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Daberger M, Kuemmerle T, Khaleghi Hamidi A, Khalatbari L, Abolghasemi H, Mirzadeh HR, Ghoddousi A. Prioritizing livestock grazing right buyouts to safeguard Asiatic cheetahs from extinction. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
- Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human‐Environment Systems (IRI THESys) Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Leili Khalatbari
- CIBIO/InBIO, Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources Vairão Portugal
- Mohitban Society Tehran Iran
| | | | | | - Arash Ghoddousi
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
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Using double-observer surveys to monitor urial and ibex populations in the Hindu Kush of Wakhan National Park, Afghanistan. ORYX 2022. [DOI: 10.1017/s0030605322000412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
We surveyed the urial Ovis vignei and Siberian ibex Capra sibirica in the Hindu Kush mountain range of Wakhan National Park in north-eastern Afghanistan to determine their population status and identify potential drivers of population change. We conducted two double-observer ground surveys, in April–May 2015 and 2018, in 10 areas (total = 288 km2). Urial herds were mostly composed of both sexes (78% of observed herds), the mean adult sex ratio (females:males) was 100:70, and the mean female:juvenile ratio was 100:53. In 2018 we calculated a urial density of 35/100 km2, compared to 72/100 km2 in 2015. Ibex herds were mostly (79%) composed of both sexes, the mean adult sex ratio (females:males) was 100:103, and the mean female:juvenile ratio was 100:58. Ibex density estimates were similar in 2015 and 2018 (c. 250/100 km2). We discuss the usefulness of the double-observer methods for ungulate surveys, highlight the value of viewshed calculations and discuss the possible causes of urial population decline. To ensure the conservation of these ungulate populations, we recommend continued regular monitoring, measures to address poaching and research to clarify the taxonomical status of urials in Wakhan.
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Ghoddousi A, Van Cayzeele C, Negahdar P, Soofi M, Kh Hamidi A, Bleyhl B, Fandos G, Khorozyan I, Waltert M, Kuemmerle T. Understanding spatial patterns of poaching pressure using ranger logbook data to optimize future patrolling strategies. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2601. [PMID: 35366036 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Poaching is driving many species toward extinction, and as a result, lowering poaching pressure is a conservation priority. This requires understanding where poaching pressure is high and which factors determine these spatial patterns. However, the cryptic and illegal nature of poaching makes this difficult. Ranger patrol data, typically recorded in protected area logbooks, contain information on patrolling efforts and poaching detection and should thus provide opportunities for a better understanding of poaching pressure. However, these data are seldom analyzed and rarely used to inform adaptive management strategies. We developed a novel approach to making use of analog logbook records to map poaching pressure and to test environmental criminology and predator-prey relationship hypotheses explaining poaching patterns. We showcase this approach for Golestan National Park in Iran, where poaching has substantially depleted ungulate populations. We digitized data from >4800 ranger patrols from 2014 to 2016 and used an occupancy modeling framework to relate poaching to (1) accessibility, (2) law enforcement, and (3) prey availability factors. Based on predicted poaching pressure and patrolling intensity, we provide suggestions for future patrol allocation strategies. Our results revealed a low probability (12%) of poacher detection during patrols. Poaching distribution was best explained by prey availability, indicating that poachers target areas with high concentrations of ungulates. Poaching pressure was estimated to be high (>0.49) in 39% of our study area. To alleviate poaching pressure, we recommend ramping up patrolling intensity in 12% of the national park, which could be achievable by reducing excess patrols in about 20% of the park. However, our results suggest that for 27% of the park, it is necessary to improve patrolling quality to increase detection probability of poaching, for example, by closing temporal patrolling gaps or expanding informant networks. Our approach illustrates that analog ranger logbooks are an untapped resource for evidence-based and adaptive planning of protected area management. Using this wealth of data can open up new avenues to better understand poaching and its determinants, to expand effectiveness assessments to the past, and, more generally, to allow for strategic conservation planning in protected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arash Ghoddousi
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Corinna Van Cayzeele
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Pegah Negahdar
- Tropical Ecology, Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Mahmood Soofi
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
- CSIRO Land and Water, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | - Benjamin Bleyhl
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Guillermo Fandos
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Igor Khorozyan
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthias Waltert
- Department of Conservation Biology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department, Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Integrative Research Institute for Transformations in Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt-University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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A security game approach for strategic conservation against poaching considering food web complexities. ECOLOGICAL COMPLEXITY 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecocom.2021.100970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ranger survey reveals conservation issues across Protected and outside Protected Areas in southern India. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Kuemmerle T, Bluhm H, Ghoddousi A, Arakelyan M, Askerov E, Bleyhl B, Ghasabian M, Gavashelishvili A, Heidelberg A, Malkhasyan A, Manvelyan K, Soofi M, Yarovenko Y, Weinberg P, Zazanashvili N. Identifying priority areas for restoring mountain ungulates in the Caucasus ecoregion. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
- Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human‐Environment Systems (IRI THESys) Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Hendrik Bluhm
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Arash Ghoddousi
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
| | | | - Elshad Askerov
- WWF‐Azerbaijan Baku Azerbaijan
- Institute of Zoology, Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences Baku Azerbaijan
| | - Benjamin Bleyhl
- Geography Department Humboldt‐University Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Mamikon Ghasabian
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan Armenia
| | | | | | | | | | - Mahmood Soofi
- School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue, Zoology Building, Aberdeen UK
- Workgroup on Endangered Species, J. F. Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology University of Goettingen Bürgerstr Göttingen Germany
| | - Yuriy Yarovenko
- Daghestan Federal Research Centre Russian Academy of Sciences Makhachkala Russia
| | | | - Nugzar Zazanashvili
- WWF‐Caucasus Tbilisi Georgia
- Institute of Ecology, Ilia State University Tbilisi Georgia
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Parchizadeh J, Adibi MA. Distribution and human-caused mortality of Persian leopards Panthera pardus saxicolor in Iran, based on unpublished data and Farsi gray literature. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:11972-11978. [PMID: 31695902 PMCID: PMC6822045 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Gray literature and data from unpublished sources can provide important scientific information that has not been published scientifically. The Persian leopard (hereafter leopard) Panthera pardus saxicolor is classed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and also is one of the least-studied subspecies of leopard. It occurs in the Caucasus and Central and Southwest Asia. Iran contains more than 75% of the leopard's extant range, and the leopard population in this country serves as a source for neighboring countries. In this study, we determined the distribution and human-caused mortality of leopards in Iran, by reviewing unpublished data and Farsi gray literature (which includes government reports) between 1 January 2010 and 30 December 2018. We created the most recent distribution map of the leopard in Iran. Our data display that human-caused mortality of leopard in Iran mostly includes poaching and intentional poisoning, and roadkill.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mohammad Ali Adibi
- Faculty of Environment and EnergyDepartment of Habitats and BiodiversityIslamic Azad UniversityTehranIran
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The decline of ungulate populations in Iranian protected areas calls for urgent action against poaching. ORYX 2017. [DOI: 10.1017/s003060531600154x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractPoaching is cryptically but rapidly driving many species towards extinction. Knowledge of population trends of exploited species and incentives for poaching is necessary to inform appropriate conservation measures. We estimated the abundance of four ungulate species in Golestan National Park, Iran, the country's oldest protected area, where poaching of ungulates is widespread. We used line transect surveys (186 km), camera trapping (2,777 camera-nights), point counts (64 scans) and dung counts (along 38 km), and compared population estimates with those from earlier records. We also investigated the incentives for poaching, using a semi-structured interview survey. Population estimates for 2011–2014 indicated a 66–89% decline in three ungulate species (bezoar goatCapra aegagrus, red deerCervus elaphusand urialOvis vignei) compared to 1970–1978. Only wild boarSus scrofashowed a population increase (of 58%) during the same period, possibly facilitated by religious restrictions regarding the consumption of this species. The incentives for poaching were categorized (in a non-ordinal manner) as subsistence, pleasure, tradition, trade of wild meat, and conflict with conservation regulations and bodies. The decline in hunted ungulates in this Park appears to be the result of rampant poaching, and a similar trend is evident in other protected areas in the country. We suggest the adoption of participatory conservation strategies, improvement of law enforcement practices and cooperation with international experts to reduce poaching in these protected areas. Taking into account the incentives for poaching, a combination of economic and non-economic strategies should be considered.
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Soofi M, Ghoddousi A, Hamidi AK, Ghasemi B, Egli L, Voinopol-Sassu AJ, Kiabi BH, Balkenhol N, Khorozyan I, Waltert M. Precision and reliability of indirect population assessments for the Caspian red deerCervus elaphus maral. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mahmood Soofi
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Arash Ghoddousi
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | | | - Benjamin Ghasemi
- B. Ghasemi, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technische Univ. München, Freising, Germany
| | - Lukas Egli
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Ana-Johanna Voinopol-Sassu
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Bahram H. Kiabi
- B. H. Kiabi, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti Univ. G.C., Tehran, Iran
| | - Niko Balkenhol
- N. Balkenhol, Dept of Wildlife Sciences, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Igor Khorozyan
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Matthias Waltert
- M. Soofi A. Ghoddousi, L. Egli, A.-J. Voinopol-Sassu, I. Khorozyan and M. Waltert, J. F. Blumenbach Inst. of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-Univ. Göttingen, Bürgerstrasse 50, DE-37073 Göttingen, Germany. AJVS also at: School of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
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