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- P-ISSN2765-2203
- E-ISSN2765-2211
- KCI Candidate
Abstract
The Tibetan Plateau is home to the only alpine crane species, the black-necked crane (Grus nigricollis). Conservation efforts are severely hampered by a lack of knowledge on the spatial distribution and breeding habitats of this species. The ecological niche modeling framework used to predict the spatial distribution of this species, based on the maximum entropy and occurrence record data, allowed us to generate a species-specific spatial distribution map in Ladakh, Trans-Himalaya, India. The model was created by assimilating species occurrence data from 486 geographical sites with 24 topographic and bioclimatic variables. Fourteen variables helped forecast the distribution of black-necked cranes by 96.2%. The area under the curve score for the model training data was high (0.98), indicating the accuracy and predictive performance of the model. Of the total study area, the areas with high and moderate habitat suitability for black-necked cranes were anticipated to be 8,156 km2 and 6,759 km2, respectively. The area with high habitat suitability within the protected areas was 5,335 km2. The spatial distribution predicted using our model showed that the majority of speculated conservation areas bordered the existing protected areas of the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary. Hence, we believe, that by increasing the current study area, we can account for these gaps in conservation areas, more effectively.
Abstract
We investigated habitat use and home range of a rescued and released white-naped crane using GPS tracking technology in Cheorwon, South Korea, from October 2016 to March 2017. Four types of roosting sites were identified: frozen reservoirs, paddy fields, rivers, and wetlands. Upon arrival, the white-naped crane preferred wetlands in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). In late wintering season, it showed a tendency to change main roosting sites in the following order: rice paddies, rivers, and frozen reservoirs. Among 14 sleeping places, Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) with various type of available habitats was more preferred than the DMZ. Places outside of CCZ were rarely used due to anthropogenic disturbances during the night. The tracked white-naped crane widely chose daytime feeding sites while moving around all over rice paddies in the CCZ. Mean diurnal movement distance was 10.5 km with a maximum of 24.8 km. Its home range measured with Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) was 172.30 km2 with MCP, 159.60 km2 with KDE 95%, 132.48 km2 with KDE 90%, and 42.45 km2 with KDE 50%. All estimated values of home ranges were higher in the early and later winter than those in the middle period.
