home icon user icon
Welcome to International Network for Natural Sciences | INNS Pub.
Home My Account
Submit Manuscript
double_slash
breadcumb_bg

Pastoralist experience and tolerance of snow leopard, wolf and lynx predation in Karakoram Pamir Mountains

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/10/2014
Views (200) Download (3)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Pastoralist experience and tolerance of snow leopard, wolf and lynx predation in Karakoram Pamir Mountains

Babar Khan, Abdukadir Ablimit, Muhammad Ali Nawaz, Rehmat Ali, Muhammad Zafar Khan, Jaffaruddin, Rakhshinda Karim
J. Bio. Env. Sci.5( 4), 214-229, October 2014.
Certificate: JBES 2014 [Generate Certificate]
Key: CarnivoreChinaHerbivoresInteractionKarakoramKhunjerabPakistanPamirTaxkorgan

Abstract

Human-carnivore conflict is a common conservation and livelihood issue in mountain communities. This study was conducted to understand nature and extent of socio-ecological interaction between pastoralism and wildlife conservation in cold deserts of Karakoram Pamir Mountains (KPM) between China and Pakistan. Study revealed that livestock depredation is a burning issue in KPM with varying intensity from place to place, depending upon wild prey abundance, herd size, herding practices, predator type and age. Snow leopard, wolf and lynx were the major predators, while Brown bear despite its presence was reported being less fatal to livestock. Snow leopard killed highest number of animals (88.7% n=1440) mostly sheep and goats whereas, wolf killed more juvenile yaks. Lynx was found occasionally predating on young domestic crop. Highest number of kills was recorded from pastures during summer months (July-Aug) when animals were free grazing or were kept inside pens at night. Wild prey base being abysmally low, livestock seemed offering a considerable portion of diet to carnivores. Despite considerable losses from carnivores, more respondents in KNP (Pakistan) buffer zone had sympathies for predators compared to those in TNR (China) who were annoyed of the carnivores. Although people attributed escalating human-carnivore conflict to a higher level of protection to wild animals in Protected Areas (PA) but efforts are still needed to judiciously integrate conservation with local livelihood and development needs, otherwise herders may continue losing their livestock to predators and retaliatory killing of endangered carnivore species i.e., Snow leopard and Wolf may continue unabated and would further destabilize the fragile mountain ecosystem.

VIEWS 6
Cover PDF

Ablimit A, Yun W, Khan B, Ying H, Chen J, Tao S, Zhou J. 2011. Wild fauna along the China-Pakistan Karakoram Highway. Chinese Journal of Wildlife 32 (2), 59-64.

Anthony, B. 2007. The dual nature of parks: attitudes of neighboring communities towards Kruger National Park, South Africa. Environmental Conservation 34(3), 236–245.

Breitenmoser U. 1998. Large predators in the Alps: the fall and rise of man’s competitors. Biological Conservation, 83, 279 – 289.

Brower B. 1991. Sherpa of Khumbu: people livestock, and landscape. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bagchi S, Mishra C. 2006. Living with large carnivores: predation on livestock by the snow leopard (Uncia uncial).Journal of Zoology. 268, 217– 224. The Zoological Society of London.

Bagchi S, Mishra C, Bhatnagar YV. 2004. Conflicts between traditional pastoralism and conservation of Himalayan ibex (Capra sibirica) in the Trans-Himalayan Mountains. Animal Conservation,121–128.

Beg GA. 2010. Current status of pastoral system in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan. Pastoralism and rangeland management in mountain areas in the context of climate and global change; Regional workshop in Khorog and Kashgar, 14-21 July 2010Kreutzmann, H. (ed.) Abdulalishoev, K. (ed.) Lu Zhaohui (ed.) Richter, J. (ed.) (English) / Deutsche Gesellschaft fur InternationaleZusammenarbeit, Feldafing (Germany),214 p.

Burtman M. 1992. Geological and geophysical evidence for deep seduction of continental crust beneath the Pamir. The Geological Society of America, Inc Colorado.

Chundawat RS, Rawat GS. 1994. Food habits of snow leopard in Ladakh, India. In Proceedings of the Seventh International Snow Leopard Symposium: 127–132. Fox, J.L. &Jizeng, D. (Eds). Seattle: International Snow Leopard Trust.

Conforti VA, Azevedo FCC. 2003. Local perceptions of Jagurs (Pantheraonca) and pumas (Puma concolor) in the Iguacu National Park area, south Brazil. Biological Conservation 111, 215–221.

Crete M. 1999. The distribution of deer biomass in North America supports the hypothesis of exploitation ecosystems. Ecology Letters 2, 223–227.

Dar NI. 2009. Predicting the patterns, perceptions and causes of human-carnivore conflict in and around Marchiara National Park, Pakistan. Biological Conservation 142, 2076-2082.

Degen AA. 2007. Sheep and goat milk in pastoral societies. Small Ruminant Research 68, 7–19.

Dagleish MP, Ali Q, Powell RK, Butz D,Woodford MH. 2007. Fatal Sarcoptesscabiei Infection of Blue sheep (Pseduoisnayaur) in Pakistan.Journal of Wildlife Diseases 43(3), 512-517.

Fleischner TL. 1994. Ecological costs of livestock grazing in western North America. Conservation. Biology 8, 629–644.

Ferreira MNE, Freire NC. 2009. Community perceptions of four protected areas in the Northern portion of the Cerrado hotspot, Brazil. Environmental Conservation; 1-10.

Festa-Bianchet M, Coulson T, Gaillard JM, Hogg JT, Pelletier F. 2006. Stochastic predation events and population persistence in big horn sheep.Proc R SocLond B Journal of Biological Science 273, 1537–1543.

Fox JL, Nurbu C, Bhatt S, Chandola A. 1994.Wildlife conservation and land use changes in the Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, India. Mountain Research and Development 14, 39-60.

Fox JL, Sinha SP, Chundawat RS, Das PK. 1991. Status of snow leopard Pantheraunciain northwest India. Biological Conservation 55, 283–298

Gurung G, Thapa K. 2004. Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) and Human Interaction in PhooVillage in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. (unpublished)

Hussain S. 2003. The status of snow leopard in Pakistan and its conflict with local farmer livelihoods. Oryx 37, 26–33

Jackson RM. 1999. Managing people-wildlife conflict in Tibet’s Qomolangma National Nature reserve. China. Snow Leopard Conservancy Sonoma, California, USA.

Jackson RM, Wangchuk R. 2004. A Community-Based Approach to Mitigating Livestock Depredation by Snow Leopards. Human Dimensions of Wildlife9: 307–3 15.Snow Leopard Conservancy Sonoma, California, USA.

Jackson RM, Ahlborn G, Gurung M, Ale S. 1996. Reducing livestock depredation losses in the Nepalese Himalaya. R. M. Timm and A. C. Crabb (eds.). Proceedings of the 17th Vertebrate Pest Conference. University of California, Davis, 241-47.

Jackson, R., &Wangchuk, R. 2001. Linking snow leopard conservation and people-wildlife conflict resolution: Grassroots measures to protect the endangered snow leopard from herder retribution. Endangered Species Update, 18(4), 138–141.

Jafri RH. 1995. A growing ecological imbalance. Proceedings of symposium. WWF – Pakistan, Lahore, pp 34 – 37.

Khan AA. 2012. An assessment of community based trophy hunting program in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Gilgit-Baltistan forest, wildlife and parks department, Gilgit.Pages 65.

Khan B, Ahmed W, Ablimit AK, Fakhri SS, Ali H. 2011. Range extension of four high land agamid lizards in Shimshal Pamir, Pakistan. Journal of Arid Land 4(1), 77−84

Khan, A. A. 1996. Management plan for Khunjerab National Park. World Wide Fund for nature, Pakistan, Lahore, pp 19-36.

Karanth KU, Madhusudan MD. 2002. Mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in South Asia. In Terborgh, Schaik, Rao and Davenport edn). Making parks work; identify key factors to implementing parks in the tropics. Island Press, Covelo, California, pp 250-264.

Lovari S, Boesi R, Minder I, Mucci N, Randi E, Dematteis A, Ale, SB. 2009. Restoring a keystone predator may endanger a prey species in a human-altered ecosystem: the return of the snow leopard to Sagarmatha National Park. Animal Conservation 12, 559–570.

Mech LD. 1995. The challenges and opportunities of recovering wolf populations. Conservation Biology, 9, 270-278.

Mishra C. 2001. High altitude survival: conflicts between pastoralism and wildlife in the Trans-Himalaya. PhD thesis: Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

Mishra C. 1997. Livestock depredation by large carnivores in the Indian Trans-Himalaya: Conflict perceptions and conservation prospects. Environmental Conservation, 24(4), 338–343.

Mishra C, Madhusudn DM. 2007. An Incentive Scheme for Wildlife Conservation in the Indian Trans-Himalaya.(unpublished)

Mishra C, Allen P, McCarthy T, Madhusudan MD, Bayarjargal A, Prins HHT. 2003. The role of incentive programs in conserving the snow leopard. Conservation Biology 117, 1512–1 520.

Mishra C. 1997. Livestock depredation by large carnivores in the Indian Trans-Himalaya: conflict perceptions and conservation prospects. Environmental Conservation 24, 338– 343.

Messier F. 1994. Ungulate population models with predation: a case study with the North American moose. Ecology 75, 478–488.

Mishra C. 2001. High altitude survival: conflicts between pastoralism and wildlife in the trans-Himalaya. Ph.D. thesis, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

Noss RF.  1994.  Cows  and  conservation  biology. Conservation Biology 8, 613–616.

Namgail T, Fox JL, Bhatnagar YV. 2007. Carnivore-Caused Livestock Mortality in Trans-Himalaya. Environmental Management 39, 490-496.

Nawaz MA. 2009. Draft management plan for CKCC; Sub plan species management. IUCN Karachi. Pages 24.

Oli MK, Taylor IR, Rogers ME. 1994. Snow leopard (Pantherauncia) predation of livestock—An assessment of local perceptions in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Biological Conservation 68(1), 63–68.

Oksanen L. 2001. Logic of experiments in ecology: is pseudo replication a pseudo issue. Oikos 94, 27–38.

Pearson RG. 2006. Climate change and the migration capacity of species. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 1, 3.

Prins HHT. 1992. The pastoral road to extinction: competition between wildlife and traditional Pastoralism in East Africa. Environmental Conservation 19, 117–123.

Rasool G. 1990. Population status of wildlife in Khunjerab National Park (Pakistan), Tiger paper XVII (4), 25-28.

Saberwal VK, Gibs JP, Chellam R, Johnsingh ATJ. 1994.Lion-human conflict in the Gir forest, India. Conservation Biology 8, 501–507.

Sangay T, Vernes K. 2008. Human–wildlife conflict in the kingdom of Bhutan: patterns of livestock predation by large mammalian carnivores. Biological Conservation 141, 1272–1282.

Schaller GB, Kang A. 2008. Status of Marco Polo sheep Ovis ammon polii in China and adjacent countries: conservation of a vulnerable subspecies. Oryx, 42 (1), 100-106.

Schaller GB. 1998. Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

Scherl LM, Wilson A, Wild R, Blockhus J, Franks P, McNeely JA, McShane TO. 2004. Can PAs Contribute to Poverty Reduction? Opportunities and Limitations. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

Schaller GB, Tserendeleg J, Amaraswanaa G. 1994. Observation on Snow Leopard in Mongolia. In J. L. Fox and Du Jizengeds. Proceedings of the Seventh International Snow Leopard Symposium , International Snow Leopard Trust. 7, 32 – 42.

Schaller GB, Li H, Lu H, Ren JR, Qiu MJ, Wang HB. 1987. Status of Large Mammals Taxkorgan Reserve, China, Biological Conservation 42, 53 – 71.

Schaller GB, Talipu LH, Junrang R, Mingjiang Q. 1988. The snow leopard in Xinjiang, China. Oryx 22, 197-204.

Schaller GB. 1977. Mountain monarchs: wild goat and sheep of the Himalaya. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Scheffer M, Carpenter SR. 2003. Catastrophic regime shifts in ecosystems: linking theory to observation. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18, 648–656.

Sherpa MN, Oli MK. 1988. Report on Nar – Phu valley wildlife habitat survey; King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Spearing A. 2002.A note on the prospects for snow leopard census using photographic capture. Pages 173 – 185 in T. M. McCarthy and J. Weltzin,editors Contributed Papers to the Snow Leopard Survival Strategy Summit. International Snow Leopard Trust, Seattle, Washington, USA.

Stover SL. 1985.Silviculture and grazing in the New Forest: rival land uses over nine centuries. Journal of Forest History. 29, 32–42

Treves AK, Karanth U. 2003. Human-carnivore conflict and perspectives on carnivore management worldwide. Conservation Biology 17, 1491–1499

Voeten MJ, Prins HHT. 1999. Resource partitioning between sympatric wild and domestic herbivores in the Tarangire region of Tanzania. Oecologia 120, 287–294.

Wang G, Hobbs NT, Boone STRB, llius AW, Gordon LJ, Gross JE. 2009. Density dependence in northern ungulates: interactions with predation and resources. Population Ecology 51, 123–132.

Wang SW, Macdonald DW. 2006. Livestock predation by carnivores in JigmeSingyeWangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Biological Conservation 129, 558–56.

Wemmer, C. and M. Sunquist. 1988. Felid reintroductions: economic and energetic considerations. In H. Freeman, ed. Proceedings of the Fifth International Snow Leopard Symposium. International Snow Leopard Trust and Wildlife Institute of India, pp. 193-205.

Wegge P, Shrestha R, Flagstad O. 2012. Snow leopard Pantherauncia predation on livestock and wild prey in a mountain valley in northern Nepal: implications for conservation management. Wildlife Biology 18, 131-141.

Wegge P. 1988. Assessment of Khunjerab National Park and environs, Pakistan. As: Agricultural University of Norway, Report to IUCN, Gland. P. 1-25.

Western D. 1997.In the dust of Kilimanjaro. Islands Press, Washington, D.C.

Zhou S, Dai J, Lu Z, Meng Y, Liu X. 2010. Pastoralism in China’s Xinjiang Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture.Pastoralism and rangeland management in mountain areas in the context of climate and global change; Regional workshop in Khorog and Kashgar, 14-21 July 2010Kreutzmann, H. (ed.) Abdulalishoev, K. (ed.) Lu Zhaohui (ed.) Richter, J. (ed.) (English) /   Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit, Feldafing (Germany), pages 214.

Submit Manuscript