Studies have examined the role of multiple landscape types, such as open natural ecosystems, in supporting biodiversity and species conservation, with findings debunking the long-held assumption that only intensively managed protected areas have the capacity to aid and further the conservation of terrestrial biodiversity. Adding to this narrative is a new study from a semi-arid, open-canopy human-use landscape in Koppal district in North Karnataka, which finds that such ecosystems, even with intermittent human use, can provide habitats for globally threatened species and support their conservation.
Researchers used key informant interviews with pastoralists and a single-season, single-species occupancy modelling framework to examine the distribution of three species: striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), and blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra). The study revealed that hyena, sloth bear and blackbuck occupied 52%, 26% and 63% of the landscape, respectively. Indian gray wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) was found in at least 76% of the landscape.
“These landscapes in the Deccan Peninsula, with very few protected areas, are seen merely as agricultural landscapes both in the public imagination and in policies. But we found pockets of natural habitats, which we have called refugia in the paper, surrounded by agriculture that wildlife frequents. These are shared landscapes; these refugia are the reason that animals can partition spatially and temporally from humans,” says lead author of the study, Iravatee Majgaonkar.
The study refers to “hallas” as one such refugium potentially supporting blackbuck populations in the district, despite intermittent human activity. Hallas are alluvial streams, part of the dendritic water drainage pattern in this region, which dry post-monsoon. Similarly, rocky outcrops surrounded by agricultural farms are another refugium supporting megafauna such as bears and leopards, as well as smaller carnivores, says Majgaonkar.
If these refugia vanish and the landscape undergoes conversion, Majgaonkar does not rule out the possibility of human–animal conflicts increasing. Another crucial aspect that supports conservation in these multi-use landscapes, she says, is the livelihood opportunities they provide pastoral communities. “People may get displaced, they may have to travel further with their livestock. There are also people who have quit these livelihoods because these areas have now reduced in size,” she adds.
The study challenges the narrative that semi-arid open ecosystems are “wastelands” by highlighting the conservation potential of agro-pastoral landscapes. Misclassification of biodiversity-rich landscapes can lead to their mismanagement, affecting the land-sharing and coexistence potential of these regions, as well as the survival of many species.
Banner image: A striped hyena at a rocky outcrop. Image by Indrajeet Ghorpade.
