Forums | HES 健康与环境科学

09 October 2023, 11:23 AM

Speaker: Peiyun Li

Date: 2023-10-11

Time: 14:00-14:30 pm

Room: ES354

Online link:

https://meeting.tencent.com/dm/cHLE02oBtSPP

Meeting ID: 664-4757-0489

Title: Top predator as conservation tools: the effectiveness evaluation of using surrogate to protect sympatric species

Abstract:

Prioritizing conservation funds and efforts towards charismatic umbrella species as surrogates for sympatric species protection is a common practice in many regions of the world. However, the practical value of surrogate species conservation is rarely evaluated quantitatively based on species-specific environment requirements at an appropriate spatial scale. Snow leopards (Panthera uncia), as umbrella and flagship species in Asian high mountain ecosystems, their habitat requirements have been broadly studied in recent years, while the effectiveness of using them as conservation surrogates for other sympatric mammals remains unclear. We used long-term systematic camera trap surveys in snow leopard landscapes on the Tibetan Plateau to investigate the different habitat requirements of each mammal species and tried to understand whether snow leopard habitat protection would benefit for the overall mammal richness. We found that due to the snow leopard’s association with areas of high altitude, high small mammal abundance, and less forest-shrubland cover, only a small fraction of other species shared similar habitat needs. The enhancement of habitat quality for snow leopards would have limited benefit for the entire mammal community but provides some benefit for endemic species. Our research sheds light on other regions where most conservation resources went to a few flagship species. A conservation strategy of selecting multiple surrogate species based on their habitat similarity to other species should be recommended as showcased in this study.