IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Rajapandian, K. | |
| Factors affecting habitat occupancy of tiger in the Terai Arc Landscape, India | |
| 2009 Full Book | |
Most rare and critically endangered species such as tiger (_Panthera tigris_) exist in human-dominated landscapes as small, fragmented and isolated populations in most part of its range. A prerequisite for conservation efforts and management is to identify the factors which affect the distribution and abundance of the species of interest and connectivity between populations occupying the remaining fragments. Tiger populations have dramatically declined in recent years in the Indian part of Terai Arc Landscape (TAL). This top priority landscape for tiger conservation was once continuous across the Himalayan foothills but is now highly fragmented and most of the remaining large, intact habitats are located within protected areas. As tigers cannot sustain viable populations in small habitat fragments an assessment of potential suitable habitat and connectivity among the remaining habitat patches is required to assess possibilities to ensure the creation of a single functioning metapopulation unit for tiger. The goal of this study, therefore, was to identify the factors affecting the distribution of tiger and assess the distribution of suitable habitat patches and the connectivity between these patches for successful dispersal in the Indian part of TAL. Model clearly showed that connectivity is not solely a function of distance between patches, but an outcome of the interplay between behaviour and landscape configuration, with asymmetric connectivity explained by canalizing or diffusing effects of the landscape, and depending on the landscape context of the starting patch. The most important model parameter determining patch connectivity was the autocorrelation in movement, followed by the daily movement capacity. The results of this study, in addition to contributing to the knowledge on factors affecting suitable habitat distribution and dispersal of tiger, have many implications for conservation of tiger in the Indian part of TAL. This study has also identified critical areas needed for management initiatives for functional unit of tiger conservation in the TAL. These are discussed in this thesis. |
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