Genetic tracking of the brown bear in northern Pakistan and implications for conservation

• Published in: Biological Conservation
• Main Authors: Bellemain, E., Nawaz, M. A., Valentini, A., Swenson, J. E., Taberlet, P.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine (LECA), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Department of Ecology and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, Dipartimento di Ecologia e Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (DECOS), Università degli studi della Tuscia Viterbo, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2007
• Subjects: Bottleneck; Feces; Individual identification; Pakistan; Ursus arctos; envir; anthro-se
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.09.004; https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00276506

Times Cited: 1 International audience Asian bears face major threats due to the impact of human activities as well as a critical lack of knowledge about their status, distribution and needs for survival. Once abundant in northern Pakistan, the Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) has been exterminated in most of its former distribution range. It presently occurs sparsely, in small populations, the Deosai National Park supporting the largest isolate. This decline might imply a reduction in genetic diversity, compromising the survival of the population. Using a combination of fecal DNA analysis and field data, our study aimed at assessing the size and genetic status of the Deosai population and give guidelines for its conservation and management. Using fecal genetic analysis, we estimated the population to be 40-50 bears, which compares well with the field census of 38 bears. The northern Pakistani brown bear population may have undergone an approximate 200-300-fold decrease during the last thousand years, probably due to glaciations and the influence of growing human population. However, in spite of the presence of a bottleneck genetic signature, the Deosai population has a moderate level of genetic diversity and is not at immediate risk of inbreeding depression. Gene flow might exist with adjacent populations. We recommend careful monitoring of this population in the future both with field observations and genetic analyses, including sampling of adjacent populations to assess incoming gene flow. The connectivity with adjacent populations in Pakistan and India will be of prime importance for the longterm survival of Deosai bears. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.