Habitat evaluation constitutes an important and fundamental step in the management of wildlife populations and conservation policy planning. Geographic information system （GIS） and species presence data provide the ...Habitat evaluation constitutes an important and fundamental step in the management of wildlife populations and conservation policy planning. Geographic information system （GIS） and species presence data provide the means by which such evaluation can be done. Maximum Entropy （MaxEnt） is widely used in habitat suitability modeling due to its power of accuracy and additional descriptive properties To survey snow leopard populations in Qomolangma （Mt. Everest） National Nature Reserve （QNNR）, Xizang （Tibet）, China, we pooled 127 pugmarks, 415 scrape marks, and 127 non-invasive identifications of the animal along line transects and recorded 87 occurrences through camera traps from 2014-2017. We adopted the MaxEnt model to generate a map highlighting the extent of suitable snow leopard habitat in QNNR. Results showed that the accuracy of the MaxEnt model was excellent （mean AUC=0.921）. Precipitation in the driest quarter, ruggedness, elevation, maximum temperature of the warmest month, and annual mean temperature were the main environmental factors influencing habitat suitability for snow leopards, with contribution rates of 20.0%, 14.4%, 13.3%, 8.7%, and 8.2% respectively The suitable habitat area extended for 7 001.93 km^2, representing 22.72% of the whole reserve. The regions bordering Nepal were the main suitable snow leopard habitats and consisted of three separate habitat patches Our findings revealed that precipitation, temperature conditions, ruggedness, and elevations of around 4 000 m a.s.I, influenced snow leopard preferences at the landscape level in QNNR. We advocate further research and cooperation with Nepal to evaluate habitat connectivity and to explore possible proxies of population isolation among these patches. Furthermore, evaluation of subdivisions within the protection zones of QNNR is necessary to improve conservation strategies and enhance protection.展开更多
Based on the NOAA AVHRR-NDVI data from 1981 to 2001, the digitalized China Vegetation Map （1：1,000,000）, DEM, temperature and precipitation data, and field investigation, the spatial patterns and vertical character...Based on the NOAA AVHRR-NDVI data from 1981 to 2001, the digitalized China Vegetation Map （1：1,000,000）, DEM, temperature and precipitation data, and field investigation, the spatial patterns and vertical characteristics of natural vegetation changes and their influencing factors in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve have been studied. The results show that： （1） There is remarkable spatial difference of natural vegetation changes in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve and stability is the most common status. There are 5.04% of the whole area being seriously degraded, 13.19% slightly degraded, 26.39% slightly improved, 0.97% significantly improved and 54.41% keeping stable. The seriously and slightly degraded areas, which mostly lie in the south of the reserve, are along the national boundaries. The areas of improved vegetation lie in the north of the reserve and the south side of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The stable areas lie between the improved and degraded areas. Degradation decreases with elevation. （2） Degeneration in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve mostly affects shrubs, needle-leaved forests and mixed forests. （3） The temperature change affects the natural vegetation changes spatially while the integration of temperature changes, slopes and aspects affects the natural vegetation change along the altitude gradients. （4） It is the overuse of resources that leads to the vegetation degeneration in some parts of the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve.展开更多
1 Introduction On 18 May 1989,the Mt.Qomolangma (Everest)Natural Reserve(abbr.MQNR)in Tibet Autonomous Region formally came into existence and it was listed as World Network of Biosphere Reserves(WNBR)in May 2005.The ...1 Introduction On 18 May 1989,the Mt.Qomolangma (Everest)Natural Reserve(abbr.MQNR)in Tibet Autonomous Region formally came into existence and it was listed as World Network of Biosphere Reserves(WNBR)in May 2005.The MQNR is a comprehensive reserve,which mainly protects alpine ecosystems,plateau natural landscapes,geological remains and Tibetan historical and cultural heritages.展开更多
Glaciers are one of the most important land covers in alpine regions and especially sensitive to global climate change. Remote sensing has proved to be the best method of investigating the extent of glacial variations...Glaciers are one of the most important land covers in alpine regions and especially sensitive to global climate change. Remote sensing has proved to be the best method of investigating the extent of glacial variations in remote mountainous areas. Using Landsat thematic mapping （TM） and multi-spectral-scanner （MSS） images from Mt. Qomolangma （Everest） National Nature Preserve （QNNP）, central high Himalayas for 1976, 1988 and 2006 we derived glacial extent for these three periods. A combination of object-oriented image interpretation methods, expert knowledge rules and field surveys were employed. Results showed that （1） the glacial area in 2006 was 2710.17 ＋ 0.011 km2 （about 7.41% of the whole study area）, and located mainly to the south and between 4700 m to 6800 m above sea level; （2） from 1976 to 2006, glaciers reduced by 501.91± 0.035 km2 and glacial lakes expanded by 36.88 ＋ 0.035 kin2; the rate of glacier retreat was higher in sub-basins on the southern slopes （16.79%） of the Himalayas than on the northern slopes （14.40%）; most glaciers retreated, and mainly occurred at an elevation of 4700-6400 m, and the estimated upper limit of the retreat zone is between 6600 m and 6700 m; （3） increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation over the study period are the key factors driving retreat.展开更多
基金funded primarily by the Everest Snow Leopard Conservation Center,a partnership initiative of Vanke Foundation and Qomolangma National Nature Reserve Administration
文摘Habitat evaluation constitutes an important and fundamental step in the management of wildlife populations and conservation policy planning. Geographic information system （GIS） and species presence data provide the means by which such evaluation can be done. Maximum Entropy （MaxEnt） is widely used in habitat suitability modeling due to its power of accuracy and additional descriptive properties To survey snow leopard populations in Qomolangma （Mt. Everest） National Nature Reserve （QNNR）, Xizang （Tibet）, China, we pooled 127 pugmarks, 415 scrape marks, and 127 non-invasive identifications of the animal along line transects and recorded 87 occurrences through camera traps from 2014-2017. We adopted the MaxEnt model to generate a map highlighting the extent of suitable snow leopard habitat in QNNR. Results showed that the accuracy of the MaxEnt model was excellent （mean AUC=0.921）. Precipitation in the driest quarter, ruggedness, elevation, maximum temperature of the warmest month, and annual mean temperature were the main environmental factors influencing habitat suitability for snow leopards, with contribution rates of 20.0%, 14.4%, 13.3%, 8.7%, and 8.2% respectively The suitable habitat area extended for 7 001.93 km^2, representing 22.72% of the whole reserve. The regions bordering Nepal were the main suitable snow leopard habitats and consisted of three separate habitat patches Our findings revealed that precipitation, temperature conditions, ruggedness, and elevations of around 4 000 m a.s.I, influenced snow leopard preferences at the landscape level in QNNR. We advocate further research and cooperation with Nepal to evaluate habitat connectivity and to explore possible proxies of population isolation among these patches. Furthermore, evaluation of subdivisions within the protection zones of QNNR is necessary to improve conservation strategies and enhance protection.
基金the National Basic Research Program of China, No.2005CB422006Social Commonweal Re-search Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China, No.2005DIA3J106National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.40331006
文摘Based on the NOAA AVHRR-NDVI data from 1981 to 2001, the digitalized China Vegetation Map （1：1,000,000）, DEM, temperature and precipitation data, and field investigation, the spatial patterns and vertical characteristics of natural vegetation changes and their influencing factors in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve have been studied. The results show that： （1） There is remarkable spatial difference of natural vegetation changes in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve and stability is the most common status. There are 5.04% of the whole area being seriously degraded, 13.19% slightly degraded, 26.39% slightly improved, 0.97% significantly improved and 54.41% keeping stable. The seriously and slightly degraded areas, which mostly lie in the south of the reserve, are along the national boundaries. The areas of improved vegetation lie in the north of the reserve and the south side of the Yarlung Zangbo River. The stable areas lie between the improved and degraded areas. Degradation decreases with elevation. （2） Degeneration in the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve mostly affects shrubs, needle-leaved forests and mixed forests. （3） The temperature change affects the natural vegetation changes spatially while the integration of temperature changes, slopes and aspects affects the natural vegetation change along the altitude gradients. （4） It is the overuse of resources that leads to the vegetation degeneration in some parts of the Mt. Qomolangma Nature Reserve.
文摘1 Introduction On 18 May 1989,the Mt.Qomolangma (Everest)Natural Reserve(abbr.MQNR)in Tibet Autonomous Region formally came into existence and it was listed as World Network of Biosphere Reserves(WNBR)in May 2005.The MQNR is a comprehensive reserve,which mainly protects alpine ecosystems,plateau natural landscapes,geological remains and Tibetan historical and cultural heritages.
基金The External Cooperation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences,No.GJHZ0954National Basic Research Program of China,No.2005CB422006Institutional Consolidation for the Coordinated and Integrated Monitoring of Natural Resources towards Sustainable Development and Environmental Conservation in the Hindu Kush-Karakoram-Himalaya Mountain Complex
文摘Glaciers are one of the most important land covers in alpine regions and especially sensitive to global climate change. Remote sensing has proved to be the best method of investigating the extent of glacial variations in remote mountainous areas. Using Landsat thematic mapping （TM） and multi-spectral-scanner （MSS） images from Mt. Qomolangma （Everest） National Nature Preserve （QNNP）, central high Himalayas for 1976, 1988 and 2006 we derived glacial extent for these three periods. A combination of object-oriented image interpretation methods, expert knowledge rules and field surveys were employed. Results showed that （1） the glacial area in 2006 was 2710.17 ＋ 0.011 km2 （about 7.41% of the whole study area）, and located mainly to the south and between 4700 m to 6800 m above sea level; （2） from 1976 to 2006, glaciers reduced by 501.91± 0.035 km2 and glacial lakes expanded by 36.88 ＋ 0.035 kin2; the rate of glacier retreat was higher in sub-basins on the southern slopes （16.79%） of the Himalayas than on the northern slopes （14.40%）; most glaciers retreated, and mainly occurred at an elevation of 4700-6400 m, and the estimated upper limit of the retreat zone is between 6600 m and 6700 m; （3） increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation over the study period are the key factors driving retreat.
