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In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal

There is a growing agreement that conservation needs to be proactive and pay increased attention to common species and to the threats they face. The blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) plays a key ecological role in sensitive high‐altitude ecosystems of Central Asia and is among the main prey species for t...

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Autores principales: Filla, Marc, Lama, Rinzin Phunjok, Ghale, Tashi Rapte, Signer, Johannes, Filla, Tim, Aryal, Raja Ram, Heurich, Marco, Waltert, Matthias, Balkenhol, Niko, Khorozyan, Igor
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2020
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7790628/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33437417
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6959
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author Filla, Marc
Lama, Rinzin Phunjok
Ghale, Tashi Rapte
Signer, Johannes
Filla, Tim
Aryal, Raja Ram
Heurich, Marco
Waltert, Matthias
Balkenhol, Niko
Khorozyan, Igor
author_facet Filla, Marc
Lama, Rinzin Phunjok
Ghale, Tashi Rapte
Signer, Johannes
Filla, Tim
Aryal, Raja Ram
Heurich, Marco
Waltert, Matthias
Balkenhol, Niko
Khorozyan, Igor
author_sort Filla, Marc
collection PubMed
description There is a growing agreement that conservation needs to be proactive and pay increased attention to common species and to the threats they face. The blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) plays a key ecological role in sensitive high‐altitude ecosystems of Central Asia and is among the main prey species for the globally vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia). As the blue sheep has been increasingly exposed to human pressures, it is vital to estimate its population dynamics, protect the key populations, identify important habitats, and secure a balance between conservation and local livelihoods. We conducted a study in Manang, Annapurna Conservation Area (Nepal), to survey blue sheep on 60 transects in spring (127.9 km) and 61 transects in autumn (134.7 km) of 2019, estimate their minimum densities from total counts, compare these densities with previous estimates, and assess blue sheep habitat selection by the application of generalized additive models (GAMs). Total counts yielded minimum density estimates of 6.0–7.7 and 6.9–7.8 individuals/km(2) in spring and autumn, respectively, which are relatively high compared to other areas. Elevation and, to a lesser extent, land cover indicated by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) strongly affected habitat selection by blue sheep, whereas the effects of anthropogenic variables were insignificant. Animals were found mainly in habitats associated with grasslands and shrublands at elevations between 4,200 and 4,700 m. We show that the blue sheep population size in Manang has been largely maintained over the past three decades, indicating the success of the integrated conservation and development efforts in this area. Considering a strong dependence of snow leopards on blue sheep, these findings give hope for the long‐term conservation of this big cat in Manang. We suggest that long‐term population monitoring and a better understanding of blue sheep–livestock interactions are crucial to maintain healthy populations of blue sheep and, as a consequence, of snow leopards.
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spelling pubmed-77906282021-01-11 In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal Filla, Marc Lama, Rinzin Phunjok Ghale, Tashi Rapte Signer, Johannes Filla, Tim Aryal, Raja Ram Heurich, Marco Waltert, Matthias Balkenhol, Niko Khorozyan, Igor Ecol Evol Original Research There is a growing agreement that conservation needs to be proactive and pay increased attention to common species and to the threats they face. The blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) plays a key ecological role in sensitive high‐altitude ecosystems of Central Asia and is among the main prey species for the globally vulnerable snow leopard (Panthera uncia). As the blue sheep has been increasingly exposed to human pressures, it is vital to estimate its population dynamics, protect the key populations, identify important habitats, and secure a balance between conservation and local livelihoods. We conducted a study in Manang, Annapurna Conservation Area (Nepal), to survey blue sheep on 60 transects in spring (127.9 km) and 61 transects in autumn (134.7 km) of 2019, estimate their minimum densities from total counts, compare these densities with previous estimates, and assess blue sheep habitat selection by the application of generalized additive models (GAMs). Total counts yielded minimum density estimates of 6.0–7.7 and 6.9–7.8 individuals/km(2) in spring and autumn, respectively, which are relatively high compared to other areas. Elevation and, to a lesser extent, land cover indicated by the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) strongly affected habitat selection by blue sheep, whereas the effects of anthropogenic variables were insignificant. Animals were found mainly in habitats associated with grasslands and shrublands at elevations between 4,200 and 4,700 m. We show that the blue sheep population size in Manang has been largely maintained over the past three decades, indicating the success of the integrated conservation and development efforts in this area. Considering a strong dependence of snow leopards on blue sheep, these findings give hope for the long‐term conservation of this big cat in Manang. We suggest that long‐term population monitoring and a better understanding of blue sheep–livestock interactions are crucial to maintain healthy populations of blue sheep and, as a consequence, of snow leopards. John Wiley and Sons Inc. 2020-11-23 /pmc/articles/PMC7790628/ /pubmed/33437417 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6959 Text en © 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Research
Filla, Marc
Lama, Rinzin Phunjok
Ghale, Tashi Rapte
Signer, Johannes
Filla, Tim
Aryal, Raja Ram
Heurich, Marco
Waltert, Matthias
Balkenhol, Niko
Khorozyan, Igor
In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title_full In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title_fullStr In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title_full_unstemmed In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title_short In the shadows of snow leopards and the Himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in Manang, Nepal
title_sort in the shadows of snow leopards and the himalayas: density and habitat selection of blue sheep in manang, nepal
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7790628/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33437417
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6959
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