Assessing the Spatio-temporal Activity Pattern and Habitat Use of Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) Across Three Forest Management Regimes in Nepal

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are an endangered species facing severe threats of population decline worldwide, and understanding their spatio-temporal activity patterns and habitat use in different forest management regimes is crucial for their conservation and management. We analyzed systematically collected camera trap data using occupancy modelling and kernel density functions to assess the spatio-temporal activity patterns of tigers across three forest management regimes in Nepal: Parsa National Park (PNP), its buffer zone, and adjoining national forests. Each of these three forest management regimes are differentially influenced by prey availability, habitat condition, and anthropogenic disturbances. We found that highest spatio-temporal overlap of tigers occurred with gaur (Bos gaurus) and spotted deer (Axis axis) in PNP. On the other hand, tigers highly overlap with wild boar (Sus scrofa), spotted deer (Axis axis) and barking deer (Muntiacus muntjac) in buffer zone and national forests. Mixed forest, grassland and riverine forest were the highly used habitat by the tigers, and domestic animals had a greater adverse impact on tigers than humans. Our findings showed that prey availability, habitat class and domestic animals significantly influence tiger presence, while, forests of every management regime are important for tiger conservation. Tiger conservation could be improved with greater collaboration and coordination between and across different forest management regimes.