Publications by authors named "Ajay Karki"
Understanding factors influencing the spatio-temporal patterns of apex predators is prerequisite for their conservation. We studied space use and diel activity of tigers () in response to prey availability and anthropogenic activities with trail cameras in Nepal during December 2022-March 2023. We used hierarchical occupancy models to evaluate how prey availability (space use of prey species) and anthropogenic activities (number of humans and livestock) contributed to the tigers' space use, while accounting for landscape effects on their detection probability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMaintaining a healthy population of common leopards, a highly adaptive felid, requires updated information on their spatial occurrence. In Nepal's Tarai region, leopards coexist with tigers, which are well-studied felid throughout its range. However, knowledge is very scarce on the patterns of leopard occupancy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Human-wildlife conflicts in western Nepal, particularly involving elephants, leopards, and tigers, lead to human casualties and a negative perception of conservation efforts.
- A study analyzed 76 incidents of human deaths and injuries from 2019 to 2023, finding that tigers were responsible for 75% of attacks, predominantly occurring near forest edges during the day.
- To improve coexistence, strategies such as community patrols, habitat restoration, electric fencing, and insurance for local farmers were recommended to mitigate future conflicts.
Article Synopsis
- - A healthy ecosystem requires a balanced relationship between carnivores and their prey, which this study explores through the predator-prey power law equation in Nepal's lowland protected areas.
- - The study found that predator biomass density increases about three times for every five times the increase in prey biomass density, creating a lopsided biomass pyramid that supports the idea of predator reliance on prey.
- - By examining competition between predators, the research suggests that maintaining the power law exponent can help scientists better understand the growth patterns in ecological communities, leading to new research opportunities.
Article Synopsis
- Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) research in high-altitude areas is limited, but this study focuses on the Gaurishankar Conservation Area in Nepal, examining the rising conflict trends involving leopards and Himalayan black bears over the past decade.
- The analysis reveals that goats are the primary livestock attacked, with the Dolakha district reporting the most incidents, underlining the urgent need for mitigation strategies, as livestock attacks account for 85% of compensation claims.
- The study suggests various solutions to reduce conflicts, such as increasing prey populations, community education, and implementing insurance programs, highlighting the research's importance for local communities and biodiversity conservation.
Large mammals with general habitat needs can persist throughout mixed used landscapes, however, human-wildlife conflict frequently leads to their restriction to protected areas. Conservation efforts, especially for reducing conflicts with humans, can enhance tolerance of humans towards species like Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in human-dominated landscapes. Here, we examine how elephant use in the Chure Terai Madhesh Landscape (CTML) covering the entire elephant range of Nepal changed between 2012 and 2020 in relationship to protection status and environmental conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPopulation decline and extinction risk of river dolphins are primarily associated with flow alteration. Previous studies predominantly highlighted maintenance of adequate flow for low water seasons when habitats contract and the risk of local extinction escalates. Although river dolphins are sensitive to reduction in river flow, no studies quantify the relationships between flow and ecology of river dolphins to mitigate the potential adverse impacts of flow alteration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe snow leopard () found in central Asia is classified as vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Every year, large number of livestock are killed by snow leopards in Nepal, leading to economic loss to local communities and making human-snow leopard conflict a major threat to snow leopard conservation. We conducted formal and informal stakeholder's interviews to gather information related to livestock depredation with the aim to map the attack sites by the snow leopard.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There is currently very little available research on the habitat suitability, the influence of infrastructure on distribution, and the extent and connectivity of habitat available to the wild Asian elephant (). Information related to the habitat is crucial for conservation of this species.
Methods: In this study, we identified suitable habitat for wild Asian elephants in the Western Terai region of Nepal using Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) software.