The effects of forest harvesting on giant panda habitat use in Wolong Nature Reserve, China.

摘要

Forest cover around the world has decreased by over 0.2% annually in the 1990s. Much of this decrease is due to forest harvesting. Decreasing forestland can have significant consequences for species worldwide because forest ecosystems are a major reservoir for global biodiversity, supporting 50-70% of the world's terrestrial species. To minimize impacts on biodiversity and to increase forest cover, many countries around the world have planted vast areas of artificially regenerated forest and initiated bans on logging natural forests. However, many questions remain unanswered concerning the impacts of forest harvesting and plantation reforestation on wildlife.; To address some of the important issues related to logging and reforestation impacts on wildlife, I investigated use of habitats by the giant panda in Wolong Nature Reserve, China. I established 913 plots (443 primary and 470 secondary) that measured 30 m2 in forested, non-forested, and reforested areas throughout Wolong and monitored panda use via feces presence. Within each plot, I recorded forest and geographic characteristics and also surveyed bamboo stem characteristics in four 1 m2 subplots. I implemented an adaptive cluster sampling strategy, which sampled 1, 5, or 8 plots depending on whether feces were found. Several statistical and modeling approaches were used to describe results, including the Horvitz-Thompson estimator along with autologistic regression to account for the spatial autocorrelation inherent in the adaptive cluster dataset. I also developed a model that used field data and applied it spatially to quantify the loss of information when field data were scaled up to the landscape level.; Recent harvests (0-10 years) that were 10 ha had some panda use while larger recently harvested areas (10-100 ha) had no use. In older harvested forest (30-100 years), panda use did not differ between small or large harvests and was similar to that in old growth forest. My results agreed with previous research that found bamboo and slope to be primary factors in describing panda habitat, but I found other characteristics were important in identifying panda habitat as forests mature. Populations of bamboo, the primary food of the giant panda, have also been affected by harvesting. Reforested areas that were established in Wolong did not provide suitable habitats for pandas. Reforested areas did, however, offer the potential to supply an alternative fuelwood source, which could limit impacts on natural forest.; This dissertation collectively describes how forest harvesting (i.e., timber harvesting and fuelwood collection) and reforestation activities influence the habitats of one of the world's most endangered species, the giant panda. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)