Effects of Ethnic Settlements and Land Management Status on Species Distribution Patterns: A Case Study of Endangered Musk Deer (Moschus spp.) in Northwest Yunnan, China

Musk deer (Moschus spp.) abundance is significantly higher in Tibetan settlements compared to Lisu regions, with no adverse effects from traditional gathering and transhumance practices. Hunting pressure varies notably among ethnic groups, being 7.1 times greater near Lisu settlements than Tibetan ones, indicating that protected areas alone are ineffective against human disturbance from cultural activities. The study suggests integrating indigenous practices into conservation strategies to enhance biodiversity protection in unprotected lands. Researchers used predictive models to analyze musk deer abundance indices, incorporating ethnicity, conservation status, and poaching pressure data from northwest Yunnan, China.

Li, X., Bleisch, W. V., & Jiang, X. (2016). Effects of Ethnic Settlements and Land Management Status on Species Distribution Patterns: A Case Study of Endangered Musk Deer (Moschus spp.) in Northwest Yunnan, China. Plos One, 11(5), e0155042. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0155042