Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Evaluation of human disturbance on the activity of medium-large mammals in Myanmar tropical forests
Author(s)
Giacomo Cremonesi; Francesco Bisi; Lorenzo Gaffi; Thet Zaw; Hla Naing; Kyaw Moe; Zarni Aung; Alessandra Gagliardi; Lucas A. Wauters; Damiano G. Preatoni; Adriano Martinoli
Published
2021
Publisher
Forests
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/f12030290
Abstract
The effects of human disturbance represent one of the major threats for wildlife conservation. Many studies have shown that wildlife avoids or reduces direct contact with human activities through changes in activity patterns, and by minimizing spatiotemporal overlap. In this study, we investigated the possible effects of human presence on the temporal activity of medium-to-large mammals using two areas in Myanmar that differ in the intensity of human disturbance. We monitored temporal segregation mechanisms using camera trapping data and with two statistical approaches: daily activity overlaps between humans and wildlife and circular statistics. We did not find a significant difference in overlapping activity between areas but, thanks to circular statistics, we found that some species show changes in activity patterns, suggesting temporal avoidance. We observed that the daily activity of five species differed between areas of Myanmar, likely adopting mechanisms to reduce overlap in areas highly frequented by humans. Interestingly, these species are all threatened by hunting or poaching activities, four of which have been described in literature as "cathemeral", or species that are active through day and night. This study suggests that some species adapt their behavior, at least partially, to avoid human presence in habitats with higher anthropic occurrence and increase our knowledge on the status of medium-large mammals in a poorly studied country as Myanmar.
Keywords
activity pattern;camera trapping;human disturbance;mammal;spatial overlap;temporal segregation;Forestry
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB26325