CARNIVORE CONNECTION December 2017 This month, travel with us to Welcome! DecemberIndia, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka! Anthony J. Giordano Founder & Director An opening word from the director... Dear S.P.E.C.I.E.S. Nation, fighting to hold the southern boundary shed light on the ecology of the world’s obscure of the jaguar’s distribution and develop canid species, many of which are threatened; I am very pleased to bring this long-awaited strategies to reverse deforestation in the our effort to support local biologists dedicated inaugural newsletter to you, what I hope planet’s most rapidly disappearing biome, to protecting some the of which are threatened; our effort to support local biologists dedicated is the first of many such communications or Project Neofelis, the most encompassing to protecting some the world’s cryptic small to come from us. For many years now, and ambitious program to map and protect carnivores; and finally, our commitment to S.P.E.C.I.E.S. has operated quietly in the populations of the world’s two clouded mitigating the causes of most carnivore shadows and without much fanfare, doing leopard species, we purposely occupy those population and habitat declines at their source: our best and working our hardest to protect big spaces and gaps in many of the world’s the looming global economic and agricultural Featured News 4 the world’s carnivores and secure their conservation efforts to magnify our impact. drivers of habitat loss, and the resultant processes future conservation. This has allowed us Our strategies are thoughtful and reflective, which inevitably undermine the coexistence of local carnivore and human populations. Now to focus on developing relationships with as are the reasons we establish any program more than ever our diverse ideas and strategies, The Western Ghats of India: key partners and stakeholders, build upon anywhere, and always circle back to one scientific platform, and integrative approach, are Updates from the Field 6 our own early incremental successes, and major driving question: How can we make needed to protect these species, and we ask Conserving a Biodiversity Hotspot establish a track record and brand that a difference? For example, we account for all of you for your support. By supporting us, I couldn’t be prouder of. Most recently, the accomplishments and investments of you are supporting not only our direct efforts to our achievements have begun to receive the many laudatory achievements among advance carnivore conservation in more than Does Taiwan want to see greater public attention, and our reputation today’s diverse conservation institutions a dozen countries where we work, you’re also on the world conservation stage is now and efforts. A comprehensive knowledge of supporting our partners and partnerships, the clouded leopards again? students we mentor, the trusted relationships Species Spotlight 8 our most valuable commodity. We are not this landscape helps to guide our program we have with international governments, the First we need to ask! a large organization with a tremendous goals and objectives, and influence how heroes often putting their lives on the line… and operating budget, trying to tackle all the we choose our partners, which are as much the critical ecological role that carnivores play world’s biggest conservation challenges. a part of our successes as we are. Rather in the health of ecosystems sustaining us all. The Sri Lankan Jackal But nor are we a niche organization; despite than shy away from mention of these our declared focus on protecting and partners, we’ll be highlighting them in future Keeping up with SPECIES 9 securing viable carnivore populations and newsletters, as they help to define us as Most Sincerely, communities far into the future, studying much as the commitment exhibited by our Anthony J. Giordano, M.Sc., Ph.D. the interactions between carnivores and the staff, volunteers, and interns. And if you Executive Director & Chief Conservation Officer ecosystems they depend on takes us to the have an interest beyond cats, big and small, S.P.E.C.I.E.S. SPECIES in the News 10 frontlines of conservation across the world, which admittedly are an important part of journeying into some of the world’s most our program, stay tuned for news about all threatened and endangered ecological of the following: our work to protect sun regions, and tackling issues at scales large bears and sloth bears in southern Asia; and small. Whether through our Chaco our efforts here in the U.S. to protect the Jaguar Conservation Project, where we’re Endangered Species Act; our new push to 2 / CARNIVORE CONNECTION CARNIVORE CONNECTION / 3 The Western Ghats of India: FEATURE STORY: Western Ghats The Western Ghats of India Conserving a Biodiversity Hotspot Image: Ramesh Tharmalingam the predator-prey dynamics of carnivores, and how they exist together in the ecosystem. During this study they expected, and found, that large carnivores such as the tiger were preying on large bodied prey such as gaur and sambar while medium sized predators, Resource partitioning in large carnivores of India is largely mediated by activity and spatial use of their principal prey. This understanding of the way in which ecosystems function is important to developing conservation management strategies, Ramesh states. “Tiger, Ghats, and explains the importance of As the natural habitat of carnivore species is leopard and dhole are three of the main preserving carnivores that inhabit this area. reduced due to deforestation or agricultural keystone species in the landscape expansion, they look elsewhere for prey. in Western Ghats, and they are A range of threats are facing these species “They sometimes go out of the boundaries mainly found in undisturbed habitat.” in the Western Ghats. Habitat loss and the of protected reserves and they look for Since much of the region is under fragmentation of forest areas are considerable, livestock,” Ramesh says. “When they kill pressure from fragmentation, there as is the global skin market. “Mainly tigers livestock the local people poison the are potentially huge effects occurring and leopards are hunted for their skin and carcasses and try to kill the predators. We within the ecosystems. “When you for traditional Chinese medicine – they have are trying to understand the ecological lose the habitat, indirectly you lose the highest value on the market.” Ramesh impacts of this on large carnivores, the prey species, when you lose these explains. A recent report by TRAFFIC, the and also the human perception and species it makes huge changes which wildlife trade monitoring network, found that attitude towards carnivore conservation.” affect the carnivores as they are very there has been no decline in tiger poaching. sensitive to ecosystem changes.” Between 2000 and 2015, a total of 801 tiger “Primarily we will be doing population studies seizures were reported across 13 tiger range to see how the species are distributed, what countries, equivalent to at least 1,755 tigers. human factors are causing disturbance, and how large carnivores such as the “S.P.E.C.I.E.S. aims to The Asiatic wild dog faces a different kind of tiger respond to these disturbances. Our encourage conservation The Western Ghats region of India is found here. “We also have so many other threat. “The population of this species was project will try to understand the conflicts one of the most important areas for the endemic birds, mammals and the highest once very good, but now the population is between humans and wildlife, and how in ecologically The Western Ghats, India we can mitigate them.” Developing an conservation of biodiversity. It’s recognized populations of Asian elephants in India, going down because of a virus that is being outreach and educational programme vulnerable areas where Image: Ramesh Tharmalingam as an UNESCO world heritage site and and in fact the whole of Asia!” says Ramesh. transmitted from domestic dogs to wild ones.” to help mitigate the ensuing conflict is a noted as one of the world’s eight “hottest wildlife and local S.P.E.C.I.E.S.’s work in the Western Ghats will key element of the S.P.E.C.I.E.S project. hotspots” of biological diversity. Within Despite this wealth of biodiversity, the aim to understand how habitat loss impacts people often come into this mountainous area, which covers region is under threat due to exploitation these carnivore species and their prey, with Ramesh has over 14 years’ experience of conflict around 140,000km2 and stretches some of the rich natural environment. the ultimate goal of creating a manageable studying carnivores in India and South ” 1,600 km through India, there are at “This area is highly fragmented for conservation strategy. Directly linked to Africa. In his homeland of India he undertook least 325 globally threatened species. various agricultural activities,” Ramesh this are steps to lessen human-wildlife studies which looked into the effect of continues. “Coffee plantations, tea conflict, another source of species decline. human disturbance on large carnivores Through increasing existing knowledge “There are very good populations of plantations and more have huge impacts across Western Ghats. “India is one of the of the threats facing the carnivores large carnivores in the Western Ghats,” on habitat loss and fragmentation.” While the designation of areas as tiger most highly populated countries in the in the Western Ghats, S.P.E.C.I.E.S. Dr. Ramesh Tharmalingam says. He is a reserves is a positive step, Ramesh points world, so it is important to study how these aims to encourage conservation in researcher and conservationist working S.P.E.C.I.E.S will soon begin working out that lack of connectivity between reserve carnivores are responding to growing ecologically vulnerable areas where with S.P.E.C.I.E.S in the Western Ghats.