title: Hunting or habitat? Drivers of waterbird abundance and community structure in agricultural wetlands of southern India.
abstract: The relative impacts of hunting and habitat on waterbird community were studied in agricultural wetlands of southern India. We surveyed wetlands to document waterbird community, and interviewed hunters to document hunting intensity, targeted species, and the motivations for hunting. Our results show that hunting leads to drastic declines in waterbird diversity and numbers, and skew the community towards smaller species. Hunting intensity, water spread, and vegetation cover were the three most important determinants of waterbird abundance and community structure. Species richness, density of piscivorous species, and medium-sized species (31-65 cm) were most affected by hunting. Out of 53 species recorded, 47 were hunted, with a preference for larger birds. Although illegal, hunting has increased in recent years and is driven by market demand. This challenges the widely held belief that waterbird hunting in India is a low intensity, subsistence activity, and undermines the importance of agricultural wetlands in waterbird conservation.
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society- India Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560 065, India. ramachandranr.pccf@yahoo.co.in.|Cranes and Wetlands Programme, Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, 570002, India. ramachandranr.pccf@yahoo.co.in.
authors.forename: Ramesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ramachandran
authors.affiliation: Post-Graduate Programme in Wildlife Biology and Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society- India Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, GKVK Campus, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560 065, India.|Center for Wildlife Studies, 1669, 31st Cross, 16th Main, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bangalore, 560070, India.
authors.forename: Ajith
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Cranes and Wetlands Programme, Nature Conservation Foundation, 3076/5, 4th Cross, Gokulam Park, Mysore, 570002, India.|Program SarusScape, International Crane Foundation, E 11736, Shady Lane Road, Baraboo, WI, 53913, USA.
authors.forename: Kolla S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Gopi Sundar
authors.affiliation: Foundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and Learning, 170/3, Morattandi, Aurovile Post, Tamil Nadu, 605101, India.
authors.forename: Ravinder Singh
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Bhalla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D007194:India; D053833:Wetlands
keywords: Avifauna; Community structure; Illegal hunting; Tamil Nadu; Waterbird