Why we went to the woods?: effects of human disturbance on species presence in a disturbed Myanmar forest ecosystem

Human activities are affecting habitats and wildlife populations worldwide. Tropical forests are one of the most affected environments, mainly due to deforestation and poaching. Since high levels of anthropogenic pressure on forest ecosystems, including illegal logging and hunting, occur in southwes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Animal conservation Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 508 - 520
Main Authors:	Cremonesi, G., Bisi, F., Gaffi, L., Loprete, L., Zaw, T., Gagliardi, A., Wauters, L. A., Preatoni, D. G., Martinoli, A.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	London Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-08-2022
Subjects:	Anthropogenic factors Bayesian analysis bushmeat camera traps Cameras Coniferous forests Conservation Consumption Deforestation Ecosystems Enforcement Environmental protection Exploitation Forest ecosystems Habitat selection Habitats hierarchical modeling human disturbance Human impact Human influences Hunting illegal wildlife trade Logging Myanmar occurrence probabilities Poaching Probability theory Rainforests Terrestrial ecosystems Threatened species Trapping Tropical forests Wildlife Wildlife conservation Wildlife habitats Wildlife trade Myanmar (Burma)
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Summary:	Human activities are affecting habitats and wildlife populations worldwide. Tropical forests are one of the most affected environments, mainly due to deforestation and poaching. Since high levels of anthropogenic pressure on forest ecosystems, including illegal logging and hunting, occur in southwest Myanmar (Rakhine State), we analyzed the effects of human disturbance on medium to large mammals in this region. We used camera‐trapping data collected over three consecutive years to investigate occurrence probabilities of 10 species: five common species exploited for bushmeat consumption, and five threatened species targeted by the illegal wildlife trade. We used a hierarchical single‐species multi‐season occupancy model implemented in a Bayesian framework to evaluate the effects of human disturbances and persistent habitat characteristics, such as the proportion of remaining pristine evergreen forest and the elevation, on occurrence probabilities. We found that occupancy probabilities of three out of five target species for the illegal wildlife trade were positively linked to forest habitats, whereas among common species hunted for bushmeat consumption the Northern red muntjak and the Malayan porcupine were negatively affected by human presence. The effects of human and habitat covariates were varied for other species of both groups. We confirmed results from previous studies that human disturbance is a driver of occurrence probabilities for some species in tropical areas. Our findings suggest that as protection of rainforest habitat is fundamental to the conservation of tropical ecosystems, law enforcement, patrolling, and local engagement activities are also recommended to mitigate forest and species exploitation. Finally, camera trapping could be a first step to identify areas where human presence affects species occupancy and help local authorities to develop more fine‐tuned conservation plans. We used camera trapping data in Rakhine (Myanmar) to investigate human impact on 10 selected species targeted by hunting. We found that threatened species targeted by illegal wildlife trade are positively affected by evergreen forest habitats, while species hunted for bushmeat consumption are negatively affected by human presence associated with different activities in the forests. These data provide useful information for the development of specific conservation actions in our study area.
Bibliography:	Editor: Rahel Sollmann
ISSN:	1367-9430 1469-1795
DOI:	10.1111/acv.12759