Understanding habitat use and its drivers for small carnivores in the Nilgiris

Abstract

Small carnivores play a critical ecological role but remain historically understudied, particularly within highly modified landscapes like the Indian subcontinent. This study investigates the habitat use, and structural drivers of the small carnivore assemblage, along with spatial and temporal patterns in the Nilgiris, a high-altitude biodiversity hotspot in the Western Ghats 2. Using a paired camera-trap deployment of 64 stations yielding 2477 trap nights across a 100 km² matrix, spatial ecology was evaluated for focal species groups—Leopard Cat, Mongoose, and Civet—using Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) against PCA-derived environmental gradients representing remoteness and habitat complexity. 3. To overcome low empirical detection rates of the endemic Nilgiri marten (Martes gwatkinsii), semi-structured social surveys (N=110) were conducted to synthesize traditional knowledge and community perceptions among local sakeholders. 4. The fitted models indicated non-linear associations between photographic capture counts and the PCA-derived gradients of remoteness and habitat complexity. Predicted intensity of use was generally higher at intermediate to moderately high values of these gradients. To minimize