Theses and Dissertations

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Anthropogenic disturbance

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    Assessing Habitat Use and Activity Pattern of Hoolock Gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) in the Mosaic Landscape of Garo Hills
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Passah, Betwonsaoo; Lyngdoh, Salvador; Kumara, H.N.
    Primates react to environmental disruption in a variety of ways. Their home range and activity pattern are often linked with anthropogenic disturbance of the landscape. This study focuses on Hoolock Gibbons (Hoolock hoolock) in Garo Hills, Meghalaya, which is a highly arboreal primate and the only ape in India. Hoolock gibbon’s habitat in the Garo hills is being degraded due to the increase in the conversion of forest land into plantations. As most of these forests where the gibbons are located are managed by the community, these forests face overexploitation, which threatens the endangered Hoolock Gibbons habitat. This study aims to establish a baseline Hoolock Gibbon Ecology in the community-managed forest and protected area in the mosaic landscape of Garo Hills, Meghalaya, by examining their habitat use and activity pattern. The main objective is to determine the Gibbon's habitat use within its home range and examine their activity patterns in different forest types. The study is conducted in Daribokgre CR (a continuous forest patch adjoining Nokrek National Park), Dura Kalakgre CR (a small strip of CR which is surrounded by abandoned jhum and active jhum), and an Areca nut plantation which is located in Rensengre close to Selbalgre CR. In each area, one group is chosen and tracked for 20 days. Geo-coordinates and behavioural data were collected, with vegetation sampling and disturbances within a 1 ha cell size grid, which was overlaid on the location points. QGIS was used to map habitat use based on the geospatial data, and the Generalised Linear Model (GLM) was used to check the influencing factors. The activity budget was calculated to understand the behaviour patterns. Across the three studied groups, the habitat types were different group in Daribokgre (Forest group) is dominated by forest patches, the group in Dura Kalkgre (Jhum group) was dominated by abandoned jhum, and the group in Rensengre (Plantation group) was dominated by plantation, and their home range size were 24 hectares, 30 hectares, and 23 hectares, respectively. GLM reveals a significant effect only for the group in the disturbed habitat on the intensity of use. Overall, habitat use patterns and activity patterns varied across the groups, reflecting in behavioural and habitat preference.
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    Proximate drivers of human-tiger interface and conflict in Sariska and Panna Tiger Reserves, India.
    (wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Malviya, Majari; Ramesh, K.; Sankar, K.
    Human-wildlife conflict poses the most complex challenge to achieving ‘coexistence’. It has resulted in the decline of many species globally. Tigers are one of the three most conflict-prone large-bodied felids in the world. In some of its range states, about 50% of tiger deaths have reportedly occurred due to retaliatory killing by humans in response to domestic cattle depredation. Because of the implications of human-tiger conflict (HTC) on the persistence of tiger especially in human-dominated landscapes, management of HTC is of great conservation importance. However, efficient management steps can only be taken when the reasons for conflict are exposed. For this purpose, we need to identify and understand the factors operating in a conflict that determines its occurrence in a certain place and certain time i.e., the drivers of HTC. This study thus introduces an analytical framework, the conflict determinant model, to study human-carnivore conflict aimed at identifying various socio-ecological factors linked with conflict and model these factors to understand the mechanism and dynamics of HTC in the two study sites, viz. Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), Rajasthan and Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), Madhya Pradesh, India, with the goal to help design effective mitigation measures. To identify ecological drivers of HTC, data was collected on key habitat parameters for tigers i.e., prey, cover, water, and anthropogenic disturbance using line transect, circular plots, camera traps, and GIS. Additionally, to identify biological drivers, data on biological parameters of the tigers involved in conflict, viz. ID, sex, age, home range, and physiological stress were also collected
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    Impact of land use changes on the habitat, bahaviour and breeding biology of Indian Sarus Crane (Grus antigone antigone) in the semi-arid tract of Rajasthan, India.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2007) Kaur, Jatinder; Choudhury, B.C.
    The Sarus Crane has been recorded all over the northern India and central region of the Indian sub-continent historically. However, this once abundant tallest flying bird species has now become threatened. The present study was undertaken during the year 2000-2002 to i) to determine the habitat use, breeding biology and behavioural ecology of the Sarus Crane in the semi-arid tract of Kota, and Bharatpur in Rajasthan, and ii) to determine the changes in land-use and its impact on Sarus Crane in the semi-arid landscape and to suggest the conservation strategies for the long-term survival of Sarus Crane. The study was conducted in the semi arid tract of Kota, and Bharatpur districts of Rajasthan. District Kota, the first intensive site falls under arid Zone V (the humid south-eastern humid plain zone,) where the development of canal irrigation has made this area rich in agricultural production. The population of Sarus Crane in Kota are dependent mainly on the canal system induced and other natural wetlands. Data on distribution and habitat utilization of Sarus Crane in Kota and in Keoladeo Ghana National Park were carried out
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    Assessing the effect of anthropogenic disturbance on epiphytes in Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Nongrang, Tiewlyngksiar Lyngdoh; Kumar, Amit
    The key findings emerged from this study include- A total of 66 epiphytes comprising 32 species of orchids, 09 species of ferns, and 25 species of hemi-epiphytes & holo-epiphytes were recorded from the study area. Orchids had the highest species richness followed by ferns and hemi-epiphytes & holoepiphytes. Among orchids, species of Bulbophyllum, Pholidota and and a were dominant. The dominant species among ferns included Lepisorus sp., Davallodes hymenophylloides and Pyrrosia flocculosa whereas, among hemi-epiphytes and holo-epiphytes, the dominant species were Piper longum, Pothos chinensis, Rhaphidophora decursiva, Scurrula parasitica and Ficus sp. The abundance of epiphytes was observed highest in the Private Forest followed by the Village Forest and Reserve Forest. Species richness, using sampled-based Rarefaction curves of epiphytes showed that the curve is not reaching an asymptote and observed species were highest in the Village Forest followed by Reserve Forest and Private Forest. The most abundant groups of epiphytes in Private Forest were hemiepiphytes mainly dominating on the lower trunk. In the village forest, orchids were found occupying the inner canopy. In Reserve Forest, ferns were in abundance and occupied the upper trunk. Species correlation shows no difference in species composition. Environmental variables are factors that can explain the difference in species richness and abundance of epiphytes.