Browsing by Author "Chakrabarti, S."

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Ecology of Asiatic lions in Saurashtra, Gujarat - Final Project report (2011-2016)
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2016) Jhala, Y.V.; Banerjee, K.; Basu, P.; Chakrabarti, S.; Gayen, S.; Gogoi, K.; Basu, A.
Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) is a conservation icon and elucidates a success story of conservation in modern India. With single isolated population and a small founder base, it typifies all the challenges of global carnivore conservation. Lions ranged from Persia to Palamau in eastern India till early 18th century, but were almost driven to extinction by indiscriminate hunting and habitat loss by late 1880‟s. A single relict population of less than 50 lions persisted in the Gir forests of Gujarat by 1890's. With stringent protection offered by the Nawabs of Junagadh and subsequently by the State run Gujarat Forest department, Gir lions have increased to a current population of over 500 accompanied by a subsequent range expansion. Lions were restricted to the Gir forests (1,800 km2) till the early 1980's, but have since dispersed to occupy over 20,000 km2 of human dominated agro-pastoral landscape of Saurashtra. Currently lions occupy the Gir Protected Area (PA), 180 km2 Girnar forests and over 15,000 km2 of coastal scrublands and agro-pastoral landscapes of Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar districts. An in-depth understanding is required on how lions live within and outside the Protected Area. The magnitude and dimensions of conflict with human interests, and gene flow between different widely spaced breeding units in light of current and future development within the Greater Gir landscape. The current study investigates lion ecology with emphasis on space use, resource selection and aspects of human-lion conflicts to assist formulating a viable future lion conservation strategy for the landscape. On submission of first phase‟s findings to the Gujarat Forest Department (GFD) and WII-TRAC through technical reports, an extension for the second phase of this project was procured in 2011 with the aim of assisting the managers to formulate landscape level lion conservation policies based on informed research and robust scientific approaches. During the tenure of this project, WII was mandated by the CWLW, Gujarat state to take up three additional research components – 1) assessment of potential habitat corridor landscape between Gir and Girnar and 2) estimation of leopard (Panthera pardus) abundance in Girnar and 3) ecological and social potential of Barda for reintroduction of Asiatic lions. All these components were successfully addressed and findings were communicated to the GFD as individual reports as well as summarized herein.
Spatial analysis of livestock predation by leopards in the Greater Gir Landscape
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2019) Jhala, Y.V.; Vasavada, D.T.; Gogoi, K.; Chakrabarti, S.
Data on livestock kill by leopard were collected from the districts of Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar, accounting for 711 villages between 2012 to 2016. These data were further translated into English, digitized and spatially mapped in GIS. We obtained remotely sensed as well as spatial covariate layers of forest cover, refuge patches, drainages and nigh-light intensity. We conducted a fixed Kernel analysis of spatially explicit livestock predation events at the village resolution to obtain a consolidate “predation risk map” by leopards of the landscape and used it for subsequent analysis. The tehsils of Talala, Sutrapada, Kodinar, Visavadar, Palitana, Gir Gadhada, Junagadh, Una and Mendarada recorded highest livestock predation by leopards. A temporal increasing trend was observed for number of leopard-predation events as well as in the spatial extent of predations. However, the intensity (number of livestock kills/village/year) of livestock predation did not show any increasing trend, this suggests that though there is an increase in the geographical extent of conflict, the intensity in a given area has remained constant. This could be interpretate as geographical range exapansion of the leopard without increasing its density within occupied areas. Proximity to wildlife habitats, proportion of wildlife area and urbanization enhanced chances of leopard predation. A significant deficit between the market rate and compensated amount for leopard predation was observed with an increasing trend. As a management strategy we recommend a revision of compensation rates to match the market price and an efficient system to pay compensation promptly. Improved husbandary practices and, as well as managing leopard density below social carrying capacity is recommended. This would help maintaining tolerance towards leopards under an increasingly conflict scenario. ii
Spatial analysis of livestock predation by lions in the Greater Gir landscape
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2018) Jhala, Y.V.; Singh, A.P.; Gogoi, Keshab; Chakrabarti, S.; Singh, P.; Nala, R.R.; Kumar, S.; Karuppasamy, T.; Sakkira, B.; Ram, M.; Gandhi
Data on livestock kill by carnivores (lion and leopard) were collected from the districts of Junagadh, Amreli, Gir Somnath and Bhavnagar, accounting for 914 villages between 2012-13 to 2016-17. These data were further translated into English, digitized and spatially mapped in GIS. We obtained remotely sensed as well as spatial covariate layers of forest cover, lion refuge patches, drainages and nigh-light intensity. We conducted a fixed Kernel analysis of spatially explicit livestock predation events at the village resolution to obtain a consolidate “predation risk map” of the landscape on a relative scale and used it for subsequent analysis. The tehsils of Jafrabad, Gir gadhada, Amreli, Dhari, Khambha and Rajula recorded highest livestock predation by lions. A temporal increasing trend was observed for number of lion-predation events as well as in the spatial extent of predations. More importantly the intensity (number of livestock kills/village/year) of livestock predation showed an increasing trend (R2= 0.73, P= 0.06, slope = 15 % (SE 0.05)), this suggests not only an increase in the spatial extent of the conflict but also a substantial increase in the magnitude of conflict within the same spatial extent. A logistic regression, given by: Ln Odds Ratio (occurrence of lion predation) = -0.16 + 0.76 * distance to forest + 0.54* distance to lion habitat; (Wald’s p < 0.05). The increasing trend in the extant and intensity of livestock predation by lion was indicative of an increasing lion population but of concern in maintaining the tolerance of local communities towards lions co-existing with them. A significant deficit between the market rate and compensated amount for lion predation (R² = 0.74, p=0.06) was observed with an increasing trend. As a management strategy we recommend a revision of compensation rates to match the market price and an efficient system to pay compensation promptly. Improved husbandry practices and, as well as managing lion density below social carrying capacity is recommended. This would help maintaining tolerance towards lion under an increasingly conflict scenario.