Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

A PROMISING HABITAT SPACE FOR BLACKBUCKS ANTILOPE CERVICAPRA DELIMITED BY DECLINING OPEN GRASSLAND TRACTS AND INCREASING TALL VEGETATIONS

C. Vinay Kumar and Vijaya Kumara

Abstract

This study was carried out in four consecutive years (2017–2020) to evaluate how increased tall vegetation growth changed the promising nature of open grassland habitat for blackbucks in Basur Amruth Mahal Kaval Blackbuck Conservation Reserve with an area of 7.36 km2. Based on facts that blackbucks avoid tall and thick vegetations and prefer only plain tracts for anti-predator benefits, our investigation gained curiosity on their activities of choosing bed down/resting behaviour locations inside and the outside their natural habitat. The focus of the study was to understand evolving behavioural adaptations of blackbuck herds against increasing habitat edges and predation pressures by utilizing the locally available open areas of agricultural crop fields outside their home ranges. Predation by leopards (0.407 individuals per sq. km) on blackbuck found predominant in this area probably at the habitat edges. The number of locally emigrating individuals made significant rise (x = 112<, 132<, 158<, 191) from 2017 to 2020. Despite fluctuations, over all point density of habitat use by blackbucks declined from 22.6 to 10.02 points per Sq. Km inside the Kaval and rise from 5.23 to 9.32 points per Sq. Km outside the Kaval. With apparent uncertainties, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) showed fluctuating in the open grasslands (0.142>, 0.047<, 0.734>, 0.07) and gradual rise in the other elements. Vegetation control measures should be taken for providing healthy and promising open grassland habitat for blackbucks.