Understanding human-leopard conflict in the ‘Mid-hill’ region of western Nepal  

作　　者：LAMICHHANE Saroj THAPA Arjun THAPA Mahendra Singh PANTHI Saroj GIORDANO Anthony J 

机构地区：[1]School of Forestry and Natural Resources Management,Institute of Forestry,Kirtipur 44613,Nepal [2]Institute of Fundamental Research and Studies(InFeRS),Baniyatar 44608,Nepal [3]Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China [4]Institute of Forestry,Office of Dean,Kirtipur 44613,Nepal [5]Ministry of Industry,Tourism,Forest and Environment,Kaski 33700,Nepal [6]SPECIES-The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and their International Ecology Study,Ventura,CA 93006,USA

出　　处：《Journal of Mountain Science》2023年第12期3464-3475,共12页山地科学学报（英文）

基　　金：NORHED SURNEM project, Institute of Forestry, Kathmandu for providing financial support fieldwork。

摘　　要：Livestock rearing and agriculture are the main sources of community-based livelihoods in western Nepal.Across the rural mid-hills region of Gandaki Province,leopards are the top predator and frequently depredate livestock and attack humans.Spatiotemporal patterns of human-leopard conflicts(HLC) in Nepal are poorly known at the provincial and national scales,which are essential to formulating effective conflict mitigation strategies and implementing them in the field.This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal pattern of HLC by applying Maxent modeling to covariates relating to known and registered conflict cases(n=842) collected from Nepalese government offices.We found that cases of HLC have been increasing significantly over the past five years.We also concluded that mid-elevation,south-facing slopes were more susceptible to HLC,but that mean annual temperature was by far the most important predictor of HLC;overall livestock density and proximity to roads were also important,but secondarily so.Although we found the increase in human fatalities to 2.16/year was significant(p<0.05),overall human injuries were down slightly,though not significantly(5.16/year;p>0.05).However,we also found an increasing trend in livestock depredation rates for this same five-year period(p<0.05),which averaged 159.6 head/year among incidents reported.We also found that winter was the main season when depredations occurred,and that goats were the most depredated of all livestock.A total US $86,892.25($17,378.45/year) of economic losses were incurred by communities during this time,with 78.57% of the total value reimbursed as compensatory relief through the government’s relief fund.We recommend that the use of predator-proof livestock corrals,greater awareness in local communities about wildlife behavior,better animal husbandry and security practices,and a more efficient compensation program,can improve coexistence between leopard populations and human communities in western Nepal.

关 键 词：COEXISTENCE Compensation Economic loss Human-wildlife conflict Livestock depredation Maximum entropy Problem animals Sustainable livelihood 

分 类 号：Q958[生物学—动物学]