229
this region, a number of Park Areas (PAs) exist, including Jigme Singye National
Park (NP), Royal Manas NP, Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), Khaling WLS in
Bhutan and the Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR) in India. Together, these form the
single- largest TCL for tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in the world (Dorji and
Santiapillai 1989; Sanderson et al. 2006).
The IBMTCL is of historical evolutionary significance as tigers here share the
connecting gene pool with the south eastern tiger population and the area represents
the entry point of tigers into the Indian sub-continent (Jhala et al. 2011).
Administratively, the IBMTCL is comprised of six Protected Areas (PAs; Table 3)
but there are several potential landscapes which do not have PA status but nevertheless are able to support tigers (e.g., the Ripu-Chirang Forest complexes in India).
Data Collected
Mammal Surveys
Various organizations, including NGOs such as WWF-India, Aaranyak and the
Wildlife Trust of India, assisted the Manas NP Authority in India to lay camera traps
between November 2010 and February 2011. This was part of a nation-wide tiger
sampling exercise carried out within most of the tiger reserves in India (Jhala
et al. 2011). The infrared-triggered camera-traps used within the two ranges of
Manas NP (Bansbari and Bhuyanpara) were the Cuddeback (Non Typical Inc.
Wisconsin), TrailMaster (Goodson and Associates, Kansas, USA) and Panthera
Camera Trap V3 (Panthera, USA). A pair of camera traps was placed within individual 2 × 2 km sized cells and the total area covered by all camera traps
Table 3 PAs supporting tiger populations and methods for their estimation in IBMTCL
Name of protected area
Area
(km
2
)
Forest type
Previous methods for
estimating populations
of tigers
Manas Tiger Reserve, India
2837
Subtropical forests
interspersed with savannah
grasslands
Camera trap studies
undertaken since 2009
Royal Manas National Park,
Bhutan
1057
Subtropical forests
Camera trap studies
undertaken since 2009
Jigme Singye National Park
1730
Temperate and upland
broadleaf forests
Single camera-trap
study
Phibsoo Wildlife sanctuary
269
Subtropical landscapes
Not available
Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary
335
Subtropical
Not available
Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary
26
Subtropical
Not available
TOTAL AREA
6254
Coupling Field Sampling with Earth Observation Increases Understanding of Tiger…
this region, a number of Park Areas (PAs) exist, including Jigme Singye National
Park (NP), Royal Manas NP, Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), Khaling WLS in
Bhutan and the Manas Tiger Reserve (MTR) in India. Together, these form the
single- largest TCL for tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in the world (Dorji and
Santiapillai 1989; Sanderson et al. 2006).
The IBMTCL is of historical evolutionary significance as tigers here share the
connecting gene pool with the south eastern tiger population and the area represents
the entry point of tigers into the Indian sub-continent (Jhala et al. 2011).
Administratively, the IBMTCL is comprised of six Protected Areas (PAs; Table 3)
but there are several potential landscapes which do not have PA status but nevertheless are able to support tigers (e.g., the Ripu-Chirang Forest complexes in India).
Data Collected
Mammal Surveys
Various organizations, including NGOs such as WWF-India, Aaranyak and the
Wildlife Trust of India, assisted the Manas NP Authority in India to lay camera traps
between November 2010 and February 2011. This was part of a nation-wide tiger
sampling exercise carried out within most of the tiger reserves in India (Jhala
et al. 2011). The infrared-triggered camera-traps used within the two ranges of
Manas NP (Bansbari and Bhuyanpara) were the Cuddeback (Non Typical Inc.
Wisconsin), TrailMaster (Goodson and Associates, Kansas, USA) and Panthera
Camera Trap V3 (Panthera, USA). A pair of camera traps was placed within individual 2 × 2 km sized cells and the total area covered by all camera traps
Table 3 PAs supporting tiger populations and methods for their estimation in IBMTCL
Name of protected area
Area
(km
2
)
Forest type
Previous methods for
estimating populations
of tigers
Manas Tiger Reserve, India
2837
Subtropical forests
interspersed with savannah
grasslands
Camera trap studies
undertaken since 2009
Royal Manas National Park,
Bhutan
1057
Subtropical forests
Camera trap studies
undertaken since 2009
Jigme Singye National Park
1730
Temperate and upland
broadleaf forests
Single camera-trap
study
Phibsoo Wildlife sanctuary
269
Subtropical landscapes
Not available
Khaling Wildlife Sanctuary
335
Subtropical
Not available
Bornadi Wildlife Sanctuary
26
Subtropical
Not available
TOTAL AREA
6254
Coupling Field Sampling with Earth Observation Increases Understanding of Tiger…