Reminder!!!
For YETI
Debabrata Phukon
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Madhavi Latha <madhavi@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2018, 9:26 am
Subject: REMINDER: Open defense of PhD thesis by Chandrima Home - TODAY- at
11:00 am
To: Madhavi Latha <madhavi@xxxxxxxxx>
On 7/9/2018 3:22 PM, Madhavi Latha wrote:
You are cordially invited to an open defense of PhD thesis
by
*Chandrima Home*
*PhD Scholar, ATREE*
*The ecological and social dimensions of human-dog-wildlife conflict in the
Indian Trans-Himalaya.*
Date & Time: July 17, 2018 (Tuesday) at 11:00 AM
Venue: ATREE auditorium
------------------------------
*Abstract*
In human dominated landscapes worldwide, the domestic dog (*Canis lupus
familiaris*) is the most common terrestrial carnivore. In spite of their
strong association with humans, a significant proportion of these domestic
dogs engage in free-ranging behaviour, bringing them into interaction with
wildlife and people, the impacts of which are poorly understood. This
thesis aims to understand the multiple layers of interactions of domestic
dogs and the subsequent repercussions on the socio-economic linkages within
a resource poor environment such as the Trans-Himalayas.
To begin with, I review the ecological role of domestic dogs and its
impacts on native wildlife in India. Our study makes the first systematic
attempt to generate crucial information about the dog-wildlife interface
using a targeted online survey along with information supported through
print media. Dogs reportedly attacked 80 species (of which 31 were IUCN Red
list threatened species), with mammals, and in particular ungulates and
carnivores, most commonly targeted. Majority of the attacks were carried
out by dogs unaccompanied by humans and nearly 48% of the incidents were
reported within protected areas and their buffer thus implying that dogs
maybe an important large-scale edge effect for protected areas in India and
a matter of conservation concern.
At the scale of the Upper Spiti landscape in the Trans-Himalayas, I unpack
the human-dog interactions in the context of human-animal conflict. I test
two alternate hypotheses; (a) whether livestock depredation is governed by
the resident dog population or (b) whether livestock depredation responds
to the numeric effect of livestock (here prey) irrespective of the local
dog abundances in the landscape. Dogs were found to be one of the most
important predators of livestock. Livestock abundance was a stronger
predictor of livestock depredation by dogs rather than dog abundance
thereby suggesting a greater support for prey abundance hypothesis. Most of
the depredations took place in the pastures followed by agricultural
fields, and a peak in depredation was observed in the autumn months.
Economically, losses by dogs were almost comparable to that by snow
leopards.
In the backdrop of livestock depredation, I also examined the attitudes of
local agro-pastoralist communities towards domestic dogs. As a species
essentially considered a companion animal, the role of dogs as predators of
livestock is a more recent phenomenon in the landscape, and thereby could
evoke very different emotions as compared to wild carnivores. Though gender
specific differences were observed in attitude scores, overall the resident
agro-pastoralist communities were found to be neutral towards dogs. In the
mixed effect model analysis, personal experience with dogs emerged as an
important predictor of attitudes and in particular, the history of owning
dogs as pets significantly fostered positive attitudes towards them.
Finally, using qualitative methods, I attempt to gain a better
understanding of how domestic dogs are affecting important linkages such as
those between agriculture and pastoralism. The landscape has witnessed a
44% decline in the population of livestock in the last 10 years with a
significant reduction in small-bodied livestock. Although multiple reasons
of decline were stated by the respondents, livestock depredation by dogs
was one of the most frequently stated reason of decline. The reduction in
the livestock population along with government schemes to add more land
under agriculture has resulted in shifts in sources of manure. While
changes in lifestyles triggered by socio-economic changes have contributed
to the initial declines in livestock and increasing herding difficulties, I
found that in the last 10 years, livestock depredation by dogs have added
not only to the decline of small-bodied livestock but have also impeded in
herding them as well
My thesis highlights how anthropogenic subsidies impact ecosystems and also
provides a different lens to recognize the roles that domestic dogs may
play within this system. The study not only has important implications on
policies for dog population management in India but perhaps sets a stage to
re-examine human-dog relationships and the tradeoffs between them.
------------------------------
*Tea/coffee will be served downstairs at 10:30 AM*
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________
--
__________________________________________________________________
Madhavi Latha G
The Academy for Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies
Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE),
Royal Enclave, Srirampura, Jakkur PO
Bangalore 560064, India
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Phone: +91-80-23635555 Extn: 121
Fax: +91-80-23530070
E-mail: madhavi@xxxxxxxxx
_________________________________________________________________