Robert Steinmetz
Gaur (Bos gaurus) and Banteng (B. javanicus) in the lowland forest mosaic of Xe Pian Protected Area, Lao PDR: abundance, habitat use, and conservation
Gaur (Bos gaurus) and banteng (Bos javanicus) populations throughout South-east
Asia have declined severely because of hunting and habitat fragmentation. Important
remnant populations persist in Xe Pian national protected area in southern
Lao P.D.R., where sign-based surveys were carried out between 1996 and
1998 to determine their distribution, abundance, and patterns of habitat use.
Xe Pian is comprised of a largely intact lowland mosaic of semi-evergreen,
mixed deciduous, and dry dipterocarp forest types. Gaur used a broader
diversity of these habitat types than banteng, attaining moderate densities in
homogeneous semi-evergreen forest as well as expanses of deciduous dipterocarp
and mixed deciduous forests. Mixed deciduous forest was the least abundant
forest type but was commonly used by gaur. Banteng showed a strong affiliation
with drier and more open habitats, especially dry dipterocarp forest, despite
increased vulnerability to hunting in these areas in the past. Banteng were not
found within large expanses of semi-evergreen forest. Their distribution within
Xe Pian was therefore more restricted than gaur, though they were relatively
more numerous within two isolated corners of the protected area. Signs of
calves and juveniles indicated that both species retained breeding populations
in Xe Pian. Remaining herds were small – composed of two to five individuals
– but bamboo understories in semi-evergreen forest were a food source that
attracted larger congregations of gaur in the rainy season. The banteng
population in Xe Pian is globally significant for conservation, while that of
gaur is nationally significant. The existence of extensive high quality habitat
and on-going collaboration of local people lends hope that Xe Pian's wild cattle
will increase, given protection from hunting.
Mammalia, Walter de Gruyter
Print ISSN: 0025-1461
Volume: 68, 10/2004
Pages: 141 - 157
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