Prey availability is one of the principal drivers of tiger distribution and abundance.Therefore,formulating effective conservation strategies requires a clear understanding of tiger diet.We used scat analysis in combi...Prey availability is one of the principal drivers of tiger distribution and abundance.Therefore,formulating effective conservation strategies requires a clear understanding of tiger diet.We used scat analysis in combination with data on the abundance of several prey species to estimate Amur tiger diet and preference at 3 sites in the Russian Far East.We also examined the effect of pseudoreplication on estimates of tiger diet.We collected 770 scats across the 3 sites.Similar to previous studies,we found that tigers primarily preyed on medium to large ungulates,with wild boar,roe,sika and red deer collectively comprising 86.7%of total biomass consumed on average.According to Jacobs’index,tigers preferred wild boar,and avoided sika deer.Variation in preference indices derived from these scat analyses compared to indices derived from kill data appear to be due to adjustments in biomass intake when sex–age of a killed individual is known:a component missing from scat data.Pseudoreplication(multiple samples collected from a single kill site)also skewed results derived from scat analyses.Scat analysis still appears useful in providing insight into the diets of carnivores when the full spectrum of prey species needs to be identified,or when sample sizes from kill data are not sufficient.When sample sizes of kill data are large(as is now possible with GPS-collared animals),kill data adjusted by sex–age categories probably provides the most accurate estimates of prey biomass composition.Our results provide further confirmation of the centrality of medium ungulates,in particular wild boar,to Amur tiger diet,and suggest that the protection of this group of species is critical to Amur tiger conservation.展开更多
Although considerable conservation resources have been committed to develop and use law enforcement monitoring and management tools such as SMART,measures of success are ill-defined and,to date,few reports detail resu...Although considerable conservation resources have been committed to develop and use law enforcement monitoring and management tools such as SMART,measures of success are ill-defined and,to date,few reports detail results post-implementation.Here,we present 4 case studies from protected areas with Amur tigers(Panthera tigris altaica)in Russia,in which indicators of success were defined and evaluated at each.The ultimate goal was an increase in tiger numbers to 1 individual/100 km^(2)at each site.We predicted that improvements in law enforcement effectiveness would be followed by increases in prey numbers and,subsequently,tiger numbers.We used short-term and long-term indicators of success,including:(i)patrol team effort and effectiveness;(ii)catch per unit effort indicators(to measure reductions in threats);and(iii)changes in target species numbers.In addition to implementing a monitoring system,we focused on improving law enforcement management using an adaptive management process.Over 4 years,we noted clear increases in patrol effort and a partial reduction in threats.Although we did not detect clear trends in ungulate numbers,tiger populations remained stable or increased,suggesting that poaching of tigers may be more limiting than prey depletion.Increased effectiveness is needed before a clear reduction in threats can be noted,and more time is needed before detecting responses in target populations.Nonetheless,delineation of concrete goals and indicators of success provide a means of evaluating progress and weaknesses.Such monitoring should be a central component of law enforcement strategies for protected areas.展开更多
基金We thank the Save the Tiger Fund(a joint project of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the Exxon Mobile Corporation),the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenburg Foundation,the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Tiger Rhino Conservation Fund,the Disney Wildlife Fund,ALTA,the Robertson Foundation,the Starr Foundation,the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Zoological Society of London for financial support to conduct this work.We thank A.A.Laptev and A.I.Myslenkov of Lazovskii State Nature Zapovednik,A.A.Astafiev and Y.Pimenov of Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik,and A.Borodin of the Land of Leopard National Park for logistical and administrative support.We thank M.E.Borisenko,A.Bezrukov,V.Kolesnikov,I.Nikolaev,B.Schleyer,N.Rybin,A.Rybin,A.Kostyria,I.Seryodkin,V.Melnikov,A.Saphonov,V.Schukin,V.Storozhuk and E.Gizhko for assistance with data collection,and Paul Kapfer for assistance with data analyses.
文摘Prey availability is one of the principal drivers of tiger distribution and abundance.Therefore,formulating effective conservation strategies requires a clear understanding of tiger diet.We used scat analysis in combination with data on the abundance of several prey species to estimate Amur tiger diet and preference at 3 sites in the Russian Far East.We also examined the effect of pseudoreplication on estimates of tiger diet.We collected 770 scats across the 3 sites.Similar to previous studies,we found that tigers primarily preyed on medium to large ungulates,with wild boar,roe,sika and red deer collectively comprising 86.7%of total biomass consumed on average.According to Jacobs’index,tigers preferred wild boar,and avoided sika deer.Variation in preference indices derived from these scat analyses compared to indices derived from kill data appear to be due to adjustments in biomass intake when sex–age of a killed individual is known:a component missing from scat data.Pseudoreplication(multiple samples collected from a single kill site)also skewed results derived from scat analyses.Scat analysis still appears useful in providing insight into the diets of carnivores when the full spectrum of prey species needs to be identified,or when sample sizes from kill data are not sufficient.When sample sizes of kill data are large(as is now possible with GPS-collared animals),kill data adjusted by sex–age categories probably provides the most accurate estimates of prey biomass composition.Our results provide further confirmation of the centrality of medium ungulates,in particular wild boar,to Amur tiger diet,and suggest that the protection of this group of species is critical to Amur tiger conservation.
基金We thank the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation,the North American Association of Zoos and Aquariums,the Disney Conservation Fund,Feld Entertainment,the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,the Phoenix Fund,the Tigris Foundation,the United States Agency for International Development(USAIDAssociate Award#118-A-00-11-00007-00)+1 种基金the United States Fish and Wildlife Service’s Rhinoceros and Tiger Fund(grant numbers F10AP00399 and F14AP00659)the Columbus Zoo and the Zoological Society of London for their financial support of the SMART program in Russia.We are grateful to Yevgeny Stoma for trial testing the collection of data for the LEM program,and we thank the staff and directors of Lazovsky State Zapovednik,Land of the Leopard National Park,Zov Tigra National Park and Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Zapovednik for agreeing to participate in this program and for their efforts to make SMART a success.
文摘Although considerable conservation resources have been committed to develop and use law enforcement monitoring and management tools such as SMART,measures of success are ill-defined and,to date,few reports detail results post-implementation.Here,we present 4 case studies from protected areas with Amur tigers(Panthera tigris altaica)in Russia,in which indicators of success were defined and evaluated at each.The ultimate goal was an increase in tiger numbers to 1 individual/100 km^(2)at each site.We predicted that improvements in law enforcement effectiveness would be followed by increases in prey numbers and,subsequently,tiger numbers.We used short-term and long-term indicators of success,including:(i)patrol team effort and effectiveness;(ii)catch per unit effort indicators(to measure reductions in threats);and(iii)changes in target species numbers.In addition to implementing a monitoring system,we focused on improving law enforcement management using an adaptive management process.Over 4 years,we noted clear increases in patrol effort and a partial reduction in threats.Although we did not detect clear trends in ungulate numbers,tiger populations remained stable or increased,suggesting that poaching of tigers may be more limiting than prey depletion.Increased effectiveness is needed before a clear reduction in threats can be noted,and more time is needed before detecting responses in target populations.Nonetheless,delineation of concrete goals and indicators of success provide a means of evaluating progress and weaknesses.Such monitoring should be a central component of law enforcement strategies for protected areas.
