Article

Article name DISTRIBUTION OF ASIATIC BLACK BEAR AND ITS INTERACTION WITH HUMANS IN JIGME SINGYE WANGCHUCK NATIONAL PARK, BHUTAN
Authors

Letro Letro, Nature Conservation Division, Department of Forest and Park Services (Thimphu 11002, Bhutan); Institute of Biology and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald (Greifswald, DE 17489); e-mail: fr.lethro81@gmail.com
Sangay Wangchuk, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services (Bumthang, Bhutan 32001); School of Environmental Science, Charles Sturt University (Albury - Wodonga Campus, NSW, Australia); e-mail: swangchuk@uwice.gov.bt
Tashi Dhendup, Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation and Environmental Research, Department of Forest and Park Services (Bumthang, Bhutan 32001); Wildlife Biology Program, University of Montana (Missoula, Montana, 59812, USA); e-mail: tashid@uwice.gov.bt

Reference to article

Letro L., Wangchuk S., Dhendup T. 2020. Distribution of Asiatic black bear and its interaction with humans in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Nature Conservation Research 5(1): 44–52. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.004

Section Research articles
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2020.004
Abstract

We assessed the human-bear interactions and distribution patterns of the Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park (JSWNP) in Bhutan through a questionnaire survey of park residents and by remote camera trapping. Our study revealed 26% (N = 311) of the respondents experiencing one or another form of human-bear interaction. Crop damage accounted for the highest interaction rate at 65%, followed by livestock depredation (25%), between 2012 and 2016. About 10% of the interactions involved human mualing cases in 2006–2016. About 80% of the respondents expressed support for bear conservation influenced mainly by conservation awareness programmes. Observations from 39 camera trap stations across the national park indicated a wide distribution of Asiatic black bears in JSWNP, with a mean site use probability of 0.55 (SE = 0.10, N = 39). With emerging perceived threats such as habitat fragmentation and loss, retaliatory killing, and poaching, it is recommended that the national park management adopt conservation measures that will enable a harmonious coexistence between humans and bears. Habitat enrichment with natural food resources for the bear, equipping communities with conflict preventive measures, and advocating local people on bear conservation are some of the measures that need to be adopted in the national park.

Keywords

Himalayan black bear, human-wildlife conflict, Protected Area, species conservation, Ursidae, Ursus thibetanus

Artice information

Received: 18.07.2019. Revised: 09.12.2019. Accepted: 10.12.2019.

The full text of the article
References

Ali A., Zhou Z., Waseem M., Khan M.F., Ali I., Asad M., Qashqaei A.T. 2017. An assessment of food habits and altitudinal distribution of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in the Western Himalayas, Pakistan. Journal of Natural History 51(11–12): 689–701. DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2017.1303097
Bargali H.S., Akhtar N., Chauhan N.P.S. 2005. Characteristics of sloth bear attacks and human casualties in North Bilaspur Forest Division, Chhattisgarh, India. Ursus 16(2): 263–267. DOI: 10.2192/1537-6176(2005)016[0263:COSBAA]2.0.CO;2
Burnham K.P., Anderson D.R. 2004. Multimodel inference: Understanding AIC and BIC in model selection. Sociological Methods and Research 33(2): 261–304. DOI: 10.1177/0049124104268644
Charoo S.A., Sharma L.K., Sathyakumar S. 2011. Asiatic black bear-human interactions around Dachigam National Park, Kashmir, India. Ursus 22(2): 106–113. DOI: 10.2307/41304062
Chauhan N.P.S. 2003. Human casualties and Human casualties and livestock depredation by black and brown bears in the Indian Himalaya, 1989–98. Ursus 14(1): 84–87.
CITES. 2016. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: The CITES Appendices. Retrieved: 10 January 2017 from UN Environment Programme. Geneva, Switzerland. Available from: http://www.cites.org
Escobar L.E., Awan M.N., Qiao H. 2015. Anthropogenic disturbance and habitat loss for the red-listed Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus): Using ecological niche modeling and nighttime light satellite imagery. Biological Conservation 191: 400–407. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.040
Fakhar-i-Abbas, Bhatti Z.I., Haider J., Mian A. 2015. Bears in Pakistan: Distribution , Population Biology and Human Conflicts. Journal of Bioresource Management 2(2): 1–13.
Fox J., Weisberg S. 2011. An {R} Companion to Applied Regression. Available from: http://socserv.socsci.mcmaster.ca/jfox/Books/Companion
FRMD. 2017. Land Use and Land Cover of Bhutan 2016, Maps and Statistics. Thimphu: Forests Resources Management Division. 28 p.
Garshelis D., Steinmetz R. 2016. Ursus thibetanus (errata version published in 2017). In: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22824A114252336. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22824A45034242.en
Hansen M.C., Potapov P.V., Moore R., Hancher M., Turubanova S.A., Tyukavina A., Thau D., Stehman S.V., Goetz S.J., Loveland T.R., Kommareddy A., Egorov A., Chini L., Justice C.O., Townshend J.R.G. 2013. High-Resolution Global Maps of 21st-Century Forest Cover Change. Science 342(6160): 850–853. DOI: 10.1126/science.1244693
Hazumi T. 1994. Status of Japanese black bear. International Conference on Bear Research and Management 9(1): 145–148.
Hines J.E. 2006. PRESENCE - Software to estimate patch occupancy and related parameters. Available from: https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/software/presence.html
Jamtsho Y., Wangchuk S. 2016. Assessing patterns of human-Asiatic black bear interaction in and around Wangchuck Centennial National Park, Bhutan. Global Ecology and Conservation 8: 183–189. DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2016.09.004
Joshi A.R., Garshelis D.L., Smith J.L.D. 1997. Seasonal and Habitat-Related Diets of Sloth Bears in Nepal. Journal of Mammalogy 78(2): 584–597. DOI: 10.2307/1382910
JSWNP. 2014a. Conservation management plan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. Trongsa: JSWNP. 23 p.
JSWNP. 2014b. Zoning for Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park. Trongsa: JSWNP. 7 p.
Letro L. 2016. Land Cover Change in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan: 1995–2010 and beyond. Trongsa: JSWNP. 12 p.
Liu F., McShea W.J., Garshelis D.L., Zhu X., Wang D., Shao L. 2011. Human-wildlife conflicts influence attitudes but not necessarily behaviors: Factors driving the poaching of bears in China. Biological Conservation 144(1): 538–547. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.10.009
MacKenzie D.I., Bailey L.L. 2004. Assessing the fit of site-occupancy models. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics 9(3): 300–318. DOI: 10.1198/108571104X3361
MacKenzie D.I., Nichols J.D., Lachman G.B., Droege S., Andrew J., Langtimm C.A. 2002. Estimating Site Occupancy Rates When Detection Probabilities Are Less Than One. Ecology 83(8): 2248–2255. DOI: 10.1890/0012-9658(2002)083[2248:ESORWD]2.0.CO;2
MacKenzie D.I., Nichols J.D., Sutton N., Kawanishi K., Bailey L.L. 2005. Improving inferences in population studies of rare species that are detected imperfectly. Ecology 86(5): 1101–1113. DOI: 10.1890/04-1060
MacKenzie D.I., Nichols J.D., Royle J.A., Pollock K.H., Bailey L.L., Hines J.E. 2006. Occupancy Estimation and Modeling: Inferring Patterns and Dynamics of Species Occurrence. Burlington, USA: Academic Press, Burlington. 324 p.
Mills J., Servheen C. 1994. The Asian Trade in Bears and Bear Parts : Impacts and Conservation Recommendations. Bears: Their Biology and Management 9(1994): 161–167.
NCD. 2004. Bhutan Biological Conservation Complex: A Landscape Conservation Plan - Way Forward. In: Secretary. Thimphu: Department of Forests and Park Services.
Ngoprasert D., Steinmetz R., Reed D.H., Savini T., Gale G.A. 2011. Influence of fruit on habitat selection of Asian bears in a tropical forest. Journal of Wildlife Management 75(3): 588–595. DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.83
QGIS Development Team. 2018. QGIS Geographic Information System. Open Source Geospatial Foundation Project. Available from: https://www.qgis.org
R Core Team. 2018. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Available from: https://www.r-project.org/
RGoB. 1995. Forests and Nature Conservation Act of Bhutan. Thimphu: Royal Government of Bhutan.
Sanderson J.J.G., Harris G. 2013. Automatic data organization, storage, and analysis of camera trap pictures. Journal of Indonesian Natural History 1(1): 11. DOI: 10.1890/0012-9623-91.3.352
Sangay T., Vernes K. 2008. Human-wildlife conflict in the Kingdom of Bhutan: Patterns of livestock predation by large mammalian carnivores. Biological Conservation 141(5): 1272–1282. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2008.02.027
Sathyakumar S. 2001. Status and management of Asiatic black bear and Himalayan brown bear in India. Ursus 12: 21–30. DOI: 10.2307/3873225
Servheen C., Herrero S., Peyton B., Pelletier K., Moll K., Moll J. 1999. Asiatic Black Bear Conservation Action Plan. In: C. Servheen, S. Herrero, B. Peyton, K. Pelletier, K. Moll, J. Moll (Eds.): Bears: status survey and conservation action plan. Gland: IUCN. P. 199–218.
Sethy J., Chauhan N. 2011. Use and Trade of Bear Body Parts: Impact and Conservation in Arunachal Pradesh State of India. International Journal of Bio-Resource and Stress Management 2(4): 409–415.
Sunar D., Chakraborty R., Sharma B.K., Ghose P.S., Bhutia P.T., Pradhan S. 2012. Status and Distribution of Asiatic Black Bear and the status of human-bear conflict in Senchal Wildlife Sanctury Darjeeling, West Bengal. New Delhi: WWF-India and West Bengal Forest Department, Wildlife Division I. DOI: 10.13140/2.1.1622.3526
Sunarto S., Kelly M.J., Parakkasi K., Klenzendorf S., Septayuda E., Kurniawan H. 2012. Tigers need cover: Multi-scale occupancy study of the big cat in Sumatran forest and plantation landscapes. PLoS ONE 7(1): e30859. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030859
Trent J.A. 2010. Ecology, Habitat Use and conservation of Asiatic black bears in the min mountains of Sichuan provence, China. MSc. Thesis. Blacksburg: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. 102 p.
Wang S.W., Macdonald D.W. 2006. Livestock predation by carnivores in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Biological Conservation 129(4): 558–565. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2005.11.024
Wang S.W., Curtis P.D., Lassoie J.P. 2006a. Farmer Perceptions of Crop Damage by Wildlife in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34(2): 359–365. DOI: 10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[359:FPOCDB]2.0.CO;2
Wang S.W., Lassoie J.P., Curtis P.D. 2006b. Farmer attitudes towards conservation in Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park, Bhutan. Environmental Conservation 33(2): 148–156. DOI: 10.1017/S0376892906002931
Wangchuk T., Thinley P., Tshering K., Yonten D., Pema B. 2004. A Field Guide to the Mammals of Bhutan (1st edition). Royal Goverment of Bhutan. 182 p.
Wickham H., François R., Henry L., Müller K. 2018. dplyr: A Grammar of Data Manipulation. Available from: https://cran.r-project.org/package=dplyr
Yadav B.P., Sathyakumar S, Bhatta S.R. 2009. Assessment of Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) Human conflicts at Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal. A report submitted to the International Association for Bear Research and Management, USA. 51 p.
Zeileis A., Hothorn T. 2002. Diagnostic Checking in Regression Relationships. R News 2(3): 7–10. Available from https://cran.r-project.org/doc/Rnews/