IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Gurung, B.; David Smith, J.L.; Shrestha, M. | |
| Using A "Bagh Heralu" Network to Map the Metapopulation Structure of Tigers in Nepal | |
| 2006 Book Chapter | |
Citizen participation was used to assess the potential for tigers to disperse between protected areas in Nepal and to determine if breeding occurred outside of the protected areas. We were interested in breeding and dispersal outside of reserves because: 1) existing reserves are too small to maintain viable tiger populations; 2) the extensive forest lands outside reserves could supplement the land base for tiger habitat in these forests because local people are increasingly interested in forest restoration. We chose 30 areas where dispersal might be restricted and a local villager ("Bagh Heralu", Nepali for "tiger guard") was hired in each site to report livestock kills and tiger tracks. Monthly for 3.5 years a research technician went with "Bagh Heralu" to verify all kills/tiger tracks discovered within the past month and locations were geo-referenced. Breeding habitat was identified by presence of co-occurring female and cub tracks. Tigers were recorded near 26 of the 30 chosen sites. Four gaps in tiger distribution were found, and we hypothesized that four discrete tiger populations occur in Nepal and adjacent habitat in India. Evidence of breeding tigers was found at three sites outside protected areas. The "Bagh Heralu" network is a form of citizen science that provides much greater sampling intensity than a team of biologists can accomplish significantly to community support of tiger conservation on a landscape scale. |
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