Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.168.202.180:4000/handle/123456789/1
Browse
20 results
Search Results
Item Tigers in a multi-use forest: Prey, diet and conflict(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Chauhan, Aayush; Pandav, Bivash; Habib, BilalThis study provides a comprehensive assessment of tiger prey, dietary dynamics, and human-wildlife interactions in the Ramnagar Forest Division, a critical area outside protected areas in the Western Terai Arc. Despite a notable increase in tiger numbers—from 39 adults in 2015 to 67 in 2022—density surface modeling revealed persistently low populations of key wild prey species such as chital and sambar, primarily due to habitat degradation from historical timber-focused management. Diet analysis of genetically confirmed tiger scats demonstrated a strong reliance on large-bodied prey, with sambar and livestock comprising a significant portion of tiger biomass intake, reflecting both prey scarcity and ecological stress. The detection of plastic in both sambar and tiger digestive tracts further highlights the emerging threat of environmental pollution in multi-use forests. Human-tiger conflict remains acute, with 353 livestock depredation events and 28 attacks on people recorded over recent years, concentrated near settlements where prey and livestock overlap are highest. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrated conservation strategies that prioritize habitat restoration—such as grassland recovery—community-based conflict mitigation, improved waste management, and a shift in forest policy from timber production to biodiversity and coexistence. Only through such landscape-level, participatory approaches can the long-term viability of tigers and their prey be secured in shared, human-dominated areas like Ramnagar.Item Aspects and determinants of human-carnivore conflict in tiger corridors of Terai, Western Circle, Uttarakhand(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Ranjan, Vivek; Badola, Ruchi; Dhakate, Parag MadhukarHuman-wildlife interaction with negative consequences, commonly termed Human- Wildlife Conflict (HWC), is a global conservation challenge. Understanding the cause-effect relationship resulting in HWC is essential to resolve and mitigate the conflict and promote human-wildlife coexistence. However, the increasing human population and rapidly changing demography severely affect the contiguity of forested landscapes and habitats, becoming a major challenge for conserving wide-ranging large mammals. The conservation and protection of wildlife corridors are vital for the survival of wide-ranging large mammals in the landscape. The Terai landscape, located in the foothills of the Himalayas and proximate plains of the Indian Himalayan Region, is one of the most significant and distinct transboundary landscapes worldwide. In recent decades, the Terai region has recorded a rapid increase in human population and industry growth due to its conducive topography for industrial development in the hilly state of Uttarakhand. The region is also home to diverse wildlife, and increased conservation efforts and protection have yielded positive results, with an increased population of endangered wildlife species like tigers in the last few years. With increasing population and shrinking wildlife habitat, human and wildlife's peaceful and sustainable coexistence is distressed, leading to an increased probability of negative human wildlife interaction. The study aims to assess the aspects and determinants of Human-Large Carnivore Conflict (HLCC) in the wildlife corridors and their adjoining habitats in the eastern terai landscape of Uttarakhand state of India. The large carnivores considered for the purpose of this study are tiger and leopard only, which are common in the landscape of the study area. The study has three objectives: to assess the nature and extent of human-wildlife conflict due to large carnivores, the habitat structure and composition of the wildlife corridors and the diet preferences and consumption patterns of large carnivores in the corridor habitat. The thesis has been divided into six chapters, where the first two chapters are a general introduction and literature review, and the following four chapters talk about socio-ecological factors, habitat quality of corridor habitats, implications of habitat changes on HLCC, and diet profile of two sympatric large carnivores of the study area, i.e. tiger and leopard. The study area is part of Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a Tiger Conservation Landscape (TCL_Id-44) of global importance with the potential for increasing the wild tiger population. The study was conducted in the delineated wildlife corridors for large mammals in the terai landscape of Uttarakhand state of India. The study focuses on the critical wildlife corridor in high tiger density and transboundary areas, providing crucial connectivity of habitats and wildlife populations. The study area is divided into two study blocks for the spatial convenience of the study: Block 1 comprises the Kosi Corridor, and Block 2 comprises theKilpura-Khatima-Surai (KKS) and Boom-Brahmadey (BB) corridor and their adjoining forests. Kosi corridor connects Corbett Tiger Reserve to Pawalgarh Conservation Reserve in Ramnagar forest division. The KKS and BB corridors in Block 2 have contiguous and interconnected habitats adjoining Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary in the Haldwani Forest Division of Uttarakhand, connecting to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Sukhlaphanta National Park through forest of Nepal. The study area is rich in faunal diversity and home to a few important large mammals, such as the Tiger, Leopard and the Asian elephant. In order to understand the nature and extent of HLCC in the landscape, it was essential to understand the socio-economic conditions and perceptions of the communities. We conducted random household (HH) semi-structured questionnaire surveys and discussions in the villages located in the corridors. The information on HWC compensation records was also collected from the Uttarakhand Forest department to analyze the patterns of conflict incidences. The results show that livestock grazing, fuelwood, and fodder collection from the forest are common and prevalent practices. About 90% of the households have LPG connections at home, yet most HH members still visit forests for collection. The education level among the respondents is low, with maximum HHs having an annual income of less than one lakh. The major occupation as the primary source of income in the study area is casual labour work, and most of the HHs have land holdings of less than an acre. The incidences of HLCC mainly occurred inside the forest areas and later half of the daytime, i.e., from noon to evening. The season of incidence and condition of the body of the depredated livestock show significant association with the place of incidence. The seasonality pattern of HLCC incidences shows nan incidents during monsoon in study block 1, whereas in block 2, it is in winter. The trend of incidences over the last 13 years in study block 1 shows a peak in tiger and leopard cases during July and August and forecasts an increase in cases over upcoming years. The annual trend of HLCC in the two study blocks is significantly different. The nature of HLCC in the study area is both tangible, which can be visually observed and intangible, which has imbibed effects with direct and indirect impacts. The tangible nature of large carnivore conflict is the direct impacts in the form of human casualty and livestock depredation. The intangible nature of the conflict with indirect impacts are psychological— fear of large carnivores and sense of insecurity, social — loss of livelihood and family security. The aspects of HLCC are socio-ecological, with both the social factors of communities residing around the forest and the ecological processes influencing the HWI. In rapidly transforming human-dominated landscapes, anthropogenic activities and disturbances significantly impact the ecological processes and landscape characteristics. The habitat quality was assessed using the nested quadrat method for vegetation and camera trapping for large carnivore population estimation and prey availability. The camera trapping was done using the capture-recapture method in 2 sq. Km sampling grids. The results show maximum tree diversity in the BB corridor, with good to fair Sal regeneration in all three corridors. However, most of the tree species show poor to no regeneration. Sixty-one species of trees were recorded from the three corridor areas sampled. As an invasive plant species, Lantana camara is more prevalent and extensive in study block 1 and Ageratina adenophara in block 2. The grassland habitat is shrinking, and less in all three corridor habitats.Anthropogenic disturbance is high in block 2 in comparison to block 1, while tree cutting and lopping are the most prevalent anthropogenic disturbance signs observed in all three corridors at equivalent levels. The medium-sized prey is the most abundant prey base in both the study blocks, with maximum relative abundance of Spotted deer. However, the relative abundance of Sambar deer is higher in the bhabar topography area of corridors and maximum in large sized prey. The study block | has 16 adult tigers and 22 leopards, while block 2 has 31 adult tigers and 40 leopards. The wildlife habitats of the three corridor areas studied have good tree diversity and complexity. However, the regeneration of tree species is poor for most species. The shrub and herb cover are also low for most areas in all three corridors, affecting the lower structure of forest habitats. The extensive growth of weed species like Lantana camara and Ageratina adenophora also affects understory species' composition, structure, and tree regeneration. The poor regeneration and deteriorated lower strata vegetation with sparse undergrowth are unfavourable conditions for breeding large carnivores, which requires dense patches for hiding their offspring. The lack of such patches and high human disturbance forces them out of the forest to use sugarcane farm fields to raise and hide their young ones, as has been observed in many instances in the Terai-Bhabar landscape. Using human-modified landscapes by large carnivores for their life cycle stages is unsuitable for human-wildlife coexistence and increases the vulnerability of negative HWI. ASS Bind Expert in CC EE TTT The implications of habitat transformations on HLCC were assessed by identifying spatial conflict hotspots based on compensation records of the last 14 years and the magnitude of incidents related to large carnivores in different locations. The Land Use Land Cover (LULC) and Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) change over twenty years were assessed. The Nighttime Light (NTL), an indicator of human growth and activity centres, was also assessed for a decadal change. The impact of changes in these habitat attributes on hotspots was assessed using the Generalized Linear Model. The model shows that the impact of vegetation health change and human activity or disturbances have a significant effect on conflict hotspots. The very high-risk zones are also located in the delineated corridors near bottleneck areas. The study has highlighted that the implications of habitat changes are significant for HLCC. The implications of habitat changes vary with the landscape and regional attributes, as observed in our study at two sites with varied underlying factors other than habitats. In the present conservation paradigm of large carnivores, it is essential to understand the feeding habits and prey-predator dynamics outside protected areas. Our study fills this gap in our understanding of the dietary habits of sympatric large carnivore species outside protected areas (PAs) in the terai landscape of India. It focuses on the feeding ecology of tigers and leopards in wildlife corridor habitats outside PAs. Our results show a significant dependence of tigers and leopards on medium-sized prey, i.e., Wild boars and spotted deer. It also shows a 93% overlap between tiger and leopard diets in the study area. However, it is crucial to augment wild prey availability in the wildlife corridor habitats, where grazing pressure is high. The problem of stray cattle has further escalated the issue of livestock depredation by large carnivores. Conservation strategists must consider the feeding habits of the predators and how these are changing due to the induced effects of anthropogenic activities.Item Tiger and leopard: Population ecology and resource portioning of sympatric carnivores in Kanha Tiger Reserve. M.P.(wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Kumar, Ujjwal; Jhala, Y.V.; Qureshi, QamarLarge investment in the form of protected areas, human resettlement, law enforcement-patrols and habitat management are made to conserve tigers and reap their benevolent umbrella role to secure India’s biodiversity. The objectives of present study are (i) the trend of tiger and leopard population (ii) demography of tigers and leopards and mechanism of their co existence. The study area was Kanha tiger reserve (area 2074 km2), a major stronghold for both species in central Indian landscape. Study investigate the estimated vital parameters of tiger demography through robust design based classical open population models in which population was open to demographic process. This study used both camera trap based mark-recapture and continuous monitoring known fate information to estimate reproductive parameters along with age specific survival and dispersal probability of tigers.Item Movement and space use pattern of Tigers in the Eastern Vidarbha landscape, Maharashtra, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Hussain, Zehidul; Habib, BilalMovement is a crucial ecological process that influences the survival, population dynamics, and evolution of animals. Animal movement patterns are diverse and are influenced by life stages, sex, age, and habitat requirements. The relationship between animal movement and conservation is complex, particularly due to human-induced environmental changes This study emphasises that various factors influence animal movement, including individual characteristics and external factors such as resource availability, distribution, competition, and predation. Animals adjust their space use based on seasonal changes in resource availability. Additionally, movement patterns and space use can be influenced by habitat disruption, forcing individuals to displace and establish new home ranges. Landscape features play a significant role in animal home ranges, with resource distribution determining the extent of the required area. Fragmentation of habitats and human activities can affect landscape connectivity, leading to isolation, reduced gene flow, and potential genetic bottlenecks or local extinctions. Thus, maintaining habitat connectivity is crucial for long-term survival of highly mobile species. The study highlights the need for comprehensive datasets and technological advancements, such as GPS tracking, to study animal movement and behaviour. It also emphasises the importance of studying dispersal patterns, as dispersed individuals often encounter humandominated landscapes and face increased vulnerability to anthropogenic effects. This study focused on quantifying movement patterns and space use across three life stages: predispersal, dispersal, and post-dispersal phases. The results revealed differences in space use within and outside protected areas, with individuals outside protected areas requiring larger territories. The study also identified seasonal variations in space use and movement patterns, with dispersed tigers exhibiting the highest space use. Land-use composition, landscape configuration, and anthropogenic disturbances influence the use of tiger space. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing tiger movement and space use in a human-dominated landscape. They highlighted the importance of maintaining habitat connectivity, reducing anthropogenic disturbances, and restoring suitable habitats outside protected areas to facilitate dispersal and ensure the long-term survival of tigers.Item Evaluating methods to monitor tiger abundance and its prey in Indian Sunderbans(wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2019) Roy, Manjari; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, QamarThis study conducted to test and evaluate different methods for estimating tiger and its prey population in Sundarban that can be adopted as part of a monitoring programme. For this study techniques were applied for the standard spatially explicit capture-recapture, tailored according to the local conditions to estimate tiger density in Sundarban for three years. Tiger densities were estimated at 4.08 (SE 1.51) in 2010, 5.81 (SE 1.24) in 2012 and 3.15 (SE 0.88) tigers/100 km2 in 2014. The tiger abundance for my camera trapped study area generated through conventional mark-recapture was 11 (SE 2), 24 (SE 3) and 16 (SE 3) tigers for 2010, 2012, 2014 respectively. Ungulates occupy a primary position in the diet of tigers and a monitoring protocol for tiger should inherently include a component of prey base estimation. Boat transect based distance sampling to generate density estimates for four years.Item Meta-population Dynamics of Tiger (Panthera Tigris Tigris) in the Terai-Arc Landscape, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Biswas, Suvankar; Mondol, SamratThis thesis focused to add deeper understanding of populations at a large, contiguous landscape Studying the tiger source-sink population dynamics in relation to current habitat scenarios would be crucial to set the site-specific future management strategies for successful tiger conservation mitigation. In this thesis, a combination of intensive field surveys, non-invasive genetic tools and GIS modelling were used to assess the tiger population connectivity across the TAL. More specifically, genetic diversity, population structure, demographic changes, source and sink populations and the habitat features which help to retain such population dynamics were investigated. Objectives: This thesis has three objecives which have formed three separate chapters. i. Population structure and demographic history of tigers in the Terai-Arc landscape, India. ii. Source-sink dynamics of tigers across different protected and nonprotected habitats in the Terai-Arc landscape, India. iii. Assessment of landscape connectivity of tigers in the Terai-Arc landscape, India.Item An assessment of livelihood dependency and anthropogenic pressures on tiger habitat in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu, India.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2016) Gupta, Santanu; Mishra, B.K.Kalakad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) (8º 20’- 8º 53’ N and 77º10’- 77 º 35’ E) located at the southern end of Western Ghats is famous worldwide for it’s endemic plant diversity, and the reserve is home of endangered animals like lion-tailed macaque (Macaca Silenus), Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), and tiger (Panthera tigris). KMTR experienced high anthropogenic pressure in past from 145 villages situated outside eastern boundary of reserve as well as from enclave settlements. A number of activities aimed at conservation awareness among various stakeholders, off farm alternate employment generation opportunities for forest dependent families, promoting use of alternate fuels and energy saving devices, and biomass regeneration initiatives were taken up under this project. The impact of ecodevelopment in reducing PA resource dependency and consequent reduction of anthropogenic pressure on park was thoroughly analyzed by integrating ecological and socio-economic assessment. This overall assessment of dependency and pressure on KMTR during ecodevelopment could serve as a feedback mechanism to promote better integration of conservation and development in future. Objectives 1. To quantify the change in dependency of local communities upon PA resources. 2. To assess the change in anthropogenic pressures on the PA resources. 3. To examine the drivers of change with respect to dependency and pressures.Item Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores: tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus) and dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu.(2010) Ramesh, T.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, QamarA detailed long-term study on prey selection, food habits and population status of three sympatric large carnivores (tiger, leopard and dhole) was documented during the present study. To supplement the current basic information, the present study was conducted in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu from January 2008 to April 2010. The objectives of the study include estimating density, group size and composition of prey species of sympatric carnivores, to study the food habits and prey selectivity of sympatric carnivores and to estimate the population of the sympatric carnivores. Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores were studied using two methods i.e by evaluating kills and analyzing scat. Data on population estimation of dhole was collected between January 2008 and December 2009. Five vehicle transect routes ranging from 15 to 23 km were monitored to record dhole sightings. Camera-trap and vehicle transect studies have showed that high densities of large carnivores in the study area of the Tiger Reserve.Item Factors affecting habitat occupancy of tiger in the Terai Arc landscape, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Rajapandian, K.; Goyal, S.P.; Qureshi, QamarThe goal of this study, therefore, was to identify the factors affecting the distribution of tiger and assess the distribution of suitable habitat patches and the connectivity between these patches for successful dispersal in the Indian part of TAL. In the present study developed GIS probability models for tiger and its prey species and a spatially explicit individual-based dispersal model (SEIBM) for tiger in order to identify and assess the factors which are affecting the occupancy of tiger and subsequently predict potential suitable habitats and estimate the connectivity between the fragmented subpopulations in the Indian as well as between Indian and Nepal part of TAL. Data were collected on presence/absence of four wild ungulates (sambar Cervus unicolor, chital Axis axis, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, and wild pig Sus scrofa), which are important prey species of tiger in two phases during the period between 2002 and 2006. The results of this study, in addition to contributing to the knowledge on factors affecting suitable habitat distribution and dispersal of tiger, have many implications for conservation of tiger in the Indian part of TAL. This study has also identified critical areas needed for management initiatives for functional unit of tiger conservation in the TAL.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 season