This presentation will explore the development of a national approach to Wildfire Community Impact Research (WCIR) in Canada, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive framework to understand and address the evolving relationship between communities and wildfire events. The research proposes a structured methodology for evaluating the consequences of wildfires on communities, focusing on long-term resilience, recovery, and adaptation strategies. By synthesizing diverse datasets and experiences from various regions, the presentation advocates for a global framework that allows for consistent, comparative learning from wildfire-community interactions. This framework aims to facilitate cross-border collaboration, enabling policymakers, researchers, and communities to share knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned. The ultimate goal is to prepare societies for a future where wildfires are an inevitable and recurring challenge, fostering a more adaptive, fire-resilient global community.

Hazard reduction burns could pose a significant conservation challenge to threatened habitat specialists, such as koalas Phascolarctos cinereus. This study examines the immediate effects of a medium to hot hazard reduction burn on a small number of koalas occupying a fragmented agricultural area. Three koalas being monitored using GPS telemetry were inadvertently exposed to fire in a small strip of roadside vegetation in an agricultural landscape, providing an unexpected opportunity to assess their immediate responses to the fire. Nearly 81 % of available trees were burnt to some degree, with 31 % of tree foliage scorched up to 10.2 m above the ground. The koalas reduced their home range sizes by 20-54 % post-fire, where two avoided burnt areas while one remained within them. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining unburnt patches and corridors in fragmented landscapes and developing comprehensive conservation plans to mitigate the adverse effects of fire on koalas and other arboreal fauna.

Challenging weather events can make winters harsh for habitat and diet specialists. They may also incur high energetic costs due to reduced availability of food resources and elevated predation risk. Using GPS satellite collars we tracked the movement of the red panda Ailurus fulgens in the Himalayas, and evaluated the effects of weather and disturbances on their movement patterns and habitat use. We also analyzed the nutritional content of their key diet plant species. The mean daily distance travelled by red pandas was 748 +/- 40 m (median 573 m), with no detectable effect of weather conditions and snow age. However, males travelled further than females when there was snow on the ground (beta = 410.5, p < 0.02). Red pandas moved between 2528 and 3250 m during the study period with the mean elevation 2857 +/- 107 m when snow was on the ground and 2816 +/- 99 m without snow. A group of disturbances such as distance to settlements, herding stations, and roads, and geo-physical variables affected their habitat use when the forest was covered with snow as they occupied areas away from human settlements (beta = 0.36, p = 0.03), exhibited affinity for high elevations (beta = 0.37, p = 0.02), and avoided steep slope (beta = -0.21, p = 0.04). These movement patterns suggest a risk aversion strategy with males' behaviour appearing to be driven by reproductive instincts. Additionally, the distribution of their major dietary vegetation varied across the elevation gradient, leading to differences in the nutritional content of the diet, which might also have some effects on habitat use. Overall we found that despite red pandas exhibiting risk aversion behaviour, challenging weather events like snowfall could exacerbate the adverse effects on these habitat specialists.

The red panda Ailurus fulgens tourism offers hope for wildlife tourism in the mid-mountain range of the Himalayas. Inappropriate practices may negatively affect the welfare of the target animals and inadvertently place them in jeopardy. Conservation agencies, local communities, and tour operators should take caution to ensure the sustainability of such initiatives, benefitting both wildlife and communities. Some wildlife species have long been an attraction for tourists in the Himalaya. For instance, the tiger Panthera tigris (WWF, 2016) is the most charismatic species of the lowland, and the snow leopard Panthera uncia is sought after in the high-mountain range above the tree line (Vannelli et al., 2019). However, no such species are known to attract people in the mid-mountain range (2000–4000 m). Red panda Ailurus fulgens (Figure 1) tourism in Nepal has been developing for nearly a decade and offers the potential for wildlife tourism in this range of the Eastern Himalaya. Red panda tourism was initially started from a small village in eastern Nepal in 2007 (Sherpa et al., 2022) and has been expanded in that region in recent years. This development has resulted in an increase in the number of local families catering for tourism services through homestays. This species-based tourism adds alternative income sources to the local community and helps in building awareness of the conservation importance of red panda and other sympatric species (Sherpa et al., 2022). Tourism activities are being promoted in a few villages with road access along the Ilam-Singalila ridge in eastern Nepal. The growth of tourism is attracting hotels and tour operators (hereafter tour operators) which has the potential to entice more tourists and improve tourism services. However, some of the tour operators are nurturing mass tourism and their practices are insensitive to the welfare of wildlife. The number of tourists has increased since their involvement, yet the benefits being channeled to the community have diminished. Only a handful of people benefit from these tour operators as they only employ a few people to operate their trips. They can influence the community leaders and work in their own interest without necessarily consulting with local people. Such activities have engendered conflict among the local communities. Tourism activities are suspended during mating and birthing seasons to minimize disturbances to red pandas. Despite this good practice, some tour operators have been found assigning trackers to follow individual animals so that they can spot animals whenever tourists arrive. Areas of up to 12 km2 are being covered for red panda spotting in most areas. Red panda being a territorial species, live a solitary life within their territory outside the mating season unless mothers are accompanied by their cubs (Bista et al., 2022). Given their territorial nature, site fidelity, and small home range 1.4 km2 (Bista et al., 2022), the chances of repeatedly spotting the same individuals are high. This may seriously affect biological activities and social interactions of target animals resulting in reduced fitness and population dynamics (Larson et al., 2016; Szott et al., 2019). Such frequent exposure to humans may further habituate wild red pandas (Higham & Shelton, 2011) and reduce their ability to judge risk and respond appropriately to possible threats (Geffroy et al., 2015). Additionally, forest areas are cleared to make trails to facilitate walking and scanning inside the forest. Making such trails is not necessarily detrimental but having many trails may adversely affect red pandas as it has recently become apparent that they perceive such features as risky areas and avoid them (Bista, Baxter, Hudson, Lama, & Murray, 2021; Bista, Baxter, Hudson, Lama, Weerman, & Murray, 2021). Red pandas can also be vulnerable to the high density of walking trails since these features can serve as ecological traps for some predators including feral dogs, yellow-throated martin Martes flavigula, leopard Panthera pardus, and other sympatric carnivores (Bista, Baxter, Hudson, Lama, & Murray, 2021; Forman & Alexander, 1998). These measures can help minimize the adverse effects of tourism on sensitive species like red pandas. It will also contribute to local economic growth through job creation and increased revenue at the local level. Additionally, involving local communities and other stakeholders in decision-making and implementation processes would ensure the sustainability and success of red panda tourism. Open access publishing facilitated by University of Southern Queensland, as part of the Wiley - University of Southern Queensland agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

Human-dominated landscapes provide heterogeneous wildlife habitat. Conservation of habitat specialists, like red pandas Ailurus fulgens, inhabiting such landscapes is challenging. Therefore, information on resource use across spatial and temporal scales could enable informed-decision making with better conservation outcomes. We aimed to examine the effect of geo-physical, vegetation, and disturbance variables on fine-scale habitat selection of red pandas in one such landscape. We equipped 10 red pandas with GPS collars in eastern Nepal in 2019 and monitored them for 1 year. Our analysis was based on a generalized-linear-mixed model. We found the combined effect of geo-physical, vegetation, and disturbance variables resulted in differences in resource selection of red pandas and that the degree of response to these variables varied across seasons. Human disturbances, especially road and cattle herding activities, affected habitat utilization throughout the year whereas other variables were important only during restricted periods. For instance, geo-physical variables were influential in the premating and cub-rearing seasons while vegetation variables were important in all seasons other than premating. Red pandas selected steeper slopes with high solar insolation in the premating season while they occupied elevated areas and preferred specific aspects in the cub-rearing season. Furthermore, the utilized areas had tall bamboo in the birthing and cub-rearing seasons while they also preferred diverse tree species and high shrub cover in the latter. Our study demonstrates the significance of season-specific management, suggests the importance of specific types of vegetation during biologically crucial periods, and emphasizes the necessity to minimize disturbances throughout the year.

Better understanding of ecology is crucial for the success of endangered species conservation programmes. Little information is available on space use, conspecific interactions and recursions by one such species, the red panda Ailurus fulgens. To address this deficiency, we used GPS telemetry to examine their home range, core area, home-range overlap, dynamic interactions and recursive movement, and investigated the effect of sex, age and body mass on these behaviours across seasons. The median annual home range size was 1.41 km 2 , with nearly a quarter of this range being used as the core area. Sex and reproductive status were the key determinants of space use patterns on a seasonal scale, while body mass and age remained significant correlates for the core area. The home range of males was nearly double that of females, likely because of the polygynous mating system in red pandas. Females avoided overlapping home ranges, while males overlapped home range with up to 4 females, and neighbouring males overlapped nearly half of their ranges. We found rare interactions between males and females outside the mating season. Red pandas showed site fidelity within their territory, with seasonal variation across sex classes. We also observed high individual variation in patterns of both space use and recursive movement. Taken together, these results suggest that differences in biological requirements across seasons determine red panda space use patterns, conspecific interactions and recursion. However, forage availability and quality, climatic factors, disturbances and habitat fragmentation are also likely to influence these behaviours, and these factors need to be investigated.

Invasive rodents are one of the greatest threats to island biodiversity. Eradicating these species from islands has become increasingly practicable in recent decades, primarily using anticoagulant rodenticides. However, this approach also poses risks to native wildlife, and there has been corresponding development in the management of risks to non-target wildlife species. Here we review strategies and tactics used in operational management of non-target risk, using examples from rodent eradication projects conducted on 178 islands where non-target risk assessment and mitigation was a component of the rodent eradication campaign. We identified 17 different tactics within a framework of three strategic approaches: avoidance of risk, minimization of risk, and remediation of the impact of non-target wildlife mortality. We summarize these tactics in terms of their applicability, strengths, and weaknesses for rodent eradication projects in general, plus the potential interactions with achieving rodent eradication. There remains great potential for further innovation in reducing non-target wildlife risks from rodenticide used for invasive rodent eradications on islands, supporting advancement of the social acceptability of the toolset and biodiversity conservation.

Fires are an important perturbation for the carbon (C) dynamics of boreal forests, especially when they are stand-replacing. In North American boreal forests, crown fires are predominant and, therefore, the most studied. However, surface fires can also lead to major tree mortality with substantial implications for the C balance. Here, we assess the short- (hours to days) to medium-term (1–3 years) effects of the different fire types (surface vs. crown) on the postfire soil C effluxes in jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forest stands in the Northwest Territories, Canada. We found that while trees were instantly killed by the four crown fires studied, trees also died within 1 year after two of three surface fires studied. Associated with this tree mortality, soil autotrophic respiration decreased after both fire types, although at different timings. The soil heterotrophic respiration was either lower or unchanged when measured 1–3 years after either fire type but was increased when measured immediately after a surface fire, possibly due to the interaction between ash generation and wetting performed to suppress the fire. Our results suggest that both fire types can thus substantially alter C fluxes in the short to medium term, both through changes in vegetation and the soil environment.

It is sometimes essential to have an animal in the hand to study some of their ecological and biological characteristics. However, capturing a solitary, cryptic, elusive arboreal species such as the red panda in the wild is challenging. We developed and successfully tested a protocol for tracking, trapping, immobilization, and handling of red pandas in the wild in eastern Nepal. We established a red panda sighting rate of 0.89 panda/day with a capture success rate of 0.6. We trapped and collared one animal in 3.7 days. On average, we took nearly 136 (range 50–317) min to capture an animal after spotting it. Further processing was completed in 38.5 (21–70) min. Before capture, we found it difficult to recognize the sex of the red panda and to differentiate sub-adults above six months from adults. However, body weight, body length, tail length, shoulder height, and chest girth can be used for diagnosis, as these attributes are smaller in sub-adults. Our method is a welfare-friendly way of trapping and handling wild red pandas. We report new morphometric data that could serve as a guide for field identification.

Abstract Context. Wildlife detection dogs have been used globally in environmental monitoring. However, their effectiveness in the Australian context has been only minimally researched. Increased understanding of detection dog accuracy and efficacy is required for their inclusion in survey guidelines used by proponents of referred actions potentially impacting Australia’s threatened mammals. Evaluation of new methods is also important for advancing population monitoring, particularly for threatened species. Aims. To determine the efficacy of wildlife detection dogs as a survey tool for low-density, cryptic species, using northern (Dasyurus hallucatus) and spotted-tailed (D. maculatus) quolls as subjects. We compared detection dogs, human search effort and camera trapping results, in simulated accuracy and efficacy trials, and field surveys. Methods. Two wildlife detection dogs’ scores for sensitivity (ability to identify a target species scat) and specificity (ability to distinguish target from non-target species scats) were calculated during accuracy trials. The dogs were tested using 288 samples, of which 32 were targets, where northern and spotted-tailed quoll scat were the targets in separate trials. Survey efficacy was determined following completing 12 simulated surveys (6 per target species) involving a single, randomly placed scat sample in a 1–1.5 ha search area. During the northern quoll simulated surveys the dogs’ survey efficacy was compared with that of a human surveyor. The dogs also undertook field surveys for both northern and spotted-tailed quolls, in conjunction with camera trapping for comparison. Key results. During accuracy trials the dogs had an average sensitivity and specificity respectively of 100% and 98.4% for northern quoll, and 100% and 98% for spotted-tailed quoll. Their average search time in efficacy trials for northern quoll was 11.07 min (significantly faster than the human surveyor), and 2.98 min for spotted-tailed quoll in the 1–1.5 ha search areas. During field surveys, northern quoll scats were detected at sites where camera trapping failed to determine their presence. No spotted-tailed quoll scat was detected by the dogs during field surveys. Conclusions. Trained and experienced detection dogs can work very accurately and efficiently, which is vital to their field success. Detection dogs are therefore capable of detecting evidence of species presence where alternative methods may be unsuccessful. Implications. Our study supports the future use of highly trained detection dogs for wildlife surveys and monitoring in Australia. Our results demonstrate that detection dogs can be highly accurate and are a beneficial stand-alone or complimentary method.

We report the first record of a Bengal Tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, in eastern Nepal in 2020 based on photographic evidence. We documented this evidence at 3,165 m a.s.l., which makes it the highest elevation record of a tiger in Nepal. We recorded this evidence in one of 46 trail cameras deployed for monitoring Red Pandas in the Panchthar-Ilam-Taplejung (PIT) area. The PIT area, which has non-protected status, borders India in the east. Our finding supports the importance of transboundary conservation, which will benefit local and flagship wildlife in the PIT area.

Habitat specialists residing in human-modified landscapes are likely to be more vulnerable to disturbance because of a functional reliance on very particular habitat features. However, there have been few studies designed to specifically address that issue. This study aimed to explore how the red panda, an iconic endangered habitat specialist, behaves when faced with disturbances and habitat fragmentation. In particular, we attempted to examine the effect of anthropogenic disturbances and fragmentation on home-range size, activity patterns, and recursion. Using GPS telemetry we monitored 10 red pandas and documented disturbances using camera trapping for one year in eastern Nepal. We performed spatial analysis, analysed activity patterns and evaluated the effect of habitat fragmentation and disturbances on home-range size and residence time using Linear Mixed Models. Home-range size increased in areas with low availability of forest cover whilst home ranges were smaller in areas with a high road density. Red pandas spent more time in large habitat patches away from roads and cattle stations. Crossing rates suggested that roads acted as a barrier for movement across their habitat. Red pandas also partitioned their activity to minimize interactions with disturbances. Red pandas seem to make a trade-off to co-exist in human-dominated landscapes which may have adverse long-term effects on their survival. This indicates that current patterns of habitat fragmentation and forest exploitation may be adversely affecting red panda conservation efforts and that landscape-scale effects should be considered when planning conservation actions.

Background Habitat specialists living in human-dominated landscapes are likely to be affected by habitat fragmentation and human disturbances more than generalists. But there is a paucity of information on their response to such factors. We examined the effect of these factors on movement patterns of red pandas Ailurus fulgens , a habitat and diet specialist that inhabits the eastern Himalaya. Methods We equipped 10 red pandas (six females, four males) with GPS collars and monitored them from September 2019 to March 2020 in Ilam, eastern Nepal. We collected habitat and disturbance data over four seasons. We considered geophysical covariates, anthropogenic factors and habitat fragmentation metrics, and employed linear -mixed models and logistic regression to evaluate the effect of those variables on movement patterns. Results The median daily distance travelled by red pandas was 756 m. Males travelled nearly 1.5 times further than females (605 m). Males and sub-adults travelled more in the mating season while females showed no seasonal variation for their daily distance coverage. Red pandas were relatively more active during dawn and morning than the rest of the day, and they exhibited seasonal variation in distance coverage on the diel cycle. Both males and females appeared to be more active in the cub-rearing season, yet males were more active in the dawn in the birthing season. Two sub-adult females dispersed an average of 21 km starting their dispersal with the onset of the new moon following the winter solstice. The single subadult male did not disperse. Red pandas avoided roads, small-habitat patches and large unsuitable areas between habitat patches. Where connected habitat with high forest cover was scarce the animals moved more directly than when habitat was abundant. Conclusions Our study indicates that this habitat specialist is vulnerable to human disturbances and habitat fragmentation. Habitat restoration through improving functional connectivity may be necessary to secure the long-term conservation of specialist species in a human-dominated landscape. Regulation of human activities should go in parallel to minimize disturbances during biologically crucial life phases. We recommend habitat zonation to limit human activities and avoid disturbances, especially livestock herding and road construction in core areas.

Chital deer (Axis axis) were introduced to the Burdekin dry tropics of north Queensland, Australia, in the late 1800s. Here rainfall and plant growth are highly seasonal and a nutritional bottleneck for grazing animals occurs annually before the wet season. This study describes the seasonal changes in diet and diet preference of chital in this seasonally-variable environment. Rumen samples were taken from 162 deer from two sites over the wet and dry seasons of two consecutive years and sorted macroscopically for identification. Relative seasonal availability of plant groups was estimated using step point sampling of areas grazed by chital. Chital alter their diet seasonally according to availability and plant phenology. Chital utilised 42 plant genera including grasses, forbs, subshrubs, shrubs, trees and litter. Grass consumption ranged from 53% of biomass intake during the dry season to 95% during the wet season. The predominance of grass in the wet season diet exceeded relative availability, indicating a strong preference. Although grass contributed more than half of the dry season diet it was the least preferred plant group, given availability, and the least actively growing. Shrubs were the preferred plant type in the dry season, and least subject to seasonal senescence. Composition and quantity of seasonal pastures vary markedly in north Queensland, and chital alter their diet by consuming those plants most actively growing. The increased dry season intake of non-grass forage appears to be a strategy to limit the detriment resulting from the progressive deterioration in the quality of grass.

Chital deer (Axis axis) are an ungulate species introduced to northern Queensland, Australia, in an environment where land is managed for large scale cattle production. Rainfall and pasture growth are markedly seasonal and cattle experience a nutritional shortfall each year before monsoon rain. The presence of chital is perceived by land managers to reduce dry-season grass availability and this study sought to estimate the potential effect of free-living chital on regional cattle production. Diet overlap was greatest during the wet season when both ungulates principally consumed grass, and least during the dry season when chital diet comprised only ~50% grass. Using local estimates for energy values of wet and dry season grass, and the maintenance energy requirements of chital and cattle, we estimated the relative dry-matter seasonal grass intakes of both ungulates. The grass consumed annually by 100 chital could support an additional 25 cattle during the wet season and an additional 14 cattle during the dry season.

This study investigated how Crimson Rosellas Platycercus elegans (CR) and Australian King-Parrots Alisterus scapularis (AKP) used provisioned seed at two public bird feeding sites in Australia. A total of 197 CR and 72 AKP were trapped and colour-banded. Observational data was collected every 10mins between 08:00-16:00 for three consecutive days during autumn and spring. Foraging effort was described using five metrics that quantified the birds’ visiting frequency and foraging duration over each day and observation period. Seed selection (over 5mins) and intake (over 10mins) were determined, and the energy intake was calculated. Total counts and population estimates were calculated for each species. Individual, species, seasonal and geographic variation in the use of provisioned seed was demonstrated by the metric summaries and Restricted Maximum Likelihood Modelling. Both species fed as part of large mixed species flocks that would not naturally congregate together to forage. Overall, CR were found to have higher foraging effort and feed in greater numbers than AKP, but a spectrum of use was observed for both species. Individuals were observed using the provisioned seed between 0-3 days/observation period. When birds used the provisioned seed, they were found to make between 1-8 visits/day, with most lasting 10-30mins. Few daily durations lasted longer than 50mins. Within a 10-minute interval, it was possible for a CR and AKP to obtain between 1.73-62.91% and 6.84-88.54% of their daily energy requirements, respectively. In a visit, either species could fill their crop and meet most, if not all, of their daily energy requirements. A small percentage of birds (6.5%) were found to use the feeding sites daily and for long durations (up to 160mins). It is likely that a proportion of the birds using the provisioned seed at both sites were dependent on the food source and would be at risk if the seed supply were suddenly reduced. The study also provided evidence that wild bird feeding provided an advantage to one or more species, as well as evidence that the food source did not affect the study species’ seasonal dispersal patterns or juveniles’ ability to forage on natural food sources.

Recent seizures of red panda pelts suggest an increasing illegal trade. Our study documents the socio-cultural perspectives affecting red panda conservation in Nepal in an attempt to determine what might be driving this increased trade. To do this, we interviewed local people; reviewed published and unpublished works, websites, and newspapers; and consulted experts. The majority of people living in red panda habitat seem familiar with this species, but it rarely has any medicinal, cultural, or religious significance. Currently, what is driving the demand for pelts is a mystery and cannot be explained by inherent negative perceptions about the animal's value to society or positive perceptions about its economic value within Nepal. Nonetheless, we suggest that insufficient knowledge about red panda-related crime, miscommunication during awareness-building campaigns, investigators' influence indicating a demand for pelts with a high price, and poverty-induced, easy money-making motives could be possible drivers for increasing the supply of pelts.

A 3.6 ha experimental fire was conducted in a black spruce peatland forest that had undergone thinning the year prior. After 50 m of spread in a natural stand at 35–60 m min−1, the crown fire (43,000 kW m−1 intensity using Byram’s method) encountered the 50% stem removal treatment; spread rates in the treatment were 50–60 m min−1. Fuel consumption in the control (2.75 kg m−2) was comparable to the treatment (2.35 kg m−2). Proxy measurements of fire intensity using in-stand heat flux sensors as well as photogrammetric flame heights had detected intensity reductions to 30–40% of the control. Crown fuel load reductions (compensated by higher surface fuel load) appear to be the most significant contributor to the decline in intensity, despite drier surface fuels in the treatment. The burn depth of 5 cm in moss and organic soil did not differ between control and treatment. These observations point to the limited effectiveness (likely reductions in crown fire intensity but not spread rate) of stem removal in boreal black spruce fuel types with high stem density, low crown base height and high surface fuel load. The observed fire behaviour impacts differ from drier conifer forests across North America.

Chital deer (Axis axis) were introduced to the Burdekin district of northern Queensland, Australia in 1886. Compared with most successful ungulate introductions they have been slow to expand their distribution and increase in abundance (Moriarty 2004). In this study we consider the possibility that forage shortages caused by periodic droughts have caused sufficient mortalities to limit the increase and spread of chital in the region. The Burdekin district experiences fluctuations in forage according to seasonal rainfall as well as multi-year droughts. This study recorded the decline in body condition, measured as kidney fat index (KFI) and bone marrow fat (BMF), over the wet and dry seasons of two successive years in two chital deer populations during a period when annual rainfall was ~40% below average. We relate the falls in mean KFI from ~45–15%, and mean BMF from ~80–50% to the surveyed decline in chital populations of ~80%. The extent of the decline implies increased mortalities in all age classes as well as reduced reproductive output. We propose that it is likely that chital populations have experienced several such drought mortality events since the 1890s which have contributed to their limited spread.