Status of Corridors in Terai Arc Landscape, India: Implications for Conservation Management of Large Mammals

Naveen Moorthy & Ramesh Krishnamurthy Landscape Ecology of Large Mammals in the Shivalik-Terai Landscape with Focus on Flagship Species and Ecosystem Services

Terai Arc Landscape (TAL)

India Nepal Shivalik-Terai Landscape (TAL) : India

West bank of Yamuna to Valmiki TR 900 km long and 50-60 km wide Covers 42,700 km2 (15000 km2 forest area) In five states (HP, HR, UK, UP & BR) Four TR’s and over 20 Forest Divisions

Nepal India Shivalik Terai Landscape : Composition

Shivalik Range (Mixed Forest)

Bhabar Tract (Dry Woodlands)

Terai Forests (Moist Woodland-Grassland mosaic) Key Mammals in Shivalik Terai Landscape

Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus)

Royal Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) Shivalik Terai Landscape: Large Mammals

Shivalik Terai (Sal mixed misc Forest) Sal and grassland) In this presentation…

Compare the status of corridors in the Shivalik -Terai landscape, India between 2003/04 and 2004/15

Methods

Occupancy Sampling

(Total 25 transects covering 96km 250 m segments along the transect were sampled in corridors) /survey route.

Questionnaire based survey (Local people and Forest officers) Data was analyzed as Frequency of Occurrence GIS – Change Detection (Land sat image 7 and 8 ETM+)

Gola Corridor : Changes between 2003/04 and 2014/15 2003-04

2015-16 Results Corridors in TAL: India

Major Corridors in TAL 1 Yamuna River Corridor 2 Kansrau-Barkote corridor 3 Chilla-Motichur corridor 4 Rajaji_Corbett corridor 5 Kalagarh corridor A.J.T.Johnsing et.al 6 Kosi river corridor 7 Boar river corridor 8 Nihal-Bhakhra corridor 9 Gola river corridor 10 Kilpura-Katima-Surai corridor 11 Lagga-Bagga corridor 12 Kishanpur-Dudhwa corridor 13 Dudhwa-Katerniaghat corridor Major Corridors in TAL India

Yamuna river corridor Kansrau-Barkote corridor Chilla-Motichur corridor

Rajaji-Corbett corridor Kosi river corridor Boar river corridor Major Corridors in TAL India

Nihal-Bharkra corridor Gola corridor Kilpura-Khatima- Surai corridor

Lagga Bagga-Sukhlaphanta- Kishanpur-Dudhwa corridor Dudhwa-Katerniaghat Tatargang corridor corridor Frequency of Occurrence of Large Mammals in TAL corridors

Frequency of Occurrence of 40 Large Mammals in TAL Corridors 30 20 % Occurrence %

0 Tiger Leopard Sambar Chital Nilgai Barking Wild pig Elephant deer Mammal Species

100 90 80 70 60 50 Frequency of Occurrences of Disturbance 40 factors in TAL corridors 30 20 10 0 Cattle Dog Lopping Frequency of Occurrence of Carnivore in TAL Corridors 2015

Tiger Leopard 35

% Occurrence% 10

0 Yamuna River Corridor River Yamuna corridor Kansrau_Barkote Mothichur Chilla corridor Rajaji_Corbett corridor Kalagarh Corbette-Ramnagar Boar river corridor corridor Nihal_Bhakhra Gola Corridor Kilpur-Katima_surai corridor Lagga_Bagga Kishanpur_Dudhwa Dudhwa_Katerniaghat Suhelwa-Banka Suhelwa-Chitwan Sohagiburwa-Valmiki corridor corridor

Corridors Frequency of Occurrence of Disturbance Factors in TAL Corridors

Cattle Dog Lopping 120

100

60 % Occurrence% 40

Corridors Frequency of Occurrence of Elephant in TAL Corridors

30 % Occurrence% 20

0 Suhelwa-Banka Suhelwa-Chitwan Sohagiburwa-Valmiki Yamuna River Corridor River Yamuna corridor Kansrau_Barkote Mothichur Chilla corridor Rajaji_Corbett corridor Kalagarh Corbette-Ramnagar Boar river corridor corridor Nihal_Bhakhra Gola Corridor Kilpur-Katima_surai corridor Lagga_Bagga corridor Kishanpur_Dudhwa Dudhwa_Katerniaghat corridor

Corridors LULC Kansrau LULC Gantak river LULC Bore LULC Dudhwa 2003 Kisanpur 2003 2003 2013 ForestNon Non ForestNon Classes Non ForestNon Water Forest Sand Classes Non ForestNon Forest Water Classes Forest Water Sand Sand Classes Forest Sand

221.22 Forest LULC Dudhwa

3.645 0.261 2.205

LULC LULC 944.703 291.555

LULC Kansrau 2015 Kansrau LULC 3719.9 20.943 207.67 23.724 Forest Forest 6.003 4.725 LULC Bore 2015 Bore LULC

24.435 Forest

0.738 0.864 Gantak Non ForestNon

74.853 13.338

9.054 1.107 107.091 3520.64 260.334 6441.012

113.22

1113.75 238.131 243.279 Forest

Forest Non river 2015 Kisanpur Non Non ForestNon

29.916 2.079 1.611

123.42 152.87 97.353 LULC changes in between LULC changes TAL Corridors 4.158 1.845 3.078 2.241

Sand 13.41

Sand 116.694

49.878 55.503 50.976 2015

Sand

85.833 55.926 47.628 Water Water 4.185 1.242 5.382

2.601 5.553 2.691 0.072 Sand 1.26

23.787 73.233 27.918 Water 27.36

LULC Chilla- LULC Katima-Surai LULC Dudhwa- LULC Nihal- Motichur2015 Classes Water Forest 2003 Forest Sand Non Katerniaghat 2003 ForestNon Bharkra 2003 Non ForestNon 04 and2003-04 201415 Classes Non ForestNon Water Forest Classes Sand Forest Water Sand Classes

Forest

Sand

1112.976 110.754

Forest

8.532 2.295 LULC LULC

LULC Chilla LULC

453.582 104.931 329.229 LULC LULC Forest LULC LULC

79.623 Dudhwa 6.543 9.369 Forest

0.612 4.437

60.435

Forest 0.288 4.374 Non ForestNon Nihal Katima

302.877

34.155 12.168 73.836

- 1983.168

177.489 Katerniaghat 2015 Katerniaghat Motichur2015 57.285 75.825 - Forest 562.464 Bharkra 12.249 72.225 22.995 Forest Non - Non Surai Non ForestNon

0.765 10.08 3.069

2015

17.613 39.357 10.863 2015 8.622 Sand 20.331 30.789 69.786 38.088

Sand 19.593 6.633 31.14 Sand

4.5

18.522 20.844 57.366 Water 94.797 50.328 48.789 14.418 Water 7.434 0.306 0.063 Sand 2.16 Water 9.189 0.783 7.713 6.714

LULC Lagga Bagga LULC Kosi 2003 LULC Gola LULC Kalagarh 2003 ForestNon 2003 Classes Non ForestNon Non ForestNon Water Forest 2003 Sand Non ForestNon Classes Classes Water Forest Water Forest Classes Sand Sand Water Forest Sand

2022.633

10.692 Forest 253.881 0.252 0.018 LULC LULC Forest 39.141 0.036 0.396 Forest 0.351 0.738 170.478 5.31 13.986 Forest LULC LULC 1.872 0 LULC LULC

0 LULC LULC

Lagga

Kalagarh

Non ForestNon Kosi

Non ForestNon 162.108 Gola 45.225 18.558 Forest 276.147 Non ForestNon 6.579 0.198 1.782

Non Bagga 0.09 2.88 1.953 2.025 8.595 195.183

29.862 2015 4.329 0.324 2015

2015

127.539

28.656 24.21 6.291 Sand 39.195 16.155

1.413 0.216 0.252 4.959 8.838 Sand Sand 0.468 Sand

1.71 5.94 1.08 0

43.605 38.601 52.479 31.311 74.295 26.361 21.159 Water Water Water Water 3.861 6.552

2.709 0.927 0.657 0.018 0.045 0.324

Gola Corridor : Changes between 2003/04 and 2014/15

2003-15 2003-04

2014-15 2014-15 Gola Corridor

Frequency of Occurrence of Large Mammals in Gola Corridor 60

30 % Occurrence% 20

0 Tiger Leopard Sambar Chital Nilgai Barking Wild pig Elephant Cattle Dog Lopping deer

Mammal Species Dudhwa- Katerniaghat Corridor Changes between 2003/04 and 2014/15

2002-03 2014-15

Forest Non Forest Forest 2014-15 Water Non Forest Sand Water Sand

2002-03 2014-15 Dudhwa -Katerniaghat Corridor

Frequency of Occurrence of Large Mammals in Dudhwa-Katerniaghat Corridor

50 45 40 35 30 25 20 15 Occurrence % 10 5 0 Tiger Leopard Sambar Chital Nilgai Barking Wild pig Elephant deer Mammal Species

Disturbance Factors 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Cattle Dog Lopping Lagga Bagga-Tatarganj-Suklapantha Corridor : Changes between 2002/03 and 2014/15

2002-03 2014-15

Forest Forest Non Forest Non Forest Water Water Sand Sand Lagga bagga-Sukhlaphanta -Tatargang Corridor

Frequency of Occurrence of Large Mammals in the Corridor 60

20 % Occurrence % 10

0 Tiger Leopard Sambar Chital Nilgai Barking deer Wild pig Elephant

Mammal Species

120 100 Frequency of Occurrences of Disturbance 80 factors in the corridor 60 40 % Occurrence 20 0 Cattle Dog Lopping Disturbance Factors Threats

Habitat loss Anthropogenic pressure Bolder mining Highway expansion Urban development & resorts Industries Indian railways ITBP (Security Agency) Agricultural lands Encroachment

Summary

While the corridor is not long, the connectivity is severely impaired by linear infrastructure and expanding developmental activities. The information generated in this study would offer baseline for conservation strategy, since the viability of large mammal population would be guided by the functional status of corridors. Acknowledgements

Bihar Forest Department

Director, Dean and Research Coordinator, WII Dr. A.J.T. Johnsingh, Dr. G.S. Rawat, Dr. S.P. Goyal & Mr. Qamar Qureshi Dr. Christine Furst, President of IALE Faculty members, staff and friends Dr. Panna Lal & Mr.Manoj Aggarwal Mr. Yasin, Mr. Ramsaran, Mr. Ramesh, Peter.P.C.J,Deepan chakaravarthy.

Thank You