against the expected baseline of assured impacts. We evaluated the level of awareness about SHPs, their perceived socio-economic impacts, influence on resource access and impacts on human–elephant interactions. The general level of awareness about SHPs was low, and assurances of local electricity and employment generation remained largely unfulfilled. Additionally most respondents faced numerous unanticipated adverse impacts. We found a strong relationship between SHP construction and increasing levels of human–elephant conflict. Based on the disparity between assured and actual social impacts, we suggest that policies regarding SHPs be suitably revised.

Refereed Designation

None

Categorizing Species by Niche Characteristics can Clarify Conservation Planning in Rapidly-Developing Landscapes

srini — Tue, 01 Mar 2016 09:40:32 +0000

Categorizing Species by Niche Characteristics can Clarify Conservation Planning in Rapidly-Developing Landscapes srini Tue, 03/01/2016 - 09:40

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2016

Authors

Aditya Gangadharan srini St.Clair_CC

Journal

Animal Conservation

Volume

Pagination

451-461

Date Published

Tue, 03/01/2016 - 12:00

ISBN Number

1469-1795

Abstract

In biodiversity-rich landscapes that are developing rapidly, it is generally impossible to delineate land use and prioritize conservation actions in relation to the full variability of species and their responses to anthropogenic activity. Consequently, conservation policy often focuses on protecting habitat used by a few flagship, indicator or umbrella species like tigers Panthera tigris and Asian elephants Elephas maximus, which potentially leaves out species that do not share these habitat preferences. We demonstrate an empirical approach that clustered 14 mammals into surrogate groups that reflect their unique conservation needs. We surveyed a 787 km2 multiple-use area in the Shencottah Gap of the Western Ghats, India, using foot surveys and camera-trap surveys. Using ecological niche factor analysis, we generated indices of species prevalence (marginality and tolerance) and habitat preferences (factor correlations to marginality axis). We then clustered species by both of the above index types to reveal four clusters based on prevalence and four clusters based on habitat preference. Most clusters contained at least one threatened species. Low-prevalence lion-tailed macaques Macaca silenus and tigers were strongly associated with closed forests and low human disturbance. But elephants, sloth bears Melursus ursinus and gaur Bos gaurus were more tolerant of anthropogenic impact, and sloth bears and gaur preferred open forests and grasslands. Dhole Cuon alpinus and sambar Rusa unicolor were associated with highly anthropogenic habitat (farmland, cash crop and forestry plantations) with high human use. Thus, reliance on flagship species for conservation planning can both underestimate and overestimate the ability of other species to persist in multiple-use landscapes; protecting flagship species would only protect species with similar habitat preferences. For species that avoid human impacts more than the flagship species, core habitat must be protected from human disturbance. For more tolerant species, conservation in anthropogenic habitat may hinge on policies that bolster coexistence with humans.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/acv.12262

Short Title

Anim Conserv

Programme

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Issue

Refereed Designation

None

Project

Bridging the Shencottah Gap: How Payments for Ecosystem Services Can Restore Biodiversity Outside Protected Areas in India Identifying critical areas for a landscape level wildlife corridor in the southern Western Ghats, India Baseline Surveys for designing and implementing payment for ecosystem services in Western Ghats Functional connectivity for large mammals in the southern western ghats

Keywords

biodiversity hotspot, connectivity, conservation planning, ecological niche factor analysis, flagship species, multiple-use landscape, Shencottah Gap, surrogate species

Comparative analysis of tree diversity and dispersion in the tropical lowland rainforests of Agumbe, Central Western Ghats, India.

Sunita Ram — Tue, 03 Nov 2015 09:47:21 +0000

Comparative analysis of tree diversity and dispersion in the tropical lowland rainforests of Agumbe, Central Western Ghats, India. Sunita Ram Tue, 11/03/2015 - 09:47

Publication Type

Journal Article

Year of Publication

2000

Authors

srini

Journal

Tropical Biodiversity

Volume

Pagination

45-60

Date Published

Thu, 05/17/2018 - 12:00

Programme

Wildlife Biology and Conservation

Refereed Designation

None