Prioritizing areas for conservation action in Kawthoolei, Myanmar using species distribution models

First camera-trap evidence of banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus (Mammalia: Carnivora: Viverridae) in Myanmar

Banded civet Hemigalus derbyanus is a Near Threatened small carnivore species distributed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, peninsular Thailand, and Myanmar. However, the status of banded civet in Myanmar is uncertain, as it has not been recorded there since 1914. Here, we report the first photographic evidence of banded civet in Htaung Pru Reserved Forest of Tanintharyi Region, which is located in the far northwest from the known historical location in Myanmar, and contributes to our knowledge of the current distribution of banded civet in Southeast Asia. Protection and conservation of lowland rainforest by using community-based conservation approaches is critically important for the persistence of this species in this particular area.

Impact of Government Stability and Investment Profile on Forest Area: The Role of Natural Protected Areas

Forest area plays a fundamental role in air and water quality and directly impacts agricultural productivity. This research aims to examine the impact of government stability and investment profiles on forest cover in countries within the ASEAN region. Specifically, the research includes Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the research development, we examine the role which protected natural areas play in the conservation of forests. We employ second-generation cointegration methods of cross-section dependence and slope heterogeneity. The results suggest that forest cover has been significantly reduced in this region, while government stability and the investment profile have a volatile behavior. The second-generation cointegration test results suggest there is no long-term relationship between the three series. Likewise, the short- and long-term elasticities highlight the importance of environmental protection policies to conserve forests.

A rangewide distribution model for the Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul): identifying potential new survey regions for an understudied small cat

Knowledge about the current distribution of threatened and/or understudied species is a fundamental component of conservation biology. Mapping species distributions based on recent known occurrences is particularly important for those that are rare or declining. Too often, cryptic species go undetected throughout parts of their range, whereas others just receive less research attention. We used contemporary presence data for the Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul), a small cryptic felid, to characterize potential rangewide and regional habitat for the species and identify those abiotic and biotic variables most influencing its distribution. Several regions lacking contemporary occurrence records contain potential habitat for Pallas’s cats, including the Koh-i-Baba Mountains of Afghanistan, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, steppes of Inner Mongolia, Kunlun Mountains of China, and Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and China. Some of these areas have not been included in prior rangewide distribution assessments. The distribution of pikas (Ochotona spp.), small mammals that likely represent a critical prey species everywhere they are sympatric, was the most important factor affecting the Pallas’s cat’s distribution. This suggests Pallas’s cats may be prey specialists, and that pika presence and habitat are critical considerations for future Pallas’s cat surveys and in the development of regional conservation actions.