Anthropogenic impact on the Himalayan marmot population in Nepal

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Abstract

Anthropogenic impact on the Himalayan marmot population in Nepal is discussed. Above the upper border of the forest, human shares the same habitats with marmots on the alluvial terraces of river valleys. Human buildings and farmland lead to fragmentation of the marmot population, and overgrazing leads to pasture digression, worsening the food supply of these rodents. At the same time, people regularly catch marmots with loops, while, in accordance with the criteria of the IUCN Red List, the population of the Himalayan marmot in Nepal should be classified as Endangered (EN) - a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

About the authors

Alexander A. Nikolskii

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: bobak@list.ru

Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Professor of the Department of System Ecology of the Faculty of Ecology

8 Podolskoye Hwy, bldg 5, Moscow, 115093, Russian Federation

Elena A. Vanisova

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Email: vanhelen@mail.ru

PhD in Biological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of System Ecology of the Faculty of Ecology

8 Podolskoye Hwy, bldg 5, Moscow, 115093, Russian Federation

References

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  2. Hoffmann RS, Lunde D, MacKinnon J, Wilson DE, Wozencraft WC. Guide to the Mammals of China. Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2010.
  3. Nikolskii AA, Ulak A. On a range of Marmota himalayana (Rodentia, Sciuridae) in Nepal as the southernmost border of its distribution. Russian Journal of Zoology. 2005; 84(2):282-284. (In Russ.)
  4. Nikolskii AA, Ulak A. Key factors determining the ecological niche of the Himalayan marmot Marmota himalayana (Hodgson, 1841). Russian Journal of Ecology. 2006;37(1):46-52.
  5. Poudel BS, Spooner PG, Matthews A. Pastoralist disturbance effects of Himalayan marmot foraging and vigilance activity. Ecological Research. 2016;31(1):93-104.
  6. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Available from: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ (accessed: 12.01.2020).

Copyright (c) 2020 Nikolskii A.A., Vanisova E.A.

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