Assessment of effective conservation of the Sichuan takin by giant panda reserves through functional zoning

A review of research advances and perspectives on the habitat ecology of Sichuan and golden takins: 2001 to 2022

The Sichuan takin (Budorcas tibetanus) and the golden takin (Budorcas bedfordi) are endemic to China. Studies of their habitat ecology have attracted attention, but dedicated reviews of the topic have not been published. To fill this gap, research advances on the habitat ecology of these takin species were reviewed based on published journal papers from 2001-2022, covering habitat selection and use, as well as habitat assessment and protection. Habitat selection and use by the takins received the most frequent reports in a few protected areas, such as the Tangjiahe Nature Reserve in Sichuan and the Foping Nature Reserve in Shaanxi. Higher herb cover characterized some of the Sichuan takin habitats, while some of the golden takin population exhibited seasonal altitude migration. The focus on habitat assessment and protection differed between the two species. Studying the habitat of the Sichuan takin involves the relationship between its habitat and the protected areas and habitat status in various ranges while studying the habitat of the golden takin involves habitat distribution and change, protection effects, and corridor planning. Some issues worthy of consideration in future research are proposed, including basic habitat information, impacts of human disturbances, habitat restoration, and theoretical, independent, and comprehensive studies on both takins. Habitat conservation frameworks should be formulated for both takins to improve protection and restoration effects. This review provides convenient information to help understand the habitat characteristics of the two takins and is a reference for future research.

Research on the Changes in Distribution and Habitat Suitability of the Chinese Red Panda Population

The study of the dynamics of species habitat is of great significance for maintaining or adjusting the current habitat protection management strategy. However, the current research on the Chinese red panda's habitat is limited to the analysis of a single period, which makes it difficult to quantify the changes in its habitat on a temporal scale and greatly hinders the formulation of the overall protection and management strategies that are to be used for the Chinese red panda. This study simulated habitat suitability at different temporal scales to quantify the trend of changes in habitat quality and analyzed the reasons for the changes in habitat suitability in certain regions. The results showed that the overall suitability of the Chinese red panda's habitat increased and that the area of suitable habitats expanded. Suitable Chinese red panda habitats in the mountains of Qionglai (1662.73 km2), Daxiangling (230.30 km2), Xiaoxiangling (549.47 km2), and Liangshan (50.39 km2) increased by a total of 2452.89 km2. The suitability of habitats in the central part of the Liangshan Mountains has declined significantly, which is positively correlated with changes in temperature seasonality (BIO4, R = 0.18) and negatively correlated with changes in annual average temperature (BIO1, R = -0.03) as well as changes in the proportion of farmland (FARMLAND, R = -0.14). The local extinction of isolated populations of Chinese red pandas in the Minshan Mountains is the main factor leading to their distribution retreat rather than a decrease in habitat quality. The research results help us to provide a scientific basis for the formulation of conservation and management strategies for Chinese red pandas at different scales.

Selection of Flagship Species and Their Use as Umbrellas in Bird Conservation: A Case Study in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China

The concept of flagship species is widely used in conservation biology. Flagship birds play a key role in raising conservation funds, increasing awareness of biodiversity conservation, and maintaining ecosystem services. This study selected flagship bird species in Lishui, Zhejiang Province, China, and assessed their conservation effectiveness and ability to serve as umbrella species. A regional bird survey program from 2019-2022 recorded 361 bird species in Lishui. This study constructed a framework of flagship species selection based on social, ecological, economic, and cultural criteria. The analytic hierarchy process-entropy weight method (AHP-EM) was used to rank the score of 361 bird species, and the MaxEnt model was used to analyze the suitable distribution areas of these species. Finally, 10 species, which covered the distribution sites of all 361 bird species, were selected as the flagship species of Lishui. The distribution areas covered all the nature reserves and the priority areas of biodiversity of Lishui, in which these 10 species can also serve as umbrella species to protect local biodiversity. The methodology and ideas in this study could provide insights into the application of conservation concepts at the local level, as well as suggest possible recommendations for local governments to select flagship species for conservation.

Environmental drivers of sympatric mammalian species compositional turnover in giant panda nature reserves: Implications for conservation

The charismatic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is an iconic species of wildlife conservation worldwide. As the most effective measure to protect giant pandas and their habitats, China has established 67 giant panda nature reserves (GPNR) during the last five decades, which also bring benefits to many sympatric medium- and large-bodied mammals (MLM). To better inform the planning of the GPNR network with the view of preserving regional MLM diversity, we investigated the zeta diversity (a novel index to measure species compositional turnover considering the contributions of both rare and common species) patterns (i.e. zeta decline and retention rate curve) of MLMs across 40 GPNRs. The effects of species' body mass and conservation status on the zeta diversity patterns were tested. Further, we applied the multi-site generalized dissimilarity modelling (MS-GDM) framework to explore the impacts of environmental and geographic distances on MLM turnover. The results indicated that there are a core set of 17 MLM species sympatric with the giant panda in the GPNRs. Species' body mass can affect the patterns of zeta decline and retention rate curves, and the number of large-bodied species shared by multiple GPNRs is higher than that of medium-bodied species across zeta orders. The MS-GDM revealed the important roles of difference in habitat heterogeneity and spatial distance between GPNRs in driving MLM turnover. Consequently, we advocate maintaining and increasing the diversity of (natural) habitats in GPNRs to protect giant panda's sympatric MLM diversity. The government should consider optimizing the GPNR network (e.g. incorporating multiple small GPNRs into one single large reserve) to capture the most turnover of MLMs, and the newly-established Giant Panda National Park is relevant to fulfilling this long-term goal.

Integrating Livestock Grazing and Sympatric Takin to Evaluate the Habitat Suitability of Giant Panda in the Wanglang Nature Reserve

Simple Summary

Giant pandas are facing the threat of habitat degradation. Both grazing livestock and sympatric animals have certain impacts on the giant panda habitat. This study evaluated the habitat suitability of giant panda in Wanglang Nature Reserve by simultaneously investigating livestock grazing and sympatric takin. Results for the giant panda habitat in Wanglang are not optimistic, and the extensive overlap of suitable habitats for livestock, takin and panda makes the situation worse.

Abstract

Habitat suitability provides essential information for the management of protected species. However, studies that jointly consider the impacts of human disturbance and sympatric animals in habitat suitability assessments of giant panda are limited, which may overestimate the habitat status. To address this issue, we evaluated the habitat suitability of giant panda in Wanglang Nature Reserve by simultaneously investigating livestock grazing and sympatric takin via MAXENT, a new attempt at the assessment of the habitat suitability of giant panda. We focused on describing the habitat suitability of giant panda and determining the habitat overlap between livestock, takin, and panda to evaluate the impacts of livestock grazing and sympatric takin on the suitable giant panda habitat. Results revealed that only 16.33% of the area in Wanglang was suitable giant panda habitat, of which 67.66% was shared by livestock, and 97.99% of the remaining suitable panda habitat not shared by livestock was revealed to be shared by takin. The results indicate an unfavorable habitat status of giant panda in Wanglang, with the potential extensive habitat overlap between livestock, takin and panda exerting further pressure. Thus, to effectively protect giant pandas and their habitats, grazing activity should be controlled. Furthermore, to accurately protect sympatric animals, the monitoring of panda and takin activities in the overlapping areas must be maintained.