The larger mammals and their endangered habitats in the silent valley forests of South India

A study has been made of the population ecology of large mammals of Silent Valley and contiguous forests of South India. The vegetation of Silent Valley and Attapadi forests are mostly west coast tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen types. In the adjoining forests Nilambur and Nilgiris, the vegetation is southern secondary moist mixed deciduous and southern montane wet temperature, respectively. Silent Valley and its contiguous forests harbour 25 species of large and medium-sized mammals, including two endangered endemic species and many others that are endangered and protected. The lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr and tiger were sighted in and around the submergence area of the proposed Silent Valley hydroelectric project. If constructed, the impact of this dam on the populations of larger mammals in the area would be severe.     

Human–wildlife conflict and attitude of local people towards conservation of wildlife in Chebera Churchura National Park,Ethiopia

Human–wildlife conflict is a serious challenge undermining the integrity of protected areas in developing countries. Developing effective human–wildlife conflict mitigation strategies requires an understanding of the conflict patterns, species involved and attitudes of local people living along protected area boundaries. We hypothesised that (1) there was a high level of human–wildlife conflict and (2) the local people would have less favourable attitudes towards problematic wild animals. We assessed patterns of human–wildlife conflict and attitudes of local people along the boundary of Chebera Churchura National Park, Ethiopia from 2012 to 2014. A total of 354 households were selected randomly for interview. A questionnaire survey, focus group discussions and direct field observations were carried out in the selected villages. The major types of human?wildlife conflict in the area include crop raiding, livestock predation, increased risk of livestock diseases and direct threats to human life. A majority of the respondents (68.1%) faced crop damage and domestic animal loss, 12.3% reported threat to humans and 0.3% reported that the wildlife might cause diseases. Close proximity of the villages to the park and seasons influenced livestock predation intensity with highest predation in the wet season (56.0%). To mitigate these problems, the local people utilised various traditional methods, including guarding. Most respondents had positive attitudes towards the conservation of wildlife. However, as the frequency of conflicts increased in the last five years, the attitudes of local people might change. Active measures are to be implemented to mitigate the problem and safeguard the future of the wildlife around the park. The park has enormous potential to benefit more local people by implementing a participatory management approach to conservation.