Journal Article by B. Choudhury
In this editorial essay, members of the Editorial Board of PARKS review the status of conservatio... more In this editorial essay, members of the Editorial Board of PARKS review the status of conservation literature. Three problems are identified: 1) the growing gap between the formal conservation literature and the so-called ‘grey literature’ of project reports, studies and working papers;; 2) the effectiveness of the majority of conservation literature in promoting good conservation; and 3) the lack of open access to much of the conservation literature currently available. The article sets out the vision of this journal: PARKS, the International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation, published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) expert World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). PARKS aims to encourage new writers, including younger researchers, conservation professionals who do not generally write for peer-reviewed publications and people from developing countries, including indigenous and local people, to share their best practices in protected area management. PARKS is published twice a year as an online, open-access and peer reviewed journal and welcomes submissions of papers from all protected area professionals worldwide.
Papers by B. Choudhury
Physical Review B, 1975
... PD Loly, BJ Choudhury, and WR Fehlner * Department of Physics, University of Manitoba, Winnip... more ... PD Loly, BJ Choudhury, and WR Fehlner * Department of Physics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2. Received 5 November 1974; published in the issue dated 1 March 1975. The first calculations of two-magnon Raman line shapes to fully ...
Remote Sensing of Environment, 1987
... All three regions are undulating terrain, with reddish sandy and gravelly soil. ... to the le... more ... All three regions are undulating terrain, with reddish sandy and gravelly soil. ... to the leaf area index, interception of incident solar radiation, photosynthesis, and dry matter production (Tucker et al., 1981; Kumar and Monteith, 1982; Asrar et al., 1984; Sellers, 1985; Choudhury ...
Oryx, 2008
The sarus crane, a bird species characteristic of wetlands, is categorized as vulnerable on the I... more The sarus crane, a bird species characteristic of wetlands, is categorized as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. In India, sarus cranes occur mostly outside protected areas and use these unprotected areas for feeding and breeding. They are consequently ...
Chelonian Conservation and …, 2006
... Incidental Capture and Mortality of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Commercia... more ... Incidental Capture and Mortality of Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) in Commercial Trawl Fisheries in Coastal Waters of Orissa, India. GV Gopi1, B. Pandav1, BC Choudhury1. ... Hillestead, HO, JI Richardson, C. Mcvea Jr., and JM Watson Jr.. 1982. ...
Environmental …, 2005
Although overhead electrical wires are known to have caused severe declines of bird populations, ... more Although overhead electrical wires are known to have caused severe declines of bird populations, there are no studies in India that address this danger, even for endangered species. Rates of mortality, factors affecting mortality and population effects of electrical ...
Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexibl... more Where conservation resources are limited and conservation targets are diverse, robust yet flexible priority-setting frameworks are vital. Priority-setting is especially important for geographically widespread species with distinct populations subject to multiple threats that operate on different spatial and temporal scales. Marine turtles are widely distributed and exhibit intra-specific variations in population sizes and trends, as well as reproduction and morphology. However, current global extinction risk assessment frameworks do not assess conservation status of spatially and biologically distinct marine turtle Regional Management Units (RMUs), and thus do not capture variations in population trends, impacts of threats, or necessary conservation actions across individual populations. To address this issue, we developed a new assessment framework that allowed us to evaluate, compare and organize marine turtle RMUs according to status and threats criteria. Because conservation priorities can vary widely (i.e. from avoiding imminent extinction to maintaining long-term monitoring efforts) we developed a ''conservation priorities portfolio'' system using categories of paired risk and threats scores for all RMUs (n = 58). We performed these assessments and rankings globally, by species, by ocean basin, and by recognized geopolitical bodies to identify patterns in risk, threats, and data gaps at different scales. This process resulted in characterization of risk and threats to all marine turtle RMUs, including identification of the world's 11 most endangered marine turtle RMUs based on highest risk and threats scores. This system also highlighted important gaps in available information that is crucial for accurate conservation assessments. Overall, this priority-setting framework can provide guidance for research and conservation priorities at multiple relevant scales, and should serve as a model for conservation status assessments and prioritysetting for widespread, long-lived taxa.
Oryx, 1997
The coastal state of Orissa, India, harbours three important mass-nesting beaches of the olive ri... more The coastal state of Orissa, India, harbours three important mass-nesting beaches of the olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea. During a survey of sea turtle nesting beaches from December 1993 to May 1994, 5282 dead olive ridleys were counted along the 480 km coastline of Orissa. Almost all the deaths were due to incidental capture in offshore fishing nets. Increased fishing activities in the coastal waters near important sea-turtle nesting beaches pose a serious threat to the survival of this endangered sea turtle. It is therefore suggested that coastal waters adjacent to major sea-turtle nesting beaches be declared as closed areas for commercial fishing activities in order to ensure the sea turtle's long-term survival.
Biological conservation, 1997
The distribution and relative density of smooth-coated otters Lutra perspicillata Geoffroy were s... more The distribution and relative density of smooth-coated otters Lutra perspicillata Geoffroy were studied along a 425 km stretch of Chambal river within the National Chambal Sanctuary, Central India, between 1988 and 1992. Sample sites of l km were surveyed every 5 km. The study revealed that the distribution of otters along the river is patchy and largely restricted to the upper reaches. During the 1988 survey, 36% of sites were found with otter signs but only 24% in 1992. Recent increases in disturbance along the river due to construction of road bridges and mining activities might have put pressure on the population. Most of the positive sites (66%) were found on rocky banks, followed by clay banks (19%), banks with shoreline vegetation and marsh (11%) and sandy banks (3%). During intensive monitoring of four radio-implanted otters, c. 78% locations were made on rocky banks, 19% on banks with shoreline vegetation and marsh, with <3% on sandy banks and < 1% on clay banks, indicating greater preference for rocky banks owing to the greater availability of den sites. As a conservation measure, monitoring of the otter population should be done regularly and restrictions on cultivation, grazing and mining along the banks should be imposed within the Sanctuary limits, especially in the identified stretches.
Oryx, 2003
Olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea nest mental trawls indicated the presence of olive rid... more Olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea nest mental trawls indicated the presence of olive ridley turtles in oCshore waters. Fisheries related mortality is along the east and west coasts of India, with major mass nesting beaches in the state of Orissa. The coast of the major threat to the species, with nearly 1,000 dead turtles being washed ashore during January-March, but Andhra Pradesh, the state immediately south of Orissa, has sporadic nesting of olive ridley turtles and is believed depredation of eggs by humans and feral animals was also widespread. Conservation eCorts need to address to form part of the migratory route of the turtles that nest in Orissa. A survey of nesting beaches and oCshore these issues, and also the eCects of coastal development and artificial illumination, especially at beaches that waters of the Andhra Pradesh coast was carried out from November 2000 to April 2001. Preliminary interviews and support relatively high densities of nesting olive ridley turtles. secondary data were used to determine potential nesting beaches. During January-March 2001 intensive surveys of seven beaches and monthly surveys of the rest of the coast Keywords Andhra Pradesh, bycatch, India, Lepidochelys olivacea, nest density, olive ridley turtle, Orissa. provided a lower bound of c. 4,000 nests along the Andhra Pradesh coast. Nesting densities were higher at beaches near river mouths, at 60-100 nests km−1 in northern and This paper contains supplementary material that can only be found online at http://journals.cambridge.org central Andhra Pradesh, and 15-20 nests km−1 in southern Andhra Pradesh. Sightings and incidental catch in experi-2002). Large nesting aggregations occur in Costa Rica and
Orissa, on the east coast of India, is one of the three mass nesting sites in the world for olive... more Orissa, on the east coast of India, is one of the three mass nesting sites in the world for olive ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea). This population is currently under threat as a result of fishery-related mortality; more than 100 000 olive ridleys have been counted dead in the last 10 years in Orissa. In general, the globally distributed olive ridley turtle has received significantly less conservation attention than its congener, the Kemp's ridley turtle (L. kempi), because the latter is recognized as a distinct species consisting of a single endangered population. Our study of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes suggests that the ridley population on the east coast of India is panmictic, but distinct from all other populations including Sri Lanka. About 96% of the Indian population consisted of a distinct 'K' clade with haplotypes not found in any other population. Nested clade analysis and conventional analysis both supported range expansions and /or long-distance colonization from the Indian Ocean clades to other oceanic basins, which suggested that these are the ancestral source for contemporary global populations of olive ridley turtles. These data support the distinctiveness of the Indian Ocean ridleys, suggesting that conservation prioritization should be based on appropriate data and not solely on species designations.
FORKTAIL, 2003
Mizuta, T. (1998) The breeding biology of the Asian Paradise Fly-catcher Terpsiphone paradisi in ... more Mizuta, T. (1998) The breeding biology of the Asian Paradise Fly-catcher Terpsiphone paradisi in Khao Pra-Bang Khram wildlife sanctuary, southern Thailand. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 46: 27 42. Mulder, RA, Ramiarison, R. and Emahalala, RE (2002) Ontog-eny of male ...
BMC ecology, 2004
Background: Community recovery following primary habitat alteration can provide tests for various... more Background: Community recovery following primary habitat alteration can provide tests for various hypotheses in ecology and conservation biology. Prominent among these are questions related to the manner and rate of community assembly after habitat perturbation. Here we use space-for-time substitution to analyse frog and lizard community assembly along two gradients of habitat recovery following slash and burn agriculture (jhum) in Mizoram, Northeast India. One recovery gradient undergoes natural succession to mature tropical rainforest, while the other involves plantation of jhum fallows with teak Tectona grandis monoculture. Results: Frog and lizard communities accumulated species steadily during natural succession, attaining characteristics similar to those from mature forest after 30 years of regeneration. Lizards showed higher turnover and lower augmentation of species relative to frogs. Niche based classification identified a number of guilds, some of which contained both frogs and lizards. Successional change in species richness was due to increase in the number of guilds as well as the number of species per guild. Phylogenetic structure increased with succession for some guilds. Communities along the teak plantation gradient on the other hand, did not show any sign of change with chronosere age. Factor analysis revealed sets of habitat variables that independently determined changes in community and guild composition during habitat recovery. Conclusions: The timescale of frog and lizard community recovery was comparable with that reported by previous studies on different faunal groups in other tropical regions. Both communities converged on primary habitat attributes during natural vegetation succession, the recovery being driven by deterministic, nonlinear changes in habitat characteristics. On the other hand, very little faunal recovery was seen even in relatively old teak plantation. In general, tree monocultures are unlikely to support recovery of natural forest communities and the combined effect of shortened jhum cultivation cycles and plantation forestry could result in landscapes without mature forest. Lack of source pools of genetic diversity will then lead to altered vegetation succession and faunal community reassembly. It is therefore important that the value of habitat mosaics containing even patches of primary forest and successional secondary habitats be taken into account.
Background: Resolving threats to widely distributed marine megafauna requires definition of the g... more Background: Resolving threats to widely distributed marine megafauna requires definition of the geographic distributions of both the threats as well as the population unit(s) of interest. In turn, because individual threats can operate on varying spatial scales, their impacts can affect different segments of a population of the same species. Therefore, integration of multiple tools and techniques-including site-based monitoring, genetic analyses, mark-recapture studies and telemetry-can facilitate robust definitions of population segments at multiple biological and spatial scales to address different management and research challenges. Methodology/Principal Findings: To address these issues for marine turtles, we collated all available studies on marine turtle biogeography, including nesting sites, population abundances and trends, population genetics, and satellite telemetry. We georeferenced this information to generate separate layers for nesting sites, genetic stocks, and core distributions of population segments of all marine turtle species. We then spatially integrated this information from fine-to coarse-spatial scales to develop nested envelope models, or Regional Management Units (RMUs), for marine turtles globally. Conclusions/Significance: The RMU framework is a solution to the challenge of how to organize marine turtles into units of protection above the level of nesting populations, but below the level of species, within regional entities that might be on independent evolutionary trajectories. Among many potential applications, RMUs provide a framework for identifying data gaps, assessing high diversity areas for multiple species and genetic stocks, and evaluating conservation status of marine turtles. Furthermore, RMUs allow for identification of geographic barriers to gene flow, and can provide valuable guidance to marine spatial planning initiatives that integrate spatial distributions of protected species and human activities. In addition, the RMU framework-including maps and supporting metadata-will be an iterative, user-driven tool made publicly available in an online application for comments, improvements, download and analysis.
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Journal Article by B. Choudhury
Papers by B. Choudhury