Evaluation and Improvement of Habitat Quality Around Crossing Structures for Asian Elephants
To assess the habitat quality of the Asian elephant crossing structures along highways,enhance the connectivity of the Asian elephant habitats on both sides of the road,and reduce human-elephant con-flicts,this study combined field surveys with UAV photography to analyze the habitat characteristics of 13 crossing structures on the Simao-Xiaomengyang Expressway and Simao-Lancang Expressway in Yunnan province.It identified the suitable regions and unsuitable factors for Asian elephants using the crossing structures,constructed a crossing habitat disturbance index,and quantitatively evaluated the disturbance levels of the Asian elephant crossing structures.The results showed that the area and pro-portion of suitable areas and the average disturbance level of crossing structures on Simao-Lancang Expressway were higher than those on Simao-Xiaomengyang Expressway,but the differences were not significant.The area around the Asian elephant crossing structures on the Simao-Lancang Express-way had a higher degree of human disturbance,mainly manifested by scattered residential points and artificial forests,and some crossing structures intersected with local roads,but Asian elephants utilized almost all of the crossing structures.The area around the Asian elephant crossing structures on Simao-Xiaomengyang Expressway had a lower degree of human disturbance;although there were disturbanc-es from artificial forests,the widespread distribution of surrounding secondary forests and the proximi-ty of the crossing structure to rivers offset the adverse effects.Based on the disturbance factors of dif-ferent crossing structures,the study proposed habitat enhancement strategies such as protecting and re-storing native vegetation,protecting natural rivers and ponds,and supplementing food plants for Asian elephants.The research provides a scientific basis for improving the utilization of the Asian elephant crossing structure on the two expressways.
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