Camera trapping reveals area of conservation significance for large and medium-sized on the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Y U X U ,BIN W ANG,XIAODONG G U ,DAZHAO S ONG and B IAO Y ANG

Abstract The eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, a glob- Keywords Camera trapping, carnivores, felids, bieti, al biodiversity hotspot, is threatened by habitat degra- mammals, threatened species, Tibetan Plateau, Xionglongxi dation. Conservation actions are required in this region, but Nature Reserve limited knowledge of large and medium-sized mammals is hampering conservation planning. Using  camera traps, we surveyed large and medium-sized mammals in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve and adjacent areas, Introduction on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, during Sep- he mountains of south-west , including the tember –May . We obtained , independent Hengduan, Nujiang Langcang Gorge and Qionglai- captures of  large and medium-sized species, T Minshan Mountains, are recognized as a global biodiversity including  that are globally threatened and  that are hotspot (Myers et al., ; Mittermeier et al., ). The nationally threatened in China. Carnivores were especially eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau forms part of the diverse, with  species recorded. Of particular significance Hengduan Mountains, and is a transitional zone between was our detection of seven felid species, including the leopard the subalpine forests of the Hengduan Mountains pardus and the snow leopard Panthera uncia. and the alpine scrublands and meadows of the Tibetan Our record of the Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti extends Plateau. The region features a complex topography and a the known range of this species. We documented new upper variety of vegetation types, including mixed conifer and elevation limits for eight species. There was elevational over- broad-leaved forests, subalpine conifer forests, alpine scrub- lap between the leopard and the snow leopard, suggesting lands, and meadows and tundra. It is believed to be rich potential competition between the two species. The grey in biodiversity, owing to species differentiation caused by wolf lupus and the leopard were the dominant preda- the orographic uplift of the Tibetan Plateau (Zhang et al., tors, and the woolly hare Lepus oiostolus and several species ). However, human activities are threatening the bio- of ungulates were the most frequently photographed prey diversity in the region. Although commercial logging and species. The study area maintains a significant community hunting have been banned following China’s Natural of large and medium-sized mammals, which is more di- Forest Conservation Programme in , forests are still the verse than in other areas on the eastern edge of the Tibetan primary source of wood for household use (e.g. for con- Plateau. We recommend the establishment of a larger na- struction, and fuel for cooking and heating), and many ture reserve of national protection status in the region of areas in the region are intensively used for grazing and the the Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve, to protect the gathering of food and traditional medicines (Brandt et al., unique subalpine and alpine ecosystems in this area. ). In addition, despite the remoteness of these areas, rapid economic development and human population growth have resulted in an increasing demand for infrastructure develop- ment and a rapid expansion of extractive (e.g. hydropower  YU XU*( orcid.org/0000-0002-9437-3267) School of Life Sciences, Guizhou and mining) and tourism industries (Brandt et al., ; Normal University, Guiyang, China Xinhua, ). These activities accelerate habitat loss and

BIN WANG Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resource Conservation fragmentation, and place biodiversity under increasing threat (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, , China throughout the region (Brandt et al., ; Zhao & Lu, ). XIAODONG GU Forestry and Bureau, , China The conservation of the region’s unique biodiversity requires

DAZHAO SONG China Felid Conservation Alliance, Chongqing, China dedicated efforts in research, conservation planning and

BIAO YANG† (Corresponding author) Key Laboratory of Southwest China implementation. Wildlife Resource Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal Large and medium-sized mammals, particularly carni- University, Nanchong 637002, China. E-mail [email protected] vores such as felids, are key indicators for biodiversity *Also at: School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Pingdingshan conservation and management (Dickman et al., ; Xiao University, Pingdingshan, China  †Also at: Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, China et al., ). Confirmed presence of large and/or medium- Received  August . Revision requested  November . sized mammal species provides insights into the community Accepted  April . composition and structure, and is an indicator of ecosystem

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, Downloadeddistribution, from https://www.cambridge.org/core and reproduction in any medium,. IP address: provided 170.106.202.126 the original work, ison properly 30 Sep 2021 cited. at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/termsOryx, Page 1 of 8 © The Author(s),. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 2 Y. Xu et al.

health (Hedwig et al., ). Mammals on the eastern edge traditional medicines. In particular, with the implementa- of the Tibetan Plateau have been studied since the mid tion of the Natural Forest Conservation Programme, grazing th century, when European and American explorers, may have become the most prevalent human disturbance in missionaries and expeditions entered the region to collect the area, as a result of incentives from local governments to specimens (Shi & Zhao, ). In the mid th century, develop alternative livelihoods to reduce timber harvesting. Chinese researchers began to investigate mammals in the area (Shi & Zhao, ). In particular, after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in , surveys were con- Methods ducted in the region (Wu et al., ; Peng et al., ; Shen, ), including two national surveys on terrestrial wildlife Camera trapping (State Forestry Administration, ; SCOL, ). Never- We conducted camera-trap surveys during September – theless, much of the region has yet to be surveyed and May . As the purpose of the study was to provide an knowledge of the diversity of large and medium-sized mam- initial species inventory, we prioritized capturing a high mals remains limited (Sichuan Observer, ;Chinanews, diversity of species over enabling statistical inference on po- ;Huetal.,; People.cn, ). Photographic records pulations (e.g. occupancy modelling). We installed camera of mammals are particularly scarce (Xiao et al., ). Other traps (Ltl Acorn / series, Zhuhai Ltl Acorn Elec- ecoregions in the hotspot, such as Qionglai-Minshan coni- tronics Co., Zhuhai, China, and Loreda L series, Shen- fer forests, have been studied more thoroughly and are known zhen Loreda Electronics Co., Shenzhen, China) in areas to harbour flagship species for conservation, including where high levels of wildlife activity had been reported by the giant panda melanoleuca and the golden staff of the Reserve and the Forestry Bureau. In total, we in- monkey Cercopithecus kandti. stalled  camera traps, placed on trails and ridge Here, we conducted camera-trap surveys of large and tops or near waterholes, at ,–, m altitude. Of the medium-sized mammals on the eastern edge of the Tibetan  camera traps, .% were placed in broadleaf forests, Plateau. Camera traps have become a valuable tool for wildlife .% in conifer forests, .% in scrubs and .%in surveys (Ancrenaz et al., ; Burton et al., ) and are meadows or tundra (Fig. b). The mean distance between effective in monitoring rare or elusive such as felids cameras was . ± SD . km. The cameras used infrared (Carbone et al., ). Camera trapping can form the basis lighting and operated continuously, with motion sensors of effective long-term monitoring of wildlife and can help set to trigger immediately and to take a sequence of three document population changes (Li et al., ;Burtonetal., photographs when movement was detected. The camera ). Our objectives were to compile a species inventory traps did not use white flash that may have a greater risk and provide an initial assessment of the relative abundance of startling animals. We collected the photographic data of species, to ascertain the potential importance of this area every – months. for conservation.

Data analysis Study area We defined large and medium-sized mammals as any mam- We conducted the study in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature mal species with a mean body mass . . kg (Bruce et al., Reserve and adjacent areas, in , Garzê ). We identified species based on Wang & Hu (), Tibetan , Sichuan Province, China. Peng & Zhong (), Smith & Xie () and Jiang et al. The area is located c.  km from Chengdu, the capital of (, ). We assessed species’ conservation significance   Sichuan Province (Fig. a) and covers , km ( km in on a global and national level according to the threat  the Reserve and , km in adjacent areas). It is character- categories assigned in the IUCN Red List (IUCN, ) ized by complex topography around the mid Yalong River and the Red List of China’s Vertebrates (Jiang et al., ), valleys. A monsoon-influenced humid continental climate respectively. and subarctic climate predominate, with cold and dry win- We calculated survey effort as the total number of cam- ters, and warm summers with frequent rain (Zhu & Xiang, era-trap days. We considered a single capture event as any ). The vegetation comprises meadows or tundra (.%), sequence for a given species taken .  minutes after the conifer forests (.%), scrubs (.%) and broadleaf for- previous sequence of that species at the same location ests (.%; National Forestry and Grassland Data Center, (O’Brien et al., ; Moo et al., ). We calculated the Sichuan Subcenter, ). Potentially harmful human activ- total number of independent capture events of individual ities include timber extraction for household use (e.g. for species (e.g. Moo et al., ) and the per cent of camera-trap construction, and fuel for cooking and heating), illegal stations at which each species was detected (e.g. Rovero hunting, livestock grazing, and the gathering of food and et al., ; Moo et al., ). We did not calculate relative

Oryx, Page 2 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 Mammals of the Tibetan Plateau 3

FIG. 1 (a) The study area in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve and adjacent areas, Xinlong County, Sichuan Province, China. The inset map illustrates the previously known range of the Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti. (b) Locations of camera traps. The locations of two camera traps are not shown because of errors in the recording of longitude and latitude data.

abundance indices suggested by Carbone et al. () and captures and identified  species of large and medium- O’Brien et al. (), because comparisons using this tech- sized mammals belonging to five orders and  families. nique are not statistically valid given significant variation Of the  species detected, two are categorized as En- in detectability between species and areas (Sollmann et al., dangered on the IUCN Red List, six as Vulnerable, and ; Burton et al., ; Anile & Devillard, ; Li et al., five as Near Threatened; four are categorized as Critically ). Endangered on the Red List of China’s Vertebrates, five as Endangered, six as Vulnerable, and seven as Near Threatened (Table ). Results Thirteen species occurred in all four habitats (broadleaf forest, conifer forest, scrubs, and meadow or tundra) over Of the  camera-trap locations,  failed to generate usable different elevations, and  occurred only in some habitats data because of camera malfunction or loss. Over a total (Table ). Of the latter, six species (the snow leopard of , camera-trap days, we obtained , independent Panthera uncia, Pallas’s cat Otocolobus manul, the blue

Oryx, Page 3 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Downloaded from .X tal. et Xu Y. 4 https://www.cambridge.org/core

TABLE 1 The large and medium-sized mammals camera-trapped in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve and adjacent areas, Xinlong County, Sichuan Province (Fig. ), China, during September –May , with their status on the IUCN Red List (IUCN, ) and the Red List of China’s Vertebrates (Jiang et al., ), previously known elevational limits, elevational range observed in the study area, per cent of camera-trap stations at which each species was detected, and the total number of independent capture events of each species in a total of ,

Oryx camera-trap days. ae4o 8 of 4 Page , . https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 IUCN China’s Previously known Elevational % of traps that Total no. of Red List Vertebrates elevational limits range Habitat recorded the independent Species (by order) status Red List status (m)1 observed (m) types2 species capture events . IPaddress: ©

h uhrs,22.Pbihdb abig nvriyPeso eafo an lr nentoa.doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 International. Flora & Fauna of behalf on Press University Cambridge by Published 2021. Author(s), The Primates Rhesus monkey Macaca mulatta LC LC 0–4,000 3,252–4,375 B, C, S, MT 0.41 184 170.106.202.126 Grey wolf Canis lupus LC NT 0–3,000 3,252–4,843 B, C, S, MT 0.58 646 Red vulpes LC NT 0–4,500 3,105–4,865 B, C, S, MT 0.61 538 Ursidae , on Brown arctos LC VU 0–5,000 3,615–4,135 C, S 0.12 22

30 Sep2021 at19:07:39 Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus VU VU 0–4,300 3,521–4,208 B, C, S 0.07 16 Siberian Mustela sibirica LC LC 0–4,875 3,450–4,375 B, C, S, MT 0.18 51 Altai weasel Mustela altaica NT NT 80–4,900 4,068 C 0.01 2 Northern hog Arctonyx albogularis LC NT 0–4,300 3,686–4,824 B, C, MT 0.06 12 Asian badger leucurus LC NT 0–3,205 3,904 C 0.01 1

, subjectto theCambridgeCore termsofuse,available at Yellow-throated Martes flavigula LC NT 0–4,510 3,105–4,310 B, C, S, MT 0.34 113 Leopard Panthera pardus VU EN 0–5,200 3,120–4,360 B, C, S, MT 0.44 130 Snow leopard Panthera uncia VU EN 500–5,800 4,765–4,865 S, MT 0.06 27 Eurasian Lynx lynx LC EN 0–5,500 3,840–4,813 C, S, MT 0.09 14 Asiatic golden cat temminckii NT CR 0–3,960 3,784–4,241 C, S 0.07 12 Leopard cat bengalensis LC VU 0–3,240 (4,4743) 3,120–4,388 B, C, S, MT 0.31 102 Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti VU CR 2,500–5,000 3,838–4,026 C 0.03 8 Pallas’scatOtocolobus manul NT EN 450–5,050 4,787–4,824 MT 0.02 3 Cetartiodactyla Suidae Wild boar Sus scrofa LC LC 0–? 3,105–4,813 B, C, S, MT 0.50 218 Moschidae Forest musk deer Moschus berezovskii EN CR 2,000–3,800 3,345–4,179 B, C, S 0.08 84 Alpine musk deer Moschus chrysogaster EN CR 2,000–5,000 3,471–4,397 C, S, MT 0.09 33 Cervidae Tufted deer Elaphodus cephalophus NT VU 300–4,750 3,252–4,375 B, C, S, MT 0.36 513 Sambar Rusa unicolor VU NT 0–3,900 3,252–4,208 B, C, S, MT 0.45 715 Wapiti Cervus canadensis LC EN 0–5,000 4,322–4,600 S, MT 0.05 20 Mammals of the Tibetan Plateau 5

sheep Pseudois nayaur, the wapiti Cervus canadensis, the Himalayan marmot Marmota himalayana and the Altai weasel Mustela altaica) were recorded only in alpine habitat above , m(Table ). We recorded new upper elevation limits for eight species: the Asiatic golden cat Catopuma Total no. of independent capture events temminckii (, m), the grey wolf Canis lupus (, m), the red fox Vulpes vulpes (, m), the northern Arctonyx albogularis (, m), the sambar Rusa unicolor (, m), the forest musk deer Moschus berezovskii (, m), the Malayan porcupine Hystrix brachyura (, m) and the rhesus monkey Macaca mulatta (, m). % of traps that recorded the species The order with the largest number of species recorded was carnivores (), followed by ungulates (). Within car- nivores, felids were the most diverse, with seven species

2 recorded. The per cent of camera traps that detected a spe- cies, and the total number of independent capture events, Habitat types were highest for two canines, the grey wolf and the red fox, followed by two felids, the leopard Panthera pardus and the leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, and one mus- telid, the yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula (Table ). 3950 B, S 0.04 17 4,388 B, C, S, MT 0.61 296 4,865 C, MT4,388 C, S 0.18 0.02 303 3 4,1704,865 B, C, S, MT B, C, S, MT 0.24 0.41 116 1,554 – – – – – – Among the herbivorous species, the per cent of camera traps that detected a species was highest for the Chinese serow Elevational range observed (m) Capricornis milneedwardsii, but the woolly hare Lepus oios- tolus had the highest number of independent capture events. Other herbivorous species that were detected by a high per cent of camera traps or had a high number of independent capture events were ungulates such as the sambar, the tufted ? 3,471 5,5005,500 4,048 4,289 5,400 3,105 – – – –  1 deer Elaphodus cephalophus and the blue sheep (Table ). 4,500 3,252 1,600 3,252 – – Previously known elevational limits (m)

Discussion

s Using camera trapping, we surveyed large and medium- ’ sized mammals in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve

China Vertebrates Red List status and adjacent areas, on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Our record of  large and medium-sized mammal species, including  globally threatened species and  spe- cies nationally threatened in China, is higher compared to other areas on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, high- VU VU 1,600 IUCN Red List status NT VU 0 LC LC 2,500 LC LC 2,900 LC LC ? LC LC 2,500 lighting the significant conservation value of this area. We recorded diverse carnivore species; of particular significance was our detection of seven felid species (.% of the felid species occurring in China). This is the highest documented

). presence of felid species at the county level in China (Smith & Xie, ) and is high also compared with other areas of  the world (Sunquist & Sunquist, ), indicating a globally significant felid community. ). Marmota himalayana Hystrix brachyura Our detection of two cryptic, nocturnal species, the  Capricornis milneedwardsii

Naemorhedus griseus Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti and the Asian badger Lepus oiostolus Pseudois nayaur .) Meles leucurus, marks the first record of both species on the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau. The record of the Cont Chinese mountain cat is particularly important, because it extends the previously known range of this species by Chinese goral Chinese serow Blue sheep Himalayan marmot Malayan porcupine Woolly hare B, broadleaf forests; C, conifer forests; S, scrubs; MT, meadows or tundra. According to Chakraborty et al. ( According to IUCN (  Species (by order) Bovidae Table 1 (    Rodentia Sciuridae Hystricidae Lagomorpha c. km to the south, from the north-eastern edge to the

Oryx, Page 5 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 6 Y. Xu et al.

eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau (Fig. ; Riordan et al., compared to some threatened species such as the leop- ). We recorded the Asiatic golden cat, the grey wolf, ard. There are four subspecies of brown bear in China, and the sambar, the forest musk deer and the Malayan porcu- the one detected in our study is the Tibetan subspecies Ursus pine in alpine areas above , m, where they had not arctos pruinosus, which is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau previously been observed (IUCN, ). In addition, we (Ma et al., ). This subspecies was previously estimated detected the northern hog badger, for which the previous- to have a small population (,–, individuals; Ma ly recorded upper elevation limit was , m (Helgen & et al., ), but its current population status is unknown Chan, ), in tundra habitat at , m. The high-ele- (McLellan et al., ). Further studies are needed to exam- vation records of these species suggest their versatility and ine the distribution and population density of this subspe- adaptability across diverse habitats. Climate change may cies at a large scale. also push these species to higher elevations. The woolly hare and ungulates such as the sambar, the Leopards commonly live below the tree line (Roberts, tufted deer, the Chinese serow and the blue sheep were the ;Green,), although they have been recorded at al- main prey species recorded in the study area. The woolly titudes of up to , m in the Himalayas (Stein et al., ). hare was the most dominant and is probably integral to the In our survey, we obtained independent captures of leopards high-mountain food chains, consuming considerable quan- in rocky, mountainous areas at ,–, m, where snow tities of plant matter and providing food for large carnivores leopards are likely to occur (McCarthy et al., ), suggest- such as the grey wolf and the leopard (Werhahn et al., ). ing that the two leopard species share territory. However, we The prey base appears adequate to support large carnivores, did not record snow leopards below , m. Competition but local people reported frequent livestock depredation by may arise when the two leopard species occur sympatrically, large predators such as the grey wolf and the leopard. Given because they are approximately the same size and have com- the potential implications of negative human–wildlife inter- parable food requirements (Lovari et al., ; Shao et al., actions (Graham et al., ;Xuetal.,), we recommend ). It is possible that, because of climate change, the that further studies are conducted in the area, to determine upper forest limit has shifted to higher altitudes, where the level of livestock depredation and examine any conflicts. both leopard species occur. Consequently, the cold-adapted snow leopards could be confined to more barren, rocky habitats at higher altitudes as the more ecologically flexible Conclusion leopards expand their territory (Lovari et al., ; Buzzard et al., ). Our survey provides important evidence to support con- We did not record some of the species that, according to servation efforts in Xionglongxi Provincial Nature Reserve the literature (Wang & Hu, ; Peng et al., ), occur in and adjacent areas. Further camera trapping should cover the study area, including the Tibetan fox Vulpes ferrilata, a wider elevational range and a variety of microhabitats, to the Cuon alpinus, the beech marten Martes foina, increase the probability of detecting species that we did the Tibetan gazelle Procapra picticaudata, the argali Ovis not record but that may occur in the area. Given that leo- ammon and Milne-Edwards’ macaque Macaca thibetana. pards may have expanded their range into that of snow leo- The Tibetan fox and the Tibetan gazelle prefer open grass- pards, we also recommend that interspecific relationships land habitats. Given that our cameras were deployed in between these two species are examined further. Livestock only some isolated patches of meadows or tundra around depredation by leopards should be evaluated, and strategies forests and scrubs (Fig. b), we were unable to confirm for compensating herders for losses should be developed, whether these two species occur in the study area. Local peo- to support the conservation of this species. In addition, we ple reported that they had observed beech and arga- recommend that the protection status of the area should lis recently, but had not seen any , or even traces of be upgraded. Xionglongxi is currently a provincial nature them, for many years. They also did not mention observing reserve aiming mainly to protect wetland ecosystems; we Milne-Edwards’ macaque. Further camera trapping that cov- propose that a larger and national-level nature reserve ers a wider elevational range and a variety of microhabitats is should be established in the region of Xionglongxi Pro- needed to ascertain the presence of these species in the area. vincial Nature Reserve, to protect subalpine and alpine eco- The patterns for the per cent of camera traps that systems, with a focus on felids of conservation concern detected a species and the total number of independent and with the threatened leopard and snow leopard as flag- capture events were similar for most species. When a species ship species. occurred at more locations, the capture rate was generally higher. The grey wolf and the leopard were the most dom- Acknowledgements This work was supported logistically and financially by Sichuan Station of Wildlife Survey and Management, inant large predators. The brown bear Ursus arctos, how- Chengdu Leique Eco-environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd. ever, although widespread across much of northern Eurasia and Xinlong Forestry Bureau. Additional financial support was pro- (McLellan et al., ), was detected relatively rarely, even vided by the Joint Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation

Oryx, Page 6 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 Mammals of the Tibetan Plateau 7

of China and the Karst Science Research Center of Guizhou Province mosaic of the Batéké Plateau National Park, Gabon. African Journal (Grant No. U1812401), and the Doctoral Foundation of Guizhou of Ecology, , –. Normal University (Grant No. 2016). We thank Yang Xiang and Li HELGEN,K.&CHAN,B.() Arctonyx albogularis. In The IUCN Red Zhou from Xinlong Forestry Bureau, and Dunwu Qi from Chengdu List of Threatened Species : e.TA. dx.doi.org/ Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, for support during fieldwork. ./IUCN.UK.-.RLTS.TA.en [accessed  January ]. Author contributions Study design: BY, YX, XG; fieldwork: DS, BY; HU, X., LI, J., LUO, X., ZEWENGTAXU,CHEN, X., ZHANG, L. et al. data analysis, writing: YX, BW, DS, BY. () Preliminary survey of mammal and biodiversity using camera traps in the Yading National Nature Reserve of Sichuan Conflicts of interest None. Province, China. Acta Theriologica Sinica, , –. IUCN () The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version -. Ethical standards This research was approved by Sichuan Station of iucnredlist.org [accessed  April ]. Wildlife Survey and Management, and abided by the Oryx guidelines JIANG, Z., MA, Y., WU, Y., WANG, Y., FENG, Z., ZHOU, K. et al. () on ethical standards. China’s mammalian diversity. Biodiversity Science, , –. JIANG, Z., JIANG, J., WANG, Y., ZHANG, E., ZHANG, Y., LI, L. et al. () Red List of China’s vertebrates. Biodiversity Science, References , –. JIANG, Z., LIU, S., WU, Y., JIANG,X.&ZHOU,K.() China’s ANCRENAZ, M., HEARN, A.J., ROSS, J., RAHEL,S.&WILTING,A. mammal diversity (nd edition). Biodiversity Science, , –. () Handbook for Wildlife Monitoring Using Camera Traps. LI, S., WANG, D.J., XIAO, Z.S., LI, X.H., WANG, T.M., FENG, L.M. & BBEC II Secretariat, Sabah, Malaysia. WANG,Y.() Camera-trapping in wildlife research and ANILE,S.&DEVILLARD,S.() Study design and body mass conservation in China: review and outlook. Biodiversity Science, influence RAIs from camera trap studies: evidence from the Felidae. , –. Animal Conservation, , –. LI, S., WANG, D.J., BU, H.L., LIU, X.G. & JIN,T.() BRANDT, J.S., KUEMMERLE, T., LI, H., REN, G., ZHU,J.&RADELOFF, Camera-trapping survey on the mammal diversity of Laohegou V.C. () Using Landsat imagery to map forest change in Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province. Acta Theriologica Sinica, southwest China in response to the national logging ban and , –. ecotourism development. Remote Sensing of Environment, LOVARI, S., VENTIMIGLIA,M.&MINDER,I.() Food habits of two , –. leopard species, competition, climate change and upper treeline: BRUCE, T., AMIN, R., WACHER, T., FANKEM, O., NDJASSI, C., NGO a way to the decrease of an endangered species? Ethology Ecology BATA, M. et al. () Using camera trap data to characterise & Evolution, , –. terrestrial larger-bodied mammal communities in different MA, Y.Q., XU,L.&HU, J.C. () On the resources and conservation management sectors of the Dja Faunal Reserve, Cameroon. of in China. Life Science Research, , –. African Journal of Ecology, , –. MCCARTHY, T., MALLON, D., JACKSON, R., ZAHLER,P.& BURTON, A.C., NEILSON, E., MOREIRA, D., LADLE, A., STEENWEG, R., MCCARTHY,K.() Panthera uncia. In The IUCN Red List of , J.T. et al. () Wildlife camera trapping: a review and Threatened Species : e.TA. dx.doi.org/./ recommendations for linking surveys to ecological processes. IUCN.UK.-.RLTS.TA.en [accessed  January Journal of Applied Ecology, , –. ]. BUZZARD, P.J., LI,X.&BLEISCH,W.V.() The status of snow MCLELLAN, B.N., PROCTOR, M.F., HUBER,D.&MICHEL,S.() leopards Panthera uncia, and high altitude use by common leopards Ursus arctos (amended version of  assessment). In The IUCN Red P. pardus, in north-west Yunnan, China. Oryx, , –. List of Threatened Species : e.TA. dx.doi.org/. CARBONE, C., CHRISTIE, S., CONFORTI, K., COULSON, T., FRANKLIN, /IUCN.UK.-.RLTS.TA.en [accessed N., GINSBERG, J.R. et al. () The use of photographic rates to  January ]. estimate densities of tigers and other cryptic mammals. Animal MITTERMEIER, R.A., GIL, P., HOFFMANN, M., PILGRIM, J., BROOKS,T., Conservation, , –. MITTERMEIER, C.G. et al. () Hotspots Revisited: Earth’s CHAKRABORTY, R., NAHMO, L.T., UPADHYAY,J.&MEDHI,K.() Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions. High elevation record of the leopard cat in Bhagajang wetland Conservation International, CEMEX, Mexico City, Mexico. complex, India. CATnews, , –. MOO, S.S.B., FROESE, G.Z.L. & GRAY, T.N.E. () First structured CHINANEWS () Leopard was photographed for the first time camera-trap surveys in Karen State, Myanmar, reveal high diversity in the Chaqingsongduo Nature Reserve, Baiyu County, Sichuan. of globally threatened mammals. Oryx, , –. Chinanews. chinanews.com/gn//-/.shtml [accessed MYERS, N., MITTERMEIER, R., MITTERMEIER, C., DA FONSECA,G.&  January ]. KENT,J.() Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. DICKMAN, A.J., HINKS, A.E., MACDONALD, E.A., BURNHAM,D.& Nature, , –. MACDONALD, D.W. () Priorities for global felid conservation. NATIONAL FORESTRY AND GRASSLAND DATA CENTER,SICHUAN Conservation Biology, , –. SUBCENTER () The Forest Inventory Database of Sichuan GRAHAM, K., BECKERMAN, A.P. & THIRGOOD,S.() Human– Province in . sc.forestdata.cn/web/square/industry// predator–prey conflicts: ecological correlates, prey losses and [accessed  November ]. patterns of management. Biological Conservation, , –. O’BRIEN, T.G., KINNAIRD, M.F. & WIBISONO, H.T. () Crouching GREEN, M.J.B. () The Conservation Status of the Leopard, Goral tigers, hidden prey: Sumatran tiger and prey populations in a and Serow in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Northern India and Southern tropical forest landscape. Animal Conservation, , –. Tibet. IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK. PENG, J.T. & ZHONG, X.Q. () A Guide to Identification and HEDWIG, D., KIENAST, I., BONNET, M., CURRAN, B.K., COURAGE, A., Conservation of Wild Mammals in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous BOESCH, C. et al. () A camera trap assessment of the forest Prefecture of Sichuan Province. Sichuan Scientific and Technical mammal community within the transitional savannah-forest Publishers, Chengdu, China.

Oryx, Page 7 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319 8 Y. Xu et al.

PENG, J.T., ZHOU, H.M. & LIU,W.() Investigation on SOLLMANN, R., MOHAMED, A., SAMEJIMA,H.&WILTING,A.() mammal and fauna in Ganzi Prefecture in Hengduan Mountains, Risky business or simple solution – Relative abundance indices from southeast of -Tibet Plateau. Sichuan Journal of Zoology, camera-trapping. Biological Conservation, , –. , –. STATE FORESTRY ADMINISTRATION () National Survey of Key PEOPLE.CN () Camera traps reveal the hidden world around us. Terrestrial Wildlife Resources in China. China Forestry Publishing People.cn. sc.people.com.cn/n///c-.html House, Beijing, China. [accessed  January ]. STEIN, A.B., ATHREYA, V., GERNGROSS, P., BALME, G., HENSCHEL,P., RIORDAN, P., SANDERSON, J., BAO, W., ABDUKADIR,A.&SHI,K. KARANTH, U. et al. () Panthera pardus (amended version of  () Felis bieti. In The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species : assessment). In The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species : e.TA. dx.doi.org/./IUCN.UK.-.RLTS. e.TA. dx.doi.org/./IUCN.UK.-.RLTS. TA.en [accessed  June ]. TA.en [accessed  January ]. ROBERTS, T.J. () The Mammals of Pakistan. Ernest Benn Ltd., SUNQUIST,M.&SUNQUIST,F.() Wild Cats of the World. London, UK. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, USA. ROVERO, F., MARTIN, E., ROSA, M., AHUMADA, J.A. & SPITALE,D. WANG, Y.Z. & HU, J.C. () The Colour Pictorial Handbook () Estimating species richness and modelling habitat of Mammals in Sichuan. China Forestry Publishing House, preferences of tropical forest mammals from camera trap data. Beijing, China. PLOS ONE, ,e. WERHAHN, G., KUSI, N., LI, X., CHEN, C., ZHI, L., LÁZARO MARTÍN, SCOL () The survey of terrestrial wildlife in Garzê and Aba R. et al. () Himalayan wolf foraging ecology and the importance autonomous prefectures has been finished, and some species that of wild prey. Global Ecology and Conservation, ,e. have not been seen for many years were rediscovered. SCOL. WU, Y., YU, Z.W. & PENG, J.T. () Note on survey of wildlife sichuan.scol.com.cn/fffy/content/-//content_.htm? resources in Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan node= [accessed  July ]. Province. Sichuan Journal of Zoology, , . SICHUAN OBSERVER () More than ten rare wildlife were XIAO, Z.S., LI, X.Y., XIANG, Z.F., LI, M., JIANG, X.L. & ZHANG, L.B. photographed by camera traps in , Sichuan. () Overview of the mammal diversity observation network of Sichuan Observer. cbgc.scol.com.cn/news/ [accessed Sino BON. Biodiversity Science, , –.  January ]. XINHUA () The construction of ecological civilization in the SHAO, X., SONG, D., HUANG, Q., LI,S.&YAO,M.() Species Tibetan Plateau. Xinhua. xinhuanet.com/-//c_. identification and molecular diet analysis of carnivores based htm [accessed  January ]. on fecal DNA and metabarcoding. Biodiversity Science, XU, Y., YANG,B.&DOU,L.() Local villagers’ perceptions of , –. wolves in County, western China. PeerJ, ,e. SHEN,X.() The role of Tibetan traditional cultures in biodiversity ZHANG, B.P., CHENG, X.D., LI, B.L. & YAO, Y.H. () Biodiversity conservation in western China. PhD Dissertation, Peking University, and conservation in the Tibetan Plateau. Journal of Geographical Beijing, China. Sciences, , –. SHI, B.N. & ZHAO, E.M. () Fauna of Sichuan (Overview). Sichuan ZHAO,F.&LU,T.() Ecological effects of roads on land use and People’s Publishing House, Chengdu, China. landscape pattern in Eastern Tibetan Plateau, China. Ecological SMITH, A.T. & XIE,Y.() A Guide to the Mammals of Science, , –. China. Hunan Educational Publishing House, Changsha, ZHU, S.Q. & XIANG,Y.() Xionglongxi Nature Reserve. Green China. Tianfu, , –.

Oryx, Page 8 of 8 © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International. doi:10.1017/S0030605320000319 Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.202.126, on 30 Sep 2021 at 19:07:39, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605320000319