Theses and Dissertations
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Item Determinants of occurrence of snow leopard and its prey species in the Indian Greater and Trans Himalaya.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Ghoshal, Abhishek; Pandav, Bivash; Bhatanagar, Yash veerUnderstanding patterns of species occurrences and how their distribution and abundance are affected by abiotic and biotic factors have been a major theme of ecological research. The range and changes in the distribution of a species are important parameters to assess conservation status. Robust assessment of factors affecting species distribution and abundance contribute to the identification of conservation issues, appropriate scale(s) for species conservation and key stakeholders. This study is attempted to understand how distribution and abundance of a large-ranging and difficult-to-sample carnivore and its primary wild-prey species are affected by topographic, vegetation and land-use variables, at wide and fine spatial scales. Study is focused on the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the elusive, rare and endangered apex predator of the Central and South Asian mountain systems, and its main prey, blue sheep or bharal (Pseudois nayaur) and Asiatic ibex (Capra sibirica) for the work. I have utilized tools from quantitative ecology and social sciences through the thesis.Item Occupancy and abundance of tigers and their prey in Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Karki, Jhamak Badur; Jhala, Y.V.; Pandav, BivashThe occupancy, distribution and tiger density are important information for management and conservation policy formulation. Realizing this need, this study was undertaken. The major wild prey species of tiger are spotted deer (Axis axis), wild pig (Sus scrofa), sambar (Rucervus unicolor), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelli duvaucelli), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), hog deer (Heylaphus porcinus) and gaur (Bos gaurus) in Nepal. To evaluate the occupancy of tiger in Nepal's Terai Arc landscape (TAL), sign survey was conducted in 96 grids (area 225 Km2 ) in 14 districts, including PAs. To assess correlation of the tiger occupancy with the availability of wild prey, and the human disturbance with the habitat use by the tiger, the sign of human disturbances (fire, timber cut, fuel wood collection, sign of poaching) and prey presence were recorded during the winter season. To estimate the density of tigers wild prey in PAs of Nepal's TAL, distance sampling was conducted along the predefined line transects during the summer seasonItem Understanding aspects of demography and resource partitioning mechanisms of large felids among with abundance and spatial distribution of prey in Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Rathore, Harshvardhan Singh; Pandav, Bivash; Jhala, Y.V.This study investigates the crucial aspect of coexistence for large predators like tigers and leopards sharing the same landscape and delves into the population dynamics of these animals by identifying the mechanisms of resource partitioning. By acting as a window into the inner workings of the ecosystem, the study reveals how tiger and leopard populations function alongside each other. Identifying the factors that influence their ability to share the resources successfully is vital for developing more effective conservation strategies. This knowledge ultimately contributes to ensuring the long-term survival of both tigers and leopards in this landscape. A precise assessment of several demographic parameters is necessary to make informed management decisions for their conservation within this unique habitat. These parameters include population density, sex structure, recruitment, and survival rates. With this background, the study comes with the following objectives. (1) To assess the abundance and spatial distribution of prey in STR.(2) To assess the various demographic parameters of large felids (tiger and leopard) in STR. (3) To determine the mechanisms of resource partitioning of the tiger and the leopard in STR. Similipal Tiger Reserve is located in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, between86˚06' and 86˚36' East longitude and 21˚31' and 22˚02' North latitude. The study was carried out over three years (2019–2021) across eight ranges in the core area of STR: Chahala, Nawana North, Nawana South, and Pithabata South Wildlife in the northern core, and UBK, Jenabil, Bhanjabasa, and National Park in the southern core.Item Abundance and social organization of male Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Rajaji Tiger Reserve(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Madhusudanan, Abhimanyu; Pandav, Bivash; Lakshminarayan, N.; Mondol, Samrat1. Asian Elephants are complex, social, and polygynous mammals living in fission-fusion societies. Male elephants are known to alternate between leading solitary lives, in all-male groups or associating with mixed-sex herds. All-male groups allow younger males to learn from older males, test strengths and spar with their peers. While much work has been done on female Asian elephant societies, studies focused on male association patterns are limited, but gaining importance in the light of human-elephant conflicts. In this study, I estimated the abundance of adult male elephants in a stretch of forest spanning over 40 km along the east bank of the river Ganga in Uttarakhand using a polygon search-based spatially explicit capture recapture (SECR) framework 2. I invested a survey effort of ~3014 km to estimate the abundance of the adult male segment of the population using a capture-recapture framework. Using a combination of morphological features, I identified 34 adult males from 124 elephant sightings. Association patterns of the male elephants, following behavioural sampling approaches were also recorded during the surveys. 3. Adult male elephant density was 0.05 (SE=0.01)/km2, and a derived abundance of 40 (SE=1.4) for the 475 km2 study area. This demonstrates that polygon search-based SECR is an effective approach in estimating elephant abundance.Item Proximate Determinants of Ungulate Distribution and Abundance in Pilibhit Forest Division, Utter Pradesh, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Bista, Ashish; Ramesh, K.; Pandav, BivashThis study was conducted in Pilibhit Forest Division, Uttar Pradesh from December 2010-April 2011 to quantify the current status of ungulates, as a measure of tiger conservation efforts. The study focused on understanding the distribution and population size of ungulates in PiIibhit, and assessed the contribution of these species in tiger's diet. The study also looked into species-habitat association, at the level of proportion of habitat availability and grassland over space. Sampling framework followed Stratified Random Design, with spatially balanced approach. Estimates of distribution and population density were obtained following Single Season Occupancy Model and Distance sampling method. A total of 41 grids (5.20 sq km each) were sampled following the above framework. These grids were sampled based on 41 line transects ranging from 1 to 3 km long, which accounted for 288 km sampling efforts, including 3-5 temporal replicates for each transects. This study was carried out in four ranges (Mahof, Mala, Barahi & Haripur) of Pilibhit Forest Division with spatial coverage of ca. 420 sq km. Occupancy pattern of ungulates were in the order of chital (100%), hogdeer (17%), wild pig (93%), nilgai (81 %), swamp deer (11 %) and sambar (3%). Global density estimate of ungulates for Pilibhit Forest Division was 40.5 animals/sq km. The most abundant ungulate was chital (22.4/sq km), followed by nilgai (12/sq km) and hog deer (7.2/sq km). It was found that there were higher densities in edge habitats and that there was a particular association for grassland, signifying the importance grassland patches in the ungulate densities in terai habitats. Scat analysis (n= 24) revealed that hogdeer and wildpig, though occur in low densities, appeared to be the preferred prey, while chital contributed in tigers diet substantially in proportion to availability in the area. With given prey availability, forests of Pilibhit has the potential to support tiger population of 8.1 animal 100 sq km. The study highlights the significance of managed forests in terms of supporting considerable population of ungulates relevant for tiger conservation efforts. The study also supports the previous claim that grasslands support higher abundance of ungulate prey, and that in the absence of large sized prey, tiger switches to medium sized prey. The available information generated for the first time in Pilibhit Forest Division at large spatial scale provides a useful baseline for managers.