Measuring protected-area effectiveness using vertebrate distributions from leech iDNA

Yinqiu Ji, Christopher C. M. Baker (), Viorel D. Popescu, Jiaxin Wang, Chunying Wu, Zhengyang Wang, Yuanheng Li, Lin Wang, Chaolang Hua, Zhongxing Yang, Chunyan Yang, Charles C. Y. Xu, Alex Diana, Qingzhong Wen, Naomi E. Pierce () and Douglas W. Yu ()
Additional contact information
Yinqiu Ji: Kunming Institute of Zoology
Christopher C. M. Baker: Harvard University
Viorel D. Popescu: Ohio University
Jiaxin Wang: Kunming Institute of Zoology
Chunying Wu: Kunming Institute of Zoology
Zhengyang Wang: Harvard University
Yuanheng Li: Kunming Institute of Zoology
Lin Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chaolang Hua: Yunnan Forestry Survey and Planning Institute
Zhongxing Yang: Yunnan Forestry Survey and Planning Institute
Chunyan Yang: Kunming Institute of Zoology
Charles C. Y. Xu: McGill University
Alex Diana: University of Kent
Qingzhong Wen: Yunnan Forestry Survey and Planning Institute
Naomi E. Pierce: Harvard University
Douglas W. Yu: Kunming Institute of Zoology

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract Protected areas are key to meeting biodiversity conservation goals, but direct measures of effectiveness have proven difficult to obtain. We address this challenge by using environmental DNA from leech-ingested bloodmeals to estimate spatially-resolved vertebrate occupancies across the 677 km2 Ailaoshan reserve in Yunnan, China. From 30,468 leeches collected by 163 park rangers across 172 patrol areas, we identify 86 vertebrate species, including amphibians, mammals, birds and squamates. Multi-species occupancy modelling shows that species richness increases with elevation and distance to reserve edge. Most large mammals (e.g. sambar, black bear, serow, tufted deer) follow this pattern; the exceptions are the three domestic mammal species (cows, sheep, goats) and muntjak deer, which are more common at lower elevations. Vertebrate occupancies are a direct measure of conservation outcomes that can help guide protected-area management and improve the contributions that protected areas make towards global biodiversity goals. Here, we show the feasibility of using invertebrate-derived DNA to estimate spatially-resolved vertebrate occupancies across entire protected areas.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28778-8

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