New habitat for water deer in Northeast China and local communitys attitudes towards wildlife, and implications for the conservation of Amur tigers and Amur leopards
Year: 2023
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Prey animal and local communities awareness are one of the important aspects for big cats conservation. There are multiple small populations of tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus) across Asia due to the rapid expansion of human populations and the subsequent development of human-dominated landscapes. The habitat patches in northeast China and southwest Primorye of Russia also retain the last population of Amur leopards (Panthera pardus orientalis) and a metapopulation of Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica). This region recently became the new habitat for a deer species, water deer (Hydropotes inermis), which can become a potential prey species for the big cats; having the baseline knowledge of the water deer and the attitudes of the local community towards wildlife may have important implications for the big cats conservation. We applied camera trapping, genetic analysis, a species distribution model, and a questionnaire survey to acquire the baseline information. \nIt is challenging but crucial to combine multiple research techniques when surveying wildlife. The ecology of wildlife, their interactions with the environment, and how the landscape provides a habitat for wildlife are all important aspects of wildlife conservation. The presence of humans in wildlife habitats is crucial to conservation efforts' success and long-term viability. This study focuses on one aspect of wildlife research, but more is needed because the situation surrounding wildlife conservation is complicated. Understanding wildlife needs and how people and wildlife interact in the ecosystem will be essential. The advancement of wildlife monitoring techniques, such as non-invasive genetic sampling, camera trapping, and traditional transect surveys, offers an effective method for gathering accurate information about wildlife. When evaluating wildlife habitat, landscape ecology methods offer a broad perspective. Species distribution models (SDM) can use landscape data, information about human influence, and species ecology information to predict critical conservation regions. Well-designed questionnaire surveys can identify people's wildlife interactions. \nRange expansion for wildlife occurs due to human activity and climate change. There is a need for knowledge and an updated management approach. Since 2019, the water deer (Hydropotes inermis), a small size (15 kg) deer species, has been recognized as a new expanded species in northeast China and the far east of Russia. With several different deer species, high diversity of wildlife exists in the expanded region, including the Amur tiger and Amur leopard. The newly expanded water deer have a high reproductive rate, may serve as a potential prey animal for big cats influencing other species, and may even interact with local people. \nIn this dissertation research, I used camera trapping, species distribution models, and questionnaire surveys to assess the northward movement of water deer in northeast China, focusing on the Tumen transboundary region between northeast China, the Russian Far East, and North Korea. \nMy research had three main goals:1) to confirm the species expansion, 2) to assess the habitat, and 3) to assess people's attitudes. I also tried to draw the implications for the big cat conservation from the results. In order to accomplish the goals, I collaborate with regional partners in the research area, such as the local forestry department, Yanbian University, Beijing Normal University, Wildlife Conservation Society, and others, to gather ecological data, conduct household surveys, and analyze landscape data. The research results may provide management guidance for the newly expanded deer species and contribute to the conservation of endangered big cats. \nIn chapter 1, I employed camera traps, ecological studies, and genetic techniques to identify the expanding deer species and collected information on their range. The range of water deer has extended northward by at least 500 km from its previous distribution limit, and this population shares a tight evolutionary relationship with Korean water deer. \nIn chapter 2, I identified the appropriate environment and figured out potential expansion pathways for the water deer. MaxEnt model was used to access the habitat. Because environmental factors can be evaluated through their contribution to the model, I discovered that the suitable water deer habitat on the east coasts of the Korean Peninsula (Hamyong-namdo patch) and west coast of the Korean Peninsula (Pytongan-namdo patch) and the newly expanded region along the border between China, North Korea, and the Russian Far East (Hunchun patch). Elevation, wetland region, the availability of water sources, and farmland habitat were significant factors that helped water deer choose their home in the new area. Three main connection routes were estimated among habitat patches. The east route was from Hamyong namdo cross Ryangando and Hamyong bukdo to Hunchun; the middle route was from Pyongan namdo cross Chagang do to Baishan, Atu, Helong, Longjing to Hunchun; The west route was from Pyongan namdo to Chagang do, Baishan, Antu, Dunhua, Wangqing to Hunchun. The predicted habitat connections may serve as the water deer dispersal routes in the past, and further dispersal trends may be predicted through the modeling results. Predators, such as tigers and leopards, may also use the similar routes for their future dispersal. \nIn Chapter 3, I also investigated residents' attitudes toward wildlife using a questionnaire survey, which may have ramifications for the new extension of water deer management. I discovered that people's attitudes regarding wildlife are influenced by their age, gender, education, and contact with wildlife. Residents usually had neutral sentiments toward large animals, but they had very negative opinions against wild boar, especially if they had suffered losses from crop raiding. It will be crucial to be alert of any potential conflict in the new expansion territory of the water deer, given that the species may induce severe crop raiding in the area in the future. All of these details will be crucial and useful for managing and conserving the newly expanded water deer population. This study illustrates how a scientific working process brings together wildlife, habitat, and the local community when gaining access to and conserving newly expanded species in new ranges. This study results may have important implications to tiger and leopard conservation, both positive and negative. First positive implication is that the northward expansion of water deer into the newly established big cat range in northeast region of China may have positive effects on big cat populations by increasing prey animal diversity in their habitat. Secondly, we forecasted the potential corridors for water deer, which can be used in the future for big cats as a potential habitat or dispersal routes because of the potential existence of new prey species in the connection areas; Finally, the data on the local people's attitudes towards wildlife can help building strategic plans for future tiger and leopard conservation education and prey management. However, the results may have negative implications for big cat population; for example, potential introduction of novel diseases or pathogens of ungulates to the expanded region, creation of potential disturbance or competition in the wildlife community of the expanded region, bringing about a new type of wildlife-human conflict in the region etc.
Author: 이영
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6993124306