The Asiatic Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee is
an endangered species restricted to South and Southeast Asia. Nepal’s only
population survives in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve which is located on the
floodplain of the Koshi River, a tributary of Ganga. This species is under
threat due to high anthropogenic pressure ranging from habitat deterioration to
hybridization with domestic buffalo. Yet, the population has grown from 63 in
1976 to 219 in 2009, despite the decline in the calf/cow ratio. The present
study conducted in 2009 used the block count method. The count showed the
presence of a backcrossed population of 74 in addition to the total of 219
individuals. At present, a number of conservation and livelihood interventions
have been undertaken to safeguard the biodiversity, particularly the wild
buffalo population in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. The community-based
sustainable management approach benefiting both conservation and livelihood of
local people is necessary to ensure the long term conservation of the species.
Full paper here..
Unusual biogeographic patterns of
closely related groups reflect events in the past, and molecular analyses can
help to elucidate these events. While ample research on the origin of disjunct
distributions of different organism groups in the Western Paleartic has been
conducted, such studies are rare for Eastern Palearctic organisms. In this
paper we present a phylogeographic analysis of the disjunct distribution
pattern of the extant species of the strongly cool-adapted Epiophlebia dragonflies
from Asia. We investigated sequences of the usually more conserved 18 S rDNA
and 28 S rDNA genes and the more variable sequences of ITS1, ITS2 and CO2 of
all three currently recognised Epiophlebia species and of a sample of other odonatan
species. In all genes investigated the degrees of similarity between species of
Epiophlebia are very high and resemble those otherwise found between different
populations of the same species in Odonata. This indicates that substantial
gene transfer between these populations occurred in the comparatively recent
past. Our analyses imply a wide distribution of the ancestor of extant
Epiophlebia in Southeast Asia during the last ice age, when suitable habitats
were more common. During the following warming phase, its range contracted, resulting
in the current disjunct distribution. Given the strong sensitivity of these
species to climatic parameters, the current trend to increasing global
temperatures will further reduce acceptable habitats and seriously threaten the
existences of these last representatives of an ancient group of Odonata.
The Asiatic Wild Water Buffalo Bubalus arnee is
an endangered species restricted to South and Southeast Asia. Nepal’s only
population survives in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve which is located on the
floodplain of the Koshi River, a tributary of Ganga. This species is under
threat due to high anthropogenic pressure ranging from habitat deterioration to
hybridization with domestic buffalo. Yet, the population has grown from 63 in
1976 to 219 in 2009, despite the decline in the calf/cow ratio. The present
study conducted in 2009 used the block count method. The count showed the
presence of a backcrossed population of 74 in addition to the total of 219
individuals. At present, a number of conservation and livelihood interventions
have been undertaken to safeguard the biodiversity, particularly the wild
buffalo population in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve. The community-based
sustainable management approach benefiting both conservation and livelihood of
local people is necessary to ensure the long term conservation of the species.
