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<p>Community-managed forests may function as key extensions of formal Protected Areas (PAs), yet their ecological importance in sustaining carnivores remains in biodiversity hotspots has not been rigorously evaluated. In Northeast India, part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, nearly 90% of forests are community-owned in Meghalaya, making it crucial to assess how carnivores persist within small, human-dominated Conservation Reserves (CRs). We addressed this gap by evaluating carnivore richness, site use (occupancy), and diel activity patterns across 32 CRs between 2018 and 2021 (6,448 trap nights). Using single-season occupancy models and activity-overlap analyses, we tested how CR area, vegetation structure, and human encounter rates influence carnivore space use and activity patterns. We recorded 18 carnivore species belonging to six families, including seven endemics to Northeast India, four vulnerable (as per IUCN Red list) and five listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Occupancy increased with canopy cover, canopy height, and CR area but decreased with tree density and human disturbance. Arboreal and scansorial carnivores were strongly associated with closed-canopy structure, whereas terrestrial generalists responded positively to bamboo density. In areas with high human activity, multiple species exhibited temporal shifts, including increased nocturnality or redistributed activity peaks, indicating behavioural plasticity in response to disturbance. Overall, CRs, despite their small size and human disturbance, harbour rich carnivore communities, and function as crucial ecological linkages between PAs. However, persistence depends on maintaining canopy structure and regulating human disturbance. Strengthening CR management through village council empowerment, enhancing structural habitat complexity and improving functional connectivity between CRs and formal PAs will be essential to secure the long-term conservation of carnivores in Meghalaya.</p>

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Carnivore abundance, patch occupancy, and impact of humans on activity patterns in the community reserves of Meghalaya, Northeast India

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月4日

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  • Sanyukta P. Kasbekar,
  • Honnavalli N. Kumara,
  • Santanu Mahato,
  • S. Babu,
  • P. V. Karunakaran

摘要

Community-managed forests may function as key extensions of formal Protected Areas (PAs), yet their ecological importance in sustaining carnivores remains in biodiversity hotspots has not been rigorously evaluated. In Northeast India, part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, nearly 90% of forests are community-owned in Meghalaya, making it crucial to assess how carnivores persist within small, human-dominated Conservation Reserves (CRs). We addressed this gap by evaluating carnivore richness, site use (occupancy), and diel activity patterns across 32 CRs between 2018 and 2021 (6,448 trap nights). Using single-season occupancy models and activity-overlap analyses, we tested how CR area, vegetation structure, and human encounter rates influence carnivore space use and activity patterns. We recorded 18 carnivore species belonging to six families, including seven endemics to Northeast India, four vulnerable (as per IUCN Red list) and five listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act. Occupancy increased with canopy cover, canopy height, and CR area but decreased with tree density and human disturbance. Arboreal and scansorial carnivores were strongly associated with closed-canopy structure, whereas terrestrial generalists responded positively to bamboo density. In areas with high human activity, multiple species exhibited temporal shifts, including increased nocturnality or redistributed activity peaks, indicating behavioural plasticity in response to disturbance. Overall, CRs, despite their small size and human disturbance, harbour rich carnivore communities, and function as crucial ecological linkages between PAs. However, persistence depends on maintaining canopy structure and regulating human disturbance. Strengthening CR management through village council empowerment, enhancing structural habitat complexity and improving functional connectivity between CRs and formal PAs will be essential to secure the long-term conservation of carnivores in Meghalaya.