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Chan AN, Wittemyer G, McEvoy J, Williams AC, Cox N, Soe P, Grindley M, Shwe NM, Chit AM, Oo ZM, Leimgruber P. Landscape characteristics influence ranging behavior of Asian elephants at the human-wildlands interface in Myanmar. Mov Ecol 2022; 10:6. [PMID: 35123584 PMCID: PMC8818246 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00304-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Asian elephant numbers are declining across much of their range driven largely by serious threats from land use change resulting in habitat loss and fragmentation. Myanmar, holding critical range for the species, is undergoing major developments due to recent sociopolitical changes. To effectively manage and conserve the remaining populations of endangered elephants in the country, it is crucial to understand their ranging behavior. OBJECTIVES Our objectives were to (1) estimate the sizes of dry, wet, and annual ranges of wild elephants in Myanmar; and quantify the relationship between dry season (the period when human-elephant interactions are the most likely to occur) range size and configurations of agriculture and natural vegetation within the range, and (2) evaluate how percentage of agriculture within dry core range (50% AKDE range) of elephants relates to their daily distance traveled. METHODS We used autocorrelated kernel density estimator (AKDE) based on a continuous-time movement modeling (ctmm) framework to estimate dry season (26 ranges from 22 different individuals), wet season (12 ranges from 10 different individuals), and annual range sizes (8 individuals), and reported the 95%, 50% AKDE, and 95% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) range sizes. We assessed how landscape characteristics influenced range size based on a broad array of 48 landscape metrics characterizing aspects of vegetation, water, and human features and their juxtaposition in the study areas. To identify the most relevant landscape metrics and simplify our candidate set of informative metrics, we relied on exploratory factor analysis and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Based on this analysis we adopted a final set of metrics into our regression analysis. In a multiple regression framework, we developed candidate models to explain the variation in AKDE dry season range sizes based on the previously identified, salient metrics of landscape composition. RESULTS Elephant dry season ranges were highly variable averaging 792.0 km2 and 184.2 km2 for the 95% and 50% AKDE home ranges, respectively. We found both the shape and spatial configuration of agriculture and natural vegetation patches within an individual elephant's range play a significant role in determining the size of its range. We also found that elephants are moving more (larger energy expenditure) in ranges with higher percentages of agricultural area. CONCLUSION Our results provide baseline information on elephant spatial requirements and the factors affecting them in Myanmar. This information is important for advancing future land use planning that takes into account space-use requirements for elephants. Failing to do so may further endanger already declining elephant populations in Myanmar and across the species' range.
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Affiliation(s)
- A N Chan
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA.
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
- WWF-Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar.
- Fauna and Flora International, Yangon, Myanmar.
| | - G Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - J McEvoy
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | | | - N Cox
- WWF-Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - P Soe
- WWF-Myanmar, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - M Grindley
- Fauna and Flora International, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - N M Shwe
- Fauna and Flora International, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - A M Chit
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
| | - Z M Oo
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Myanma Timber Enterprise, Alone, Yangon, Myanmar
| | - P Leimgruber
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, 22630, USA
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Ogawa H, Soe P, Myint B, Sein K, Kyaing MM, Maw KK, Oo HM, Murai M, Miyazaki H. A pilot study of dental caries status in relation to knowledge, attitudes and practices in oral health in Myanmar. Asia Pac J Public Health 2008; 15:111-7. [PMID: 15038685 DOI: 10.1177/101053950301500207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study was to determine the dental caries prevalence among the Myanmar population, and to investigate the correlations between oral clinical indices and knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) on oral health. Subjects were randomly selected from 140,000 people residing in the Kyauktan township in a cross-sectional community-based study. The present analysis was confined to 739 subjects (353 males and 386 females) aged 12, 35-44 and 65-74 years, who were divided into two specified groups based on urban or rural location. KAP on oral health data and social demographic information were collected, while dental caries status was assessed by DMFT. The mean number of decayed teeth (DT) in rural areas was higher than that in urban areas, while the mean number of filled teeth (FT) in rural areas was lower than that in urban areas. Mean knowledge and attitude scores for correct answers were also significantly higher for the urban than the rural subjects. There were statistically significant correlations between the correct/incorrect responses to knowledge and attitude questionnaires on oral health and the mean number of DMFT. KAP pertaining to oral health of Myanmar population, especially those of rural subjects, might not be satisfactory and related to threaten their dental caries status.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Ogawa
- Division of Preventive Dentistry, Department of Oral Health Science, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata University, Niigata, Japan.
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