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EXPEDITION REPORT
Expedition dates
:
6 February
-
4 March 2011
Report published:
February 2013
Status of the Arabian leopard
(
Panthera pardus nimr
) in
Dhofar
,
Sultanate of O
man
BEST
VOLUNTEERING
ORGANISATION
UK
BEST FOR
GREEN
-
MINDED
TRAVELLERS
UK
TOP
RESPONSIBLE
HOLIDAY
UK
BEST NEW TRIP
USA
BEST IN
SUSTAINABLE
TRAVEL
USA
ENVIRONMENT
AWARD
Germany
TOP HOLIDAY
FOR NATURE
Germany
1
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
EXPEDITION REPORT
Status of the Arabian leopard
(
Panthera pardus nimr
) in
Dhofar
,
Sultanate of Oman
Expedition dates:
6
February
-
4
March
201
1
Report published:
F
ebruary 2013
Author:
Marcelo Mazzolli
Pr
ojeto Puma
, Brazil
Khaled al Hikmani
Office of the Advisor for Conservation of the Environment
Diwan of Royal Court, Oman
Matthias Hammer
& Adam Stickler
(e
ditor
s
)
Biosphere Expeditions
2
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Abstract
The Arabian Leopard
Panthera pardus nimr
is a flagship
species for Oman’s mountain habitats. It is
classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered and is listed on Appendix 1 of the convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
having
disappeared from most of its former range on the Arabian
Penin
sula. Most of the remaining wild population is confined to the mountains of southern Oman and Yemen.
M
uch knowledge on the status and biology of the Arabian leopard has been gained since the
inception of the Leopard Survey Project
in 1997
.
Despite this, m
any basic questions remain unanswered,
including the most relevant of all
;
the exact causes and processes that appear to be driving leopard
populations into a steady decline. Biosphere Expeditions has been working in collaboration with the Office of
Conser
vation for the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court since 2006
.
The intent
is
to gain
an
understanding
of aspects of leopard biology and
the
animal’s
interaction with humans
. This can be used to inform future
management strategies and cooperative actions that
are relevant to the conservation of the Arabian leopard
in Oman.
Biosphere Expeditions surveys conducted in Musandam (2006
-
2007) indicated that the leopard
population on the peninsula was very small
,
as indicated by low recording rates and loss of two im
portant
prey species, the Arabian tahr
Hemitragus jayakari
,
the
gazelle
Gazella gazella cora
and that of the other top
carnivore, the Arabian wolf
Canis lupus arabs
. The subsequent 2008
-
2010 expeditions to the Dhofar
mountains north and west of Salalah hav
e reported better ha
bitat quality
with the large mammals and prey
base still present. However, it was found that the Arabian leopard is also uncommon in this part of its range.
This area of Dhofar, encompassing the Jabal al Qara range, is strategically pos
itioned between two relatively
good leopard populations from Jabal Samhan and the Yemen border. This report covers the continuation of
the survey work in the Jabal al Qara, at Wadi Uyun, conducted from February to March 2011.
Sixty six cells 2 x 2 km in s
ize were surveyed within a
32 x 36 km
area, which ranged from Wadi
Uyun (north) to the cliffs facing the Salalah plains. It covered a varied topography from wadi floors to
mountain ridges and escarpments. Vegetation coverage increased towards the monsoon
-
s
howered regions
at the south range of the study area. Methods included the identification of signs
, DNA analysis of scats,
visual recording
and employment of 20 camera traps
, all
to identify distributional range and consecutive
recording (‘
capture
-
recaptur
e’) of targeted mammals as alternative variables to abundance. Capacity
-
building
and education initiatives were
also
part of the expedition.
Target species where those
mammals
highly detectable by
any of the sample methods employed
when present, meaning th
at absence or reduced presence of
such evidence
was assumed to represent
rareness. It was found that mountain gazelle
,
porcupine
Hystrix indica
, Nubian ibex
Capra ibex nubiana
,
striped hyaena
Hyaena hyaena sultana
and hyrax
Procavia capensis
were common th
roughout most of the
study area. Arabian wolf, caracal
Caracal caracal
and Arabian leopard were
the least recorded and were
thus considered less common than other target
species.
Efficiency of methods
in the way they contributed to detect species in cells
varied for each species.
Wolves and hyaena were recorded more widely by tracks; caracal by DNA analysis; gazelle by tracks, scats
and sightings; ibex by tracks and scats; porcupine and hyrax by scats. Regarding aggregation and
abundance, wolves were clear
ly restricted to the south of the study area, gazelle
s
were detected mostly in
the north and ibex in the centre of the study area. No patterns of
aggregation
were found for the other
species.
The relationship of such
aggregations
and species composition on
leopard presence is yet unknown.
Gazelle and hyaena proportionally displayed a larger number of cells
occupied when compared with
data collected using the cell methodology in
2008. The increase in gazelle occupancy is compatible with the
increasing
number
of counts of gazelle since 2009.
The current study identified leopard presence in a single
location
, based on
DNA analysis of scats,
in
the cell neighboring the base camp
cell. Intensive surveys were also conducted at a water
source, the oasis
of Uyun, w
ith no results of leopard
presence. That, combined with the fact that no other definitive proof of
leopard presence was found, corroborates
the findings of
Mazzolli and Hammer
(
2008
)
and
Mazzolli
(
2009
)
that leopard is uncommon in the
area
. This conclusion
is further supported
when
the low or
null rate of
leopards verified from vestiges and/or camera traps found in
the study area is compared with the higher
rates obtained in the extreme
west and east of the Dhofar mountains, by the Office of the Adviser for
Conservation of the Environment
–
OACE (unpubl. data).
The low occurrence of leopards is consistent with the reported low or null depredation rates.
Livestock is
common
in the south of the st
udy area and i
nformation collected from interviews
suggests
th
at
los
ses to predation are rare. T
hus
the predation rate of
leopard
taking
livestock should be low. This makes
the lo
w numbers of leopard intriguing. With
healthy and widespread
p
opulation
s
of wild prey, the only other
obvious cause of leopard rareness wou
ld be retaliation following livestock depredation. Clearly more
research should be done to investigate the causes of low leopard numbers in the area.
3
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
ﺨﻠﻣ
ﺺ
ﺔﻌﯿﺒﻄﻟا ﻰﻠﻋ ظﺎﻔﺤﻠﻟ ﻰﻟوﺪﻟا دﺎﺤﺗﻸﻟ ﺎﻌﺒﺗ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﻒﯿﻨﺼﺗ ﻢﺗ ،ﺔﯿﻧﺎﻤﻌﻟا ﺔﯿﻠﺒﺠﻟا تﺎﺌﯿﺒﻠﻟ ﺔﻠﺜﻤﻤﻟا ﺔﯿﺴﯿﺋﺮﻟا ﺔﯾﺮﺒﻟا ﺔﯿﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا عاﻮﻧﻷا ﻦﻣ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺮﺒﺘﻌﯾ
ً
)
IUCN
(
عﻮﻨﻛ
ﻖﺤﻠﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﻊﺿوو ضاﺮﻘﻧﻷا ﺮطﺎﺨﻤﻟ ضﺮﻌﻣو ﺪﯾﺪﮭﺘﻟا ﺪﯾﺪﺷ
)
1
(
تﺎﻨﺋﺎﻜﻟا ﻰﻓ رﺎﺠﺗﻷا ﻊﻨﻣ ةﺪھﺎﻌﻤﻟ
ﺔﯿﺤﻟا
)
ﺲﺘﯾﺎﺳ
(
ﺔﯿﺑﺮﻌﻟا ةﺮﯾﺰﺠﻟا تﺎﺌﯿﺑ ﻢﻈﻌﻣ ﻦﻣ عﻮﻨﻟا ﻚﻟذ ءﺎﻔﺘﺧﻷ ﻚﻟذو
ﺐﯾﺮﻘﻟا ﻰﺿﺎﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺎﮭﺑ ﺮﺸﺘﻨﻣ نﺎﻛ ﻰﺘﻟاو
.
ﺔﯿﻨﻤﯿﻟا ﺔﯾرﻮﮭﻤﺠﻟاو نﺎﻤﻋ ﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ ﻰﺘﻟوﺪﻟ ﺔﯿﺑﻮﻨﺠﻟا ﺔﯿﻠﺒﺠﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﺾﻌﺑ ﻰﻓ ةﺮﺼﺤﻨﻣ ﺎﯿﻟﺎﺣ ﺔﻠﺠﺴﻤﻟا داﺮﻓﻷا ﻢﻈﻌﻣ
ً
.
ﻤﻨﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺻﺎﺨﻟا تﺎﻣﻮﻠﻌﻤﻟاو ﺔﯿﻠﻘﺤﻟا تﺎﻧﺎﯿﺒﻟا ﻢﻈﻌﻣ
مﺎﻋ ﻰﻓ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺮﺼﺣ عوﺮﺸﻤﻟ ﺔﯿﺜﺤﺒﻟا تﻼﺣﺮﻟا لﻼﺧ ﻦﻣ ﺎﮭﻌﯿﻤﺠﺗو ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ لﻮﺼﺤﻟا ﻢﺗ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮ
1997
ﻦﻣ ﻢﻏﺮﻟﺎﺑو م
نﻻا ﻰﺘﺣ ﺔﺤﺿاو تﺎﺑﺎﺟأ ﺎﮭﻟ ﺖﺴﯿﻟ ﻰﺘﻟاو ةﺮﯿﺤﻤﻟا ﺔﻠﺌﺳﻷا ﻦﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﻌﻟا كﺎﻨھ ﺖﻟازﺎﻤﻓ ﻚﻟذ
.
ﻮھ ﺔﺣوﺮﻄﻤﻟا تﻻؤﺎﺴﺘﻟا ﻞﻛ ﻦﯿﺑ ﻦﻣ ﺔﯿﻤھأ ﺮﺜﻛﻻا لاﺆﺴﻟا
:
ﺤﻟا بﺎﺒﺳﻻا ﻰھﺎﻣ
ﺔﯿﻘﯿﻘ
ىﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻂﯿﺤﻤﻟا تﻼﺣر ﺔﻋﻮﻤﺠﻣ ﺖﻣﺎﻗ ﻚﻟﺬﻟ ،ضاﺮﻘﻧﻹﺎﺑ ﺪﯾﺪﮭﺘﻟا ﺔﻠﺣﺮﻣ ﻰﻟأ ﻞﺻو ﻰﺘﺣ عﻮﻨﻟا ﻚﻟذ داﺪﻋأ ضﺎﻔﺨﻧإ ﻰﻟإ تدأ ﻰﺘﻟا
)
ﻦﺷﺪﯿﺒﺴﻛأ ﺮﯿﻔﺳﻮﯿﺑ
(
ﺐﺘﻜﻣ ﻊﻣ نوﺎﻌﺘﻟﺎﺑو
ﻼﺒﻟا ناﻮﯾﺪﻟ ﻊﺑﺎﺘﻟاو ﺔﺌﯿﺒﻟا ﻰﻠﻋ ظﺎﻔﺤﻟا
مﺎﻋ ﺬﻨﻣ ﻰﻧﺎﻄﻠﺴﻟا ط
2006
تﺎﺳارﺪﻟﺎﺑ
ﺎﻛ ،عﻮﻨﻟا ﻚﻟﺬﻟ ﺎﯾﻮﻨﺳ ﺔﻀﯿﻔﺘﺴﻤﻟا
ً
ةﺎﯿﺣ ﺐﻧاﻮﺟ ﻊﯿﻤﺠﻟ ﻞﻣﺎﻜﻟا ﻢﮭﻔﻠﻟ لﻮﺻﻮﻟا ﻮھ ﻰﺳﺎﺳﻷا فﺪﮭﻟا ن
ﮫﺘﯿﻤﻨﺗو ﮫﯿﻠﻋ ظﺎﻔﺤﻠﻟ ﺔﺒﺳﺎﻨﻤﻟا تﺎﯿﺠﯿﺗاﺮﺘﺳﻷاو ﻂﻄﺨﻟا ﻊﺿو ﻚﻟﺬﻛو عﻮﻨﻟا ﻚﻟذ ﻰﻠﻋ ظﺎﻔﺤﻠﻟ ﺔﯿﻋﻮﺘﻟا تﻼﻤﺣ ﻦﻣ ﻼﺒﻘﺘﺴﻣ ﻞﮭﺴﯾ ﺎﻤﻣ ﺮﺸﺒﻟا ﻊﻣ ناﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻞﻋﺎﻔﺗ ﺔﯿﻔﯿﻛو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا
ً
نﺎﻤﻋ ﺔﻨﻄﻠﺳ ﻰﻓ
.
ﻰﺘﻟا تﺎﺳارﺪﻟا ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻧ ﺖﺤﺿوأ
ﻦﻣ ةﺮﺘﻔﻟا لﻼﺧ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﻰﻠﻋ ﺖﻤﺗ
)
2006
ﻰﺘﺣو م
2007
م
(
ﺔﺠﯿﺘﻧ ﻚﻟذو ةردﺎﻧ ﻰﻟإ اﺪﺟ ﺔﻠﯿﻠﻗ ﺎﮭﻠﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺗ ﻰﺘﻟا ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا داﺪﻋأ نأ
ً
ﺎﻤھو ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ ىﺬﻐﺘﯾ ﻰﺘﻟا ﺔﯿﺴﯿﺋﺮﻟا ﺲﺋاﺮﻔﻟا داﺪﻋأ ضﺎﻔﺨﻧﻹ
)
ﻰﻣدﻹا لاﺰﻐﻟاو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﮭﻄﻟا
(
ﻤﻨﻟا ﺎﮭﺟاﻮﯾ ﻰﺘﻟاو ءاﺬﻐﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺔﺴﻓﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻚﻟﺬﻛو
ﺔﺳﺮﺘﻔﻤﻟا تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻊﻣ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮ
ﻦﯿﺘﻘﺣﻼﻟا ﻦﯿﺘﻨﺴﻟا لﻼﺧ ،ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺐﺋﺬﻟا ﻞﺜﻣ ىﺮﺧﻷا ﺔﯿﺴﯿﺋﺮﻟا
)
2008
ﻰﺘﺣو م
2010
م
(
ﻚﻟﺬﻛو رﺎﻔظ لﺎﺒﺟ ﻰﻓ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻠﻟ ﺔﺒﺳﺎﻨﻣ ﻞﺋاﻮﻣ ﺔﯿﻋﻮﻧ نﻮﻜﯾ نأ ﻦﻜﻤﯾﺎﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺗ ﻢﺗ
نا ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻠﻟ ﻦﻜﻤﯾ ﻰﺘﻟاو ﺔﺒﺳﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﺲﺋاﺮﻔﻟا ﺔﯿﻋﻮﻧ ﺮﻓاﻮﺗ ﻊﻣ ﺔﻟﻼﺻ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ بﺮﻏ
ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ ىﺬﻐﺘﯾ
.
ﻚﻠﺘﺑ ﻊﺋﺎﺷ ﺮﯿﻏ لازﺎﻣ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا نا ﺮﺼﺤﻟا ءﺎﮭﺘﻧإ ﺪﻌﺑ ﺪﺟو ،ﻚﻟذ ﻊﻣو
ﺔﯿﻨﻤﯿﻟا دوﺪﺤﻟاو نﺎﺤﻤﺳ ﻞﺒﺟ ﻦﯿﺑ ﺔﻌﻗاﻮﻟاو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻠﻟ ﻦﯿﯿﺴﯿﺋر ﻦﯿﻌﻤﺠﺗ ﻦﯿﺑ ﻰﺠﯿﺗاﺮﺘﺳإ ﻊﻗﻮﻣ ﺮﺒﺘﻌﺗ ﻰﺘﻟاو هﺮﻗ لﺎﺒﺟ ﺔﻠﺴﻠﺳ ﻰﻠﻋ رﺎﻔظ لﺎﺒﺟ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﻞﻤﺸﺗ ،ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا
.
ﻟا تﺎﺣﻮﺴﻤﻟا ﺮﯾﺮﻘﺘﻟا اﺬھ ﻰﻄﻐﯾ
سرﺎﻣ ﻰﺘﺣو ﺮﯾاﺮﺒﻓ ﻦﻣ ةﺮﺘﻔﻟا لﻼﺧ ﺖﻤﺗ ﻰﺘﻟاو نﻮﯿﻋ ىداو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﻚﻟﺬﻛو هﺮﻗ لﺎﺒﺟ ﺔﻋﻮﻤﺠﻣ ﻰﻓ ﺔﯿﻟﺎﺘﺘﻤ
2011
ﻊﻗاﻮﻣ ﺔﺘﺳ ﺔﺳارد ﺖﻤﺗ ،م
ﻊﻗﻮﻣ ﻞﻛ ﺔﺣﺎﺴﻣ ﺔﯿﺴﯿﺋر
)
2
ﻢﻛ
x
2
ﻢﻛ
(
ﻎﻠﺒﺗ ﺖﻧﺎﻛ ﻰﺘﻟاو ﺔﺳارﺪﻠﻟ ﺔﯿﻟﺎﻤﺟﻹا ﺔﺣﺎﺴﻤﻟا ﻞﺧاد
)
36
ﻢﻛ
x
36
ﻢﻛ
(
ﺤﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻟإ ﻻﺎﻤﺷ نﻮﯿﻋ ىداو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﻦﻣ ﺖﺣواﺮﺗو
ً
ﺔﯿﻠﮭﺴﻟا تارﺪ
ﻰﺗﺎﺒﻨﻟا ءﺎﻄﻐﻟا نا ﺔﻈﺣﻼﻣ ﺖﻤﺗو ﺔﯿﻠﺒﺠﻟا تارﺪﺤﻨﻤﻟا ﺔﺌﯿﺑ ﻚﻟﺬﻛو ﺔﯿﻠﺒﺠﻟا نﺎﯾدﻮﻟا تﺎﺌﯿﺒﻟ ﺔﻠﺜﻤﻣ ﺔﻋﻮﻨﺘﻤﻟا ﺲﯾرﺎﻀﺘﻟا ﻦﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﻌﻟا ﺔﯿﻄﻐﺘﺑ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺖﻣﺎﻗ ،ﺔﻟﻼﺻ ﺔﻨﯾﺪﻤﻟ ﺔﮭﺟاﻮﻤﻟا
ﺜﻛ دادﺰﯾ
ﻌﻤﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻟإ ﺎﻨﮭﺠﺗأ ﺎﻤﻠﻛ ﺔﻓﺎ
ﺔﯿﺋاﻮﺘﺳﻹا ﺔﯿﻤﺳﻮﻤﻟا رﺎﻄﻣﻸﻟ ﺔﺿﺮ
)
ﻧﻮﻤﻟا ةﺮھﺎظ
نﻮﺴ
(
ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ بﻮﻨﺟ
.
تاﺮﯿﻣﺎﻜﻟا ﺔﻄﺳاﻮﺑ ﺔﯾﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻠﻟ ﻰﺋﺮﻤﻟا ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺘﻟا ﺔﯿﻧﺎﻜﻣإ ﻚﻟﺬﻛو ﺔﯾﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻠﻟ ﺔﯾزاﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻔﻠﺨﻤﻠﻟ ىوﻮﻨﻟا ﺾﻣﺎﺤﻟا ﻞﯿﻠﺤﺗو تﺎﻣﻼﻌﻟا ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺗ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺖﻠﻤﺷ
)
خﺎﺨﻓأ
اﺮﯿﻣﺎﻜﻟا
(
ﺐﯿﻛﺮﺘﺑ
20
ﺔﯿﻟﺎﻤﺘﺣإو ﺪﺟاﻮﺗ تﺎﻗﺎﻄﻧ ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺘﻟ ﺔﻔﻠﺘﺨﻣ ﻦﻛﺎﻣأ ﻰﻓ اﺮﯿﻣﺎﻛ
ﻦﻣ ﺔﺳارﺪﻠﻟ ﺔﯿﻔﯿﻘﺜﺘﻟاو ﺔﯿﻤﯿﻠﻌﺘﻟا ﺔﯿﺣﺎﻨﻟا ﻰﻟإ ﺔﻓﺎﺿﻹﺎﺑ ،ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻚﻠﺗ ﻰﻓ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا رﺎﺸﺘﻧأ
ﺾﻌﺑ ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗو ﺔﺒﻗاﺮﻣ ﻚﻟذ ﻰﻟإ ﺔﻓﺎﺿﻹﺎﺑ ﻢﺗ ،ﺔﺳارﺪﻠﻟ ﻼﻤﻜﻣو ﺎﯿﺳﺎﺳأ اءاﺰﺟ تﺮﺒﺘﻋأ ﻰﺘﻟاو ﺎﺻﻮﺼﺧ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﻦﻋو ﺔﯾﺮﺒﻟا ةﺎﯿﺤﻟﺎﺑ ﻦﯿﻤﺘﮭﻤﻟاو ﻦﯿﺜﺣﺎﺒﻠﻟ تارﺪﻘﻟا ءﺎﻨﺑ لﻼﺧ
ً
ً ً ً
تﺎﯿﯾﺪﺜﻟا
ﻖﯾﺮط ﻦﻋ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﻰﻓ ىﺮﺧﻻا
)
قﻼطﻹا ةدﺎﻋإ ﻢﺛ دﺎﯿﻄﺻﻷا
(
ﻚﻠﺗ لﻼﺧ ﻦﻣ ،ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ةدﻮﺟﻮﻤﻟا عاﻮﻧﻷا ةﺮﻓو ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺘﻟ ﻞﯾﺪﺑ ﺪﻋﺎﺴﻣ ﻞﻣﺎﻌﻛ تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻚﻠﺘﻟ
ﻮﻨﻟا ﻞﻋﻮﻟاو ﻰﻣدﻻا لاﺰﻐﻟا نأ ﺪﺟو ﺚﯿﺣ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﺑ ﺔﻠﺠﺴﻤﻟا ﺔﯿﯾﺪﺜﻟا عاﻮﻧﻷا ﻦﻣ عﻮﻧ ﻞﻜﻟ ةرﺪﻨﻟا ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺗ ﻦﻜﻣأ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا
ﻢﻈﻌﻣ ﻰﻓ ﺔﻌﺋﺎﺸﻟا تﺎﯿﯾﺪﺜﻟا ﻦﻣ ﺮﺑﻮﻟاو عﺎﺒﻀﻟاو ﻰﺑ
ىﺮﺧﻷا ﺔﻓﺪﮭﺘﺴﻤﻟا عاﻮﻧﻻا ﻦﻣ ﺎﻋﻮﯿﺷ ﻞﻗأ تﺮﺒﺘﻋﺄﻓ ﻼﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻞﻗأ ﺖﻧﺎﻛ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟاو ﻖﺷﻮﻟاو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺐﺋﺬﻟا ﻦﻜﻟو ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻣ
ً
ً
.
ﻓو ىﺪﻣو عﻮﻧ ﻞﻛ ﺔﻌﯿﺒﻄﻟ ﺎﻌﺒﺗ ﺮﺧﻷ عﻮﻧ ﻦﻣ ﺔﯿﯾﺪﺜﻟا عاﻮﻧﻻا ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺘﻟ ﺔﻣﺪﺨﺘﺴﻤﻟا قﺮﻄﻟا ﺔﯿﻠﻋﺎﻓ ﺖﻔﻠﺘﺧأ
ً
رﺎﺛأ ﻖﯾﺮط ﻦﻋ عﺎﺒﻀﻟاو بﺎﺋﺬﻟا ﺪﺟاﻮﺗ ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺗ ﺪﻘﻓ ،ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﺑ ﮫﺗﺮ
ﻊﻤﺠﺘﺑ ﻖﻠﻌﺘﯾ ﺎﻤﯿﻓ ،ﺔﯾزاﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻔﻠﺨﻤﻟا ﺺﺤﻓ ﻖﯾﺮط ﻦﻋ هﺪﺟاﻮﺗ ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺗ ﺮﺑﻮﻟا ﻞﺜﻣ ﺮﺧأ ﻰﯿﯾﺪﺛ ناﻮﯿﺣ ﻦﻜﻟو تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻚﻠﺘﻟ ﺔﯾزاﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻔﻠﺨﻤﻟا ﻞﯿﻠﺤﺗو ﺺﺤﻓ ﻚﻟﺬﻛو ماﺪﻗﻷا
بﺎﺋﺬﻟا نأ ﺪﺟو ﺎﮭﺗﺮﻓوو ىﺮﺧﻷا عاﻮﻧﻷا
ﻰﺑﻮﻨﻟا ﻞﻋﻮﻟا ﺪﺟاﻮﺘﯾو ﺔﺳارﺪﻠﻟ ﺔﯿﻟﺎﻤﺸﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺰﻛﺮﺘﺗ نﻻﺰﻐﻟا تﺎﻌﯾزﻮﺗ نأو ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟ ﺔﯿﺑﻮﻨﺠﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﺰﻛﺮﺘﺗ ﺔﯿﺑﺮﻌﻟا
ﻤﻟا داﺪﻋﻻا دﻮﺟوو ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ مﺪﻌﻟ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﺑ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺪﺟاﻮﺗو ﻊﯾزﻮﺗ طﺎﻤﻧأ ﻰﻠﻋ فﺮﻌﺘﻟا وأ ﺮﯿﺴﻔﺗ ﻢﺘﯾ ﻢﻟ ﻚﻟذ ﻊﻣو ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ ﻂﺳو ﻰﻓ
ﺔﯿﺿﺮﻔﻟا ﻚﻠﺗ ﺪﯿﻛﺄﺘﻟ ﺔﺒﺳﺎﻨ
.
ﮫﯿﻓ ﺪﺟاﻮﺘﯾ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﺑ ﻂﻘﻓ ﺪﺣاو نﺎﻜﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﺤﺗو فﺮﻌﺘﻟا ﻢﺗ نا ﺎﻀﯾأ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﻚﻠﺗ ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻧ ﻦﻣ نﺎﻛو ،ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﻖطﺎﻨﻣ ﻢﻈﻌﻣ ﻰﻓ نﻻﺰﻐﻟاو عﺎﺒﻀﻟا ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺗ ﺪﻗ ﮫﻧا ﮫﯾﻮﻨﺘﻟا ﺐﺠﯾ
ً
ﺔﯾزاﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻔﻠﺨﻤﻟا ﺾﻌﺒﻟ ىوﻮﻨﻟا ﺾﻣﺎﺤﻟا ﻞﯿﻠﺤﺘﻟ ﺔﺠﯿﺘﻧ ﻚﻟذ نﺎﻛو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا
رﺎﺑﻷا ﺪﺣأ ﻦﻣ بﺮﻘﻟﺎﺑو ﻰﺜﺤﺒﻟا ﻖﯾﺮﻔﻟا ﺔﻣﺎﻗإ نﺎﻜﻣ ﻦﻣ بﺮﻘﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺎﮭﯿﻠﻋ ﺮﺜﻋ ﻰﺘﻟا
هﺎﯿﻤﻟا ةﺮﯿﻓو ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟا ىﺪﺣأ ﻰﻓ ﺚﺤﺒﻟا ﻒﯿﺜﻜﺗ ﻢﺗ ﻚﻟﺬﻟ ﺔﺠﯿﺘﻧو ،ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺑﺬﻌﻟا هﺎﯿﻤﻠﻟ رﺪﺼﻤﻛ
)
نﻮﯿﻋ ﺔﺣاو
(
ﺎﻤﻣ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟا ﻚﻠﺘﺑ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻠﻟ ﺪﺟاﻮﺗ ىأ ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺘﯾ ﻢﻟ ﻒﺳﻸﻟ ﻦﻜﻟو
تﺎﺳارﺪﻟا ﺪﻛأ
تاﺮﯿﻣﺎﻛ ﺔﻄﺳاﻮﺑ ﺎﮭﻠﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻢﺗ ﻰﺘﻟا تاﺪھﺎﺸﻤﻟاو رﻮﺼﻟا ﻞﯿﻠﺤﺗ ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻧ ﺔﺳارد ﺪﻌﺑ ﺎﻀﯾأ ﻚﻟذ ﺪﯿﻛﺄﺗ ﻢﺗو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟا ﻚﻠﺘﺑ ﺪﺟاﻮﺘﻟا ﻊﺋﺎﺷ ﺮﯿﻏ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا نا ﺔﻘﺑﺎﺴﻟا
ً
ةﺮﻓﻮﺑ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺎﮭﺑ ﺪﺟاﻮﺘﯾ ﻰﺘﻟاو ىﺮﺧﻷا ﻖطﺎﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺎﮭﺘﻧرﺎﻘﻣو ﺔﺒﻗاﺮﻤﻟا
.
ﻻﺪﻌﻤﻟا ﻖﯿﺛﻮﺗ ﻢﺗ ﺔﻘﺑﺎﺴﻟا ﺞﺋﺎﺘﻨﻠﻟ ﺔﻓﺎﺿﻹﺎﺑ
ﺪﯾﺪﻌﻟا ﺮﻓاﻮﺗ ﻦﻣ ﻢﻏﺮﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﻞﺤﻣ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ةردﺎﻧ ﻰﻟإ ﺔﻠﯿﻠﻗ ساﺮﺘﻓإ تﻻﺪﻌﻣ ﻞﯿﺠﺴﺗ ﻖﯾﺮط ﻦﻋ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا ﺪﺟاﻮﺘﻟ ﺔﻀﻔﺨﻨﻤﻟا ت
ا ﻰﻟﺎھأ ﻊﻣ تﻼﺑﺎﻘﻤﻟا ﻦﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﻌﻟا ءاﺮﺟإ لﻼﺧ ﻦﻣ ﺔﯿﺿﺮﻔﻟا ﻚﻠﺗ ﺪﯿﻛﺄﺗ ﻢﺗ ﻚﻟﺬﻛو ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻣ بﻮﻨﺟ ﻰﻓ ةﺰﻛﺮﻤﺘﻤﻟاو ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻠﻟ ﺔﺣﺎﺘﻤﻟا ﺲﺋاﺮﻔﻟا ﻦﻣ
ﻰﻟإ ترﺎﺷأ ﻰﺘﻟاو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟ
تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻠﻟ ةرﺪﻨﻟا ﻚﻠﺗ نﻮﻜﯾ ﺪﻗو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺳﺮﺘﻔﻤﻟا ﺔﯾﺮﺒﻟا تﺎﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ةرﺪﻧ ﻚﻟذ ﻦﻣ ﺞﺘﻨﺘﺴﯾ ﻰﻟﺎﺘﻟﺎﺑو ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺴﻧﺄﺘﺴﻤﻟا ﺔﯿﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ةوﺮﺜﻟا ساﺮﺘﻓإ ﻦﻋ ﺔﺠﺗﺎﻨﻟا ﺮﺋﺎﺴﺨﻟا ةرﺪﻧ
ﺪﻨﻋ ﻰﻟﺎھﻷا ﻞﺒﻗ ﻦﻣ ﻰﺿﺎﻤﻟا ﻰﻓ ﻢﺗ ىﺬﻟا ﺮﺋﺎﺠﻟا ﻞﺘﻘﻠﻟ ﺔﺠﯿﺘﻧ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﺔﺳﺮﺘﻔﻤﻟا
نا ﻰﻐﺒﻨﯾ ىﺬﻟاو ﻢھﻻا لاﺆﺴﻟا ﻞﻈﯾ ﻚﻟذ ﻊﻣو ساﺮﺘﻓﻹا ﺮﻄﺨﻟ ﺔﯿﻧاﻮﯿﺤﻟا ﻢﮭﺗاوﺮﺛ ﺖﺿﺮﻌﺗ ﺎﻣ
؟ﺔﺳارﺪﻟا ﻞﺤﻣ ﺔﻘﻄﻨﻤﻟﺎﺑ ﻰﺑﺮﻌﻟا ﺮﻤﻨﻟا داﺪﻋأ ضﺎﻔﺨﻧإ بﺎﺒﺳأ ﻦﻋ ﺔﺑﺎﺟﻸﻟ ﺔﯿﺜﺤﺒﻟا تﺎﺳارﺪﻟا ﻦﻣ ﺪﯾﺪﻌﻟا ﮫﻌﺒﺘﺘﺴﯾ
!!!!
4
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Contents
Abstract
2
ﺔﺻﻼﺧﻟا
3
Contents
4
1. Expedition Review
5
1.1. Background
5
1.2. Research a
rea
6
1.3. Dates
7
1.4. Local conditions & s
upport
7
1.5.
Expedition
s
cientists
8
1.6. Expedition l
eader
9
1.
7. Expedition t
eam
9
1.8. Expedition b
udget
1
1
1.9. Acknowledgements
1
2
1.10. Partners
12
1.11
. Further information & e
nquiries
12
2.
Arabian leopard & prey s
urvey
1
3
2.1. Introduction
1
3
2.2
. Methods
1
4
2.3
. Results
1
8
2.4
. Discussion a
nd c
onclusions
2
9
2.5. Literature c
ited
3
1
Appendix 1:
Species recorded during 2011 expedition
33
Appendix 2:
Results DNA identification from scats
34
Appendix 3:
Sample
s
of
mammals camera
-
trapped
by the 2011 expedition
35
Appendix 4:
Camera trap
locations, sampling effort, and results
36
Appendix 5:
Cells in which target species
were
found
3
7
Appendix 6: Summary of outreach activities and interviews
3
8
Appendix 7:
Tabulated
interview data
3
9
Appendix 8: Bird inventory
40
Appendix 9: Interview
datasheet
42
Appendix 10: Expedition
leader’s
diary
45
5
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Please note: Each expedition report is written as a stand
-
alone document that can be read without
having to refer back to previous reports. As such, much of this and the following sections, which
remains valid and relevant, is a repetition from previous reports, copied here to provide the reader
with an uninterrupted flow of argument and rationale.
1. Expedition Review
M. Hammer
& A. Stickler
(editor
s
)
Biosphere Expeditions
1.1. Background
Bi
osphere Expeditions runs wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the
Earth. Projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions, but genuine research
expeditions placing ordinary people with no research experience alongside scie
ntists who
are at the forefront of conservation work. Expeditions are open to all and there are no
special skills (biological or oth
erwise) required to
join.
Expedition team members are
people from all walks of life and of all ages, looking for an adventur
e with a conscience
and a sense of purpose. More information about Biosphere Expeditions and its research
expeditions can be found at
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org
.
This
expedition
report deals with exp
edition
s
to the Dhofar
area
in
southern
Oman, which
ran from
6
February
to
4
March 2011
.
The
expedition
a
ssisted local scientists from the
Office for Conservation of the Environment
,
Diwan of Royal Court
(
OCE
)
in ascertaining
the status of the Arabian leop
ard
in
parts of
the remote and mountainous Dhofar region of
Oman
. The expedition
searched for leopard signs and attempted to
camera trap
animals
in
potentially
prime
leopard habitat, complete
d
a wildlife inventory of the area, strengthen
ed
ties with local
people and investigate
d
historical records of leopard pr
esence.
The Arabian leopard is a flagship species for Oman’s mountain habitats. It once occurred
throughout the mountainous regions of Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab
Emirates, Palestine
and Jordan. However, by the 1990s the leopard became locally extinct
in most areas of the
Arabian Peninsula
. I
f viable populations remain, they are most likely to
be found in the high mountains of Oman and Yemen.
The Arabian leopard is the largest surviv
ing cat species of Arabia. Listed as “critically
endangered” in the IUCN List of Threatened Species, it is on Appendix 1 of the Convention
on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES
–
www.cites.org
), which str
ictly
regulates international trade in listed animals.
In 1997 the OCE began a survey of the Arabian leopard in Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve
in Dhofar, where a strong population has been shown to exist. However, the one other
area of Oman where the leopard
may survive, namely the Musandam peninsula, had not
been surveyed until Biosphere Expeditions conducted a study in 2006 and 2007.
From
2008 and on
wards
, Biosphere Expeditions
conduct
ed
studies at the Dhofar Mountains,
credited to be the best habitat for t
he Arabian leopard in the Arabian Peninsula
.
6
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
1.2. Research a
rea
Figure 1.2a
.
Flag and location of Oman and study site. An overview of Biosphere Expeditions’ research sites, assembly
points, base camp and office locations is at
Google Maps
.
Oman is the third largest country in the Arabian Peninsula,
with a population of
2.
3 million.
It maintained its independency throughout
its
history except for brief occupation
s
by
Persians and the Portuguese
. The Dhofar
Mountains
in southern Oman run eastward from
the Republic of Yemen to the southernmost eastern tip of Oman. Salalah i
s the
region’s
large
st t
own
and
have
commercial
importance thanks to its port.
The local economy also
benefit
s
from fishing and
Frankincense
harvesting. In areas
along the coastline
with
good
irrigation or rainfall
,
fruits such as dates, coconut
and banana
s are produced.
There is
very
extensive farming of livestock including camels, cattle and goats
.
Geology
Oman is located o
n the Arabian
plate
, which includes the
Arabian Peninsula
, the shallow
Arabian Gulf
and the Zagros m
ountains of Iran. For most of
its history, it has been part of
the larger Afro
-
Arabian continent until 25
-
30 million years ago when the Red Sea began to
open and separate the Arabia
n and African plate. P
resently
the plate
is moving
at a rate of
2 to 3 cm per year aw
ay from the African
plate
.
The mountains of Dhofar in the south and
the
a
l Hajar
Mountains
in the north
have
different origins
. Those of Dhofar were up
lifted as part of the process
creating the Red Sea
and Gulf of Aden, which began about 30 million years ago
. T
he origins of
Al Hajar can be
traced back 300 mill
ion years
.
7
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
1.3. Dates
The expedition ran over two
period
s
of
four
weeks divided into
two
two
-
week slots, each
composed of a team of international research assistants, guides, support personnel and
an expedition leader.
Expedition slot dates were
6
-
18 February | 20 February
-
4 March
2011
The expedition was conducted in winter to avoid
the ex
treme heat of summer
for best
weather and working conditions.
1.4. Local conditions & s
upport
Expedition base
The expeditio
n base consisted of a Bedu style tent
ed
camp
,
with a Bedu mess tent and
some
more modern
dome tents for sleeping in
.
An expeditio
n cook
was part of
the team so
vegetarians and other special diets could be catered for. There was very limited electricity
at
the field base. The circuit was a car battery based 12V DC cigarette lighter plug and
socket system.
Field communications
There
was
a
n
(emergency) satellite telephone at base. Mobile phones
did
not work in and
around camp,
nor did they work
around
much o
f
the study site.
In the field, two
-
way radios
were
used for communication between research teams wherever possible.
T
he expedition
leader
sent
an expedition diary to the Biosphere Expeditions HQ
every few days
(
see
appendix 10
)
and this diary appear
ed
on
the Biosphere Expeditions website at
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org/diaries
for friends and family to access.
Transport and vehicles
Team members made their
own way to the assembly point in
Musc
at
. From there
the team
boarded a
one
-
hour
flight to Salalah and
then drove about three
hours t
o base in the
expedition Land Rovers.
Throughout the expedition all transport and vehicles were
provided for the expedition team,
for expedition
support and emer
gency evacuations.
Courtesy of Land Rover
Middle
East
& Africa
in Dubai, the expedition had the use of
four
LR4
s and support from Land Rover
Middle
East
& Africa in Dubai and the local dealers
MHD in Muscat and Salalah
.
Team members wishing to drive the L
and Rovers had to be older than 21, have a full clean
driving licence and a new style EU or equivalent credit card sized driving licence
document. Off
-
road driving and safety training was part of the expedition.
Medical support & insurance
The expedition
leader was a trained first aider, and the expedition carried a
comprehensive medical kit. The standard of medical care in Oman is high and further
medical support was available
at government health
posts
in rural areas and a government
hospital in Salalah
.
8
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
All team members were required to carry adequate travel insurance covering
emergency
medical evacuation and repatriation. Emergency evac
uation procedures were in place.
There were no medical
or other
incidents
during the expedition and emergency proced
ures
did not have to be invoked
.
1.5. Expedition
s
cientists
The expedition's scientist
was
Dr. Marcelo Mazzolli. Born in Brazil, he graduated in Biology
in 1992, with a master’s degree from the University of Durham, UK. His Ph.D. in ecology,
obtained in
Brazil, was on the effects of human occupation on the extinction of large
mammals. He has devoted his career to the study of large mammals, particularly the puma
and jaguar, but has had many other outdoors experiences. He was a professional jungle
guide i
n the Amazon forest in 1986 at age 21. He has attended many national and
international workshops, and published relevant scientific articles. His studies have made
his work well known, and early in his career he was invited to be a member of the
Internatio
nal Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Cat Specialist Group with one of
his projects listed as a priority in the World Wide Cat Action Plan. He has travelled
extensively, living in the United States, England, and Peru, and has surveyed lions in
Bots
wana.
He is currently a lecturer at a local university in Brazil.
Marcelo has been
working with Biosphere Expeditions since 2006
.
Khaled
Mohammed
al Hikmani, the expedition’s field guide, was born near Jabal Samhan,
Dhofar. He joined the
Office for Conser
vation of the Environment
in 2007 and is
r
esponsible for fieldwork at
the Arabian Leopard Survey. He has also worked on
projects
throughout Oman
and joined
Biosphere Expeditions on its expedition in Caprivi, Namibia
where his experience with Arabian leopar
ds was very useful for Biosphere Expeditions’
African leopard work
.
1.6. Expedition
l
eader
This expedition
was
led by
Paul
o'Dowd. Paul was born in Melbourne, Australia. From the
beginning, his primary interests have been natural history and adventure. A
s a teenager
he learned to dive and at 19 years old left Victoria to move to Cairns to work on the Great
Barrier Reef in the dive industry. Shortly thereafter he was offered a job managing a dive
facility in Papua New Guinea. In PNG Paul became involved in
expeditionary and
documentary film work. Paul has worked for the BBC’s Natural History Unit and various
other companies on documentary projects as well as with assorted tourism
-
based
expeditions to places such as the Sepik Basin and the Kokoda Track. Paul
a
lso delivers a
lecture
programme
in rainforest ecology, conservation and sustainabil
ity for a study abroad
programme
for American university students. A broad base of scientific literacy and a
genuine interest in communication has led to a career in intr
oducing diverse audiences to
the natural world. Diving, rock climbing and just about anything that provides a good
opportunity to get into nature and help others to do the same is Paul’s idea of time well
spent.
9
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
1.7. Expedition
t
eam
The expedition team
was recruited by Biosphere Expeditions and consisted of a mixture of
all ages, nationalities and backgrounds.
They were (with countries of residence):
Figure 1.7.a.
Group 1 (6
–
18 February 2011
)
, from left to right
:
Ali Salam Ali Akaak
(
Oman
),
Bill Le
avey (UK)
, Marcelo
Mazzolli (expedition scientist, Brazil),
Gunda Janowski (Germany), Donna Evans (USA), Paul O’Dowd (expedition leader,
Australia),
Rames Mohammed ali Zabnoot
(ranger, Oman),
Steven
Bell
(
UAE
),
John Keller (USA),
Martin Haslam (UK),
Anne S
zittnick (Germany), Sara Salih (Canada) M. Ashraf Uddin (cook, Oman), Thilo Brunner (journalist, Germany)
. Also
on this group for part of the time (and behind the camera): Matthias Hammer (Biosphere Expeditions founder & executive
director).
10
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 1.7b
.
Gro
up 2 (20 February
–
4 March 2011
)
, b
ack
from left
:
Stephen Knapp (UK)
,
Björn Streyer (Germany)
,
Olga
Aymerich (Belgium)
,
Julia Karstädt (Germany)
,
Giles Keun (UK)
, Khalid
al Hikmani (local scientist, Oman)
,
M. Ashraf
Uddin (cook, Oman)
,
Paul O’Dowd (e
xpedition leader, Australia)
,
Mohammed Aoubad Nasser al Hamr al Kathir
i (ranger,
Oman)
,
Rames Mohammed ali Zabnoot (ranger, Oman)
,
Marcelo
Mazzolli (expedition scientist, Brazil), f
ront
from left
:
Jonathan
Proud (UK)
,
Toby Whaley (Germany)
,
Berit Askheim (
Germany)
,
Dagmar Hofmeister (Germany)
,
Richard
Moore (UK)
,
John Garnett (Ireland
).
Also on this group for part of the time (an not on picture above):
Emmanuelle
Landais
(
journalist,
UAE)
,
A
run Joseph (UAE)
, Said
Su
laiman A
l
-
H
absi
(Oman
),
Ali
Salam Ali Akaa
k
(Oman)
,
Salah
Almahthori
(biologist,
Diwan of Royal Court
, Oman),
Mansur Aljahdhami
(b
iologist, Office for Conservation of the
Environment, Diwan of Royal Court
, Oman).
11
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
1.8. Expedition b
udget
Each team member paid towards expedition costs a contributio
n of £
1,390
in 20
11
per
person per two week slot. The contribution covered accommodation and meals,
supervision and induction, special non
-
personal equipment, all transport from and to the
team assembly point. It did not cover excess luggage charges, trave
l insurance, personal
expenses like telephone bills, souvenirs etc., as well as visa and other travel expenses to
and from the assembly point (e.g. international flights). Details on how this contribution
was spent are given below.
Income
£
Expedition co
ntributions
24,605
Expenditure
Base camp and food
includes all board & lodging, base camp equipment
2,564
Transport
includes fuel & oils, taxis
, flights to Salalah
2,730
Equipment,
hardware
& educational materials
includes
all
research
& educationa
l
materials
purchased
or produced
1,532
Biosphere Expeditions
scientists &
staff
includes salaries, travel and expenses to Dubai & Oman
8,201
Local staff
includes cooks, helpers, guides and other locally staffed services
1,716
Administration
includes
registration fees, visas, sundries etc
621
Team recruitment Oman
as estimated % of PR costs for Biosphere Expeditions
6,443
Income
–
Expenditure
789
Total percentage spent directly on project
97%
12
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
1.9. Acknowledgements
This study was con
ducted
by Biosphere Expeditions, which
runs wildlife conservation
expeditions all over the globe. Without our expedition team members, who are listed above
and who provided an expedition contribution and gave up their spare time to work as
research assistants, n
one of this research would have been possible. The support team
and staff, also mentioned above, were central to making it all work on the ground. Thank
you to all of you
including
the ones we have not managed to mention by name (you know
who you are) for
making it all come true.
Biosphere Expeditions would also like to thank Land Rover
Middle
East
& Africa
and MHD,
local dealers in Muscat and Salala
h
for
their
support
in
-
country in terms of vehicles,
support
and press conferences
.
Further thanks to
Motor
ola, Cotswold Outdoor,
Globetrotter Ausrüstung and Gerald Arnhold for their sponsorship. For their help and
support in
-
country we thank the Royal Oman Police,
the Royal Air Force of Oman, the
Office of the Governor and State of Dhofar and Musandam, the Min
istry of Environment &
Climate Affairs and the local people who helped
with
the survey.
1.
10
.
Partners
Our main partner
on this expedition
was
the Office for Conservation of the Environment,
Diwan of Royal Court, Muscat, an Oman government department co
ncerned with
conservation and initiator of the Arabian Leopard Project in Oman. Other partners include
d
the Ministry for Environment and Climate Affairs, whose rangers we train and work with,
the Oman Tourism Board, as well as local communities & schools.
Corporate support
c
a
me from Land Rover & Swarovski Optik, as well as from The Ford Motor Company
Conservation and Environmental Grants.
1.11
. Further
i
nformation &
e
nquiries
More background information on Biosphere Expeditions in general and on this expe
dition
in particular including pictures, diary excerpts and a copy of this report can be found on the
Biosphere Expeditions website
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org
.
Enquires should be addressed to Biosphe
re Expeditions at the address given below.
13
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
2. Arabian
l
eopard &
p
rey
s
urvey
Dr. Marcelo Mazzolli
Projeto Puma
Khaled al Hikmani
Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the Environment
Diwan of Royal Court, Oman
M. Hammer
& A. Stickler
(editor
s
)
Biosphe
re Expeditions
2.1. Introduction
Big cats are declining around the world. They need space, good habitat and a sustainable
wild prey base. They are indicator species of habitat quality and often referred to as
an
iconic species (
charismatic species repre
sentative of particular habitats that people can
relate to and are interested to conserve
)
.
The Arabian l
eopard
Panthera pardus nimr
is a
flagship species for Oman’s mountain habitats. It is classified as Critically Endangered
by
the IUCN
and
is listed on
Appendix 1 of the C
onvention on International Trade
in
Endangered Species (CITES
–
www.cites.org
)
.
The leopard once occurred throughout
much of Arabia (Harrison & Bates 1991)
, but is now restricted to a few isolated po
pulations
with a
total remaining wild population estimated at
fewer than 25
0 individuals
, the largest
proportion
of which is in
Oman
(
Breitenmoser et al. 2006)
.
Human interference
,
through
depletion of prey base and killing by hunters and shepherds
,
has
be
en suggested as
the
main cause
of decline
(
Spalton &
Hikmani 2006
)
.
Since the 1980s the Arabian leopard has been a conservation priority for Oman
.
The first
captive bre
eding group of Arabian leopards was
established at the Breeding Centre fo
r
Omani Mamm
als in Muscat.
They
were caught in Jabal Samhan in 1985. In 1997 the
4,500 km
2
Jabal Sa
mhan Nature Reserve was created,
the only protected area for leopard
in
the
Arabia
n peninsula
. Between 1997 and 2000 the Arabian Leopard Survey
project
recorded 17 indi
viduals
by
using camera
-
traps
(
Spalton
et al
.
2006
a
&
b
)
.
Since 2000 the
ongoing
programme
of
camera trapping
and
radio collaring
of leopards has confirmed the
continuing presence of leopards elsewhere in the mo
untains of Dhofar
from Salalah
,
west
ward
to t
he border with Yemen (Office of the Adviser for Conservation of the
Environment
-
OACE, unpubl.
data).
T
he
Dhofar mountains are believed to be the
best remaining habitat for leopard in Oman
.
Nubian ibex
Capra nubiana
,
Arabian
gazelle
Gazella gazella cora
and hyrax
Procavia
capensis
populations are still present
there
.
Within this mountain range, t
he creation of
Jabal
Samhan Nature Reserve
and the implementation of the Leopard Survey Project
were the
first step
s
towards t
he Arabian leopard’s protection. To
ensure effective
management and conservation
,
however,
additional input from ecological and social
studies throughout Dhofar is needed if the threat of extinction in the wild is to be averted.
Since 200
, Biosphere Expeditions
has
concentrated
its
efforts
in the area northwest of
Salalah, known as Jabal al Qara. The Arabian leopard was reported to be uncommon in
this part of the Dhofar mountains (Mazzolli 2009). This does not dimini
sh the importance
of
this region, as it is
positioned amongst two relativel
y good leopard populations from Jabal
Samhan and
the vicinity of the
Yemen border (OA
CE, unpubl.
data).
F
urther research
is
needed on whether the Arabian leopard
’
s
rarity is naturally low or whether
it
has been
caused by human interference.
This report cov
ers the
continuation of
surve
y work in this
area
of Dhofar, conducted from
February
to March 2
0
11.
14
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.1a.
Former and current (since 1990)
distribution of
leopard
s
on the Arabian Peninsula. Confirmed records
in
clude
evidence such as dead specimens (
with body, skin, etc. available), camera trap pictures and
identification
through
genetic analyses. Probable rec
ords include
any evidence
obtained
by a trained person. Possible records include
all non
-
confirmed or not confirmable records including hearsay
and direct observations by untrained persons. From
Spalton & Hikmani (2006).
2.2
. Methods
Study area
The expedition base camp was located in Wadi
Uyun in the
n
orthwestern area of the
Dhofar
Mountains,
near the village of
the
same name.
The
study
site
encompassed
an area of
3
2 x 36
km
within the Dhofar mountain range
known as Jabal al Qara.
This area includes
the dry
Wadi
Uyun
, vicinities of Titam v
illage
,
and
the
K
h
areef
(mons
o
on)
exposed
cliffs facing the ocean
(
namely
Jabal
s
Aroqum
and
Qaf
fawf
(Fig.
2.2a)
)
.
These cliffs
represent
the
s
outhernmost tip of the sampled area
and
they differ from the
north
ern area by having more villages and by
harbouring
dense stands
of Frankincense
trees. In contrast
the
n
orth has
more open areas
with
scattered
,
but
domin
ant
Acacia trees,
typical
in
the fringes of the desert
.
15
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
The Dhofar mountains form a narrow girdle
with a maximum width of 23 km
that extends
for 400 km
east
to
west
from the Halaaniyat
i
slands to the Yemen
border. The highest
peak is 2,
500 metres
.
The mo
nsoon rains fall on a 75 km stretch of mountains and an 8
km wide plain surrounding Salalah
.
Figure 2.2
a.
Dhofar mountains in southern Oman,
with study area (black square)
between Wadi Uyun and the
a
l Kareef
-
showered cliffs facing Salalah.
From June
to the end of September flash floods may occur and the usually dry wadi beds
are often transformed into sizeable streams and the dry slopes into green pastures
(Barrault 1999).
The u
mbrella
t
horn
Acacia
Acacia tortilis
dominates
the bottom of the
wadi
s.
T
his species
is also found in
east
Sahel, the
Nile Valley, the Horn of Africa, Israel,
and Jordan
(
www.fao.org
).
C
amels
were the only livestock found grazing freely in the drier (northern) wadis, whereas
donkeys were seen
usually
on the upper plateaus. Cattle
and goats were seen
near
villages, particularly near the
al Kareef
-
showered areas. While cattle ranged freely,
local
herders usually accompanied goats
.
Old vestiges of goat presence were, however, seen
frequently down
in
most wadis.
Goats,
the
most vulnerable
livestock
to leopard attack
s
due
to
their
small size, are
herded
down to the drier wadis
on
ly
when enough moisture create
s
conditions for green leaves to sprout.
During this time,
young goats are often kept in sma
ll
rock pens
,
seen throughout the study area
,
to ensure protection from predators.
16
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
GIS and mapping
The main reference map used was a topographic map called Uyūn, indexed as NE 39
-
12F
at 1:100,000 scale and produced under the supervision of the Head of t
he National Survey
Authority (NSA), Sultanate of Oman
, using aerial photographs dating
from 1993 and field
updates by NSA in 1999. Grid data was in Universal Transverse Mercator proje
ction,
covering zones 39 and 40
and datum WGS 84.
A GIF image of the are
a was imported
and geo
-
referenced
into the GIS
program
TrackMaker (
www.gpstm.com
), a freeware
program
. A grid of
400 2x
2 km cells
covering
the study area
was uploaded into the expedi
tion’s GPS units (Garmin GPS60) (of w
hich a
fraction was actually surveyed)
to aid navigation and
data collection. As the work
progressed, additional features such as access roads, base camp
, trails and camera trap
locations were added
to the GPSs
and
overlaid
onto
th
e topographic map in Trac
kMaker.
The topographic map
with added features
was edite
d and redrawn in Adob
e Photoshop in
order to leave
only the features of interest
.
Training
Training included an introduction to leopard conservation issues, the role of Biosphere
Expeditions in t
he Leopard Survey Project and the methods of recording presence of
species usi
ng GPS and datasheets
.
Before team members were split into small groups to perform different tasks, an
introductory survey
was performed
as part of the training process. During
this survey,
tracks and scats of known species were shown. To reduce identification errors, team
members were instructed to bring scats to base camp whenever they were unab
le to
identify the species. They were also
briefed on how to take photos of tracks
for
identification later at base.
The
large surveying team
provided by Biosphere Expeditions
helped
to
cover a substantial
ge
ographical area in
a
short
time. It
meant that chances of finding sign of
Arabian leopard
and other wildlife were maximi
s
ed by ha
ving many people fully eng
aged in looking for
vestiges
.
Sampling
The
3
2
x 3
6
km study area was divided into 2 x 2 km cells and coded by numbers in the
X
-
axis
and by letters in the
Y
-
axis
. Except during
the first couple of days of
training, team
members w
ere tasked to cover at least two cells during daily survey trips, a sampling
practice that provided a good compromise between detailed surveying and inclusion of
adequate habitat heterogeneity. Following the presence/absence method of occupancy
(MacKenzie
et al. 2002), the presence of prey
species and large carnivores
was
recorded
using the general location given by a cell code, and once a species or its signs were found
in a given cell, it was scored as containing the species.
17
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Occurrence by cell, i.e.,
the extent of the range of each species, and the temporal
frequency of
occurrence were considered
alternative variables
for abundance
.
Only
a
few
species were selected as target
s
for quantitative analysis of presence
allowing
ecological
evaluation
.
Durin
g the 2011 expedition, s
cats presumed t
o be of leopards were
collected for
identification
by
DNA
analysis
.
C
oordinates
were
recorded, thus allowing the field crew
to
return to the same exact location if needed, either to check the signs or to install camer
a
traps where judged suitable.
Sampling was by and large done on foot and usually started at the bottom of the wadi. At
least t
wo promising ledges
(those that were long enough to be used as trails) were also
sampled in each cell.
There is a need to cover
l
arge areas so that the survey can
better
represent
the leopard population
. Furthermore, it is recommended that rare species should
be surveyed in more locations less intensively than few locations intensively
(MacKenzie &
Royle
2005)
. For this reason, te
ams were encouraged to cover two 2
x
2 km cells during
the
daily
surveys.
Teams usually
left in the morning and returned to base in the a
fternoon when surveying
cells
near base camp. Overnight surveying was
not attempted, as all surveyed sites were
wi
thin
relatively short distances from base.
Twenty digital and infra
-
red
camera traps (
www.cuddeback.com
) were set throughout the
study area
.
The cameras were installed in areas in which the field team perceived as good
spots to produce photos of leopard.
Other species, particularly birds, were recorded whenever possible.
DNA analysis of scat samples
DNA analysis aimed to assign species to each scat was performed by E. Eizirik, T. Haag,
and B.G. Lippert, from the Labor
atory of Genomic and Molecular Biology of the Catholic
University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS) in Brazil. Extractions from scat samples were
performed with the QIAamp DNA StoolMini Kit (QIAGEN), following the manufacturer
’
s
instructions. Scat DNA extractio
ns were carried out in a separate l
aboratory area, in a UV
-
sterilis
ed laminar flow hood dedicated to the analysis of DNA from noninvasive samples.
Each batch of extractions (n = 10) included one negative extraction control to monitor the
occurrence of c
ont
amination with extrinsic DNA.
To assign species to each scat an assay that targets a short segment of the mtDNA
ATP
synthase subunit 6
(
ATP6
) gene using the reverse primer ATP6
-
DR1 and the forward
primer ATP6
-
DF3
was used
. Polymerase chain reactions (PCR)
for the ATP6 gene
were
employed,
follow
ing
the protocols described by Haag et al. (2009).
The PCR products were visualis
ed on a 1% agarose gel stained with GelRed (Biotium),
purified with >PEG8000, sequenced using the DYEnamic ET Dye Terminator Sequencing
Kit (GE Healthcare) and analy
s
ed in a MegaBACE 1000 automated sequencer (GE
Healthcare). Sequence chro
matograms were edited and analys
ed using the software
Finch TV Version 1.4.0 (Geospiza, Inc., USA). The
ATP6
gene fragment obtained from
each
fecal
sample
was compared with
database
reference sequences.
18
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Outreach activities
I
nvolvement of
the local communities,
either through
locally recruited staff,
i
ntervi
ews
,
t
alks
in schools
,
or
distribution
of
educational material,
was an
important part of the project
.
Time was spent with local people in their villages, settlements and surrounding areas in
order to gather local knowledge about the
area
and to
investigate the level of
human/wildlife conflict and learn about local attitudes to w
ildlife and natural resour
ces.
Team members helped by a
ssisting with recording data gathered during interviews.
Arabian leopards, like other large predators, are a potential threat to domestic livestock.
Livestock depredation
is the main source of human
-
predator conflict
througho
ut the world
(Graham
et al.
2004)
, and often end
s
with
the predator being persecuted and killed
(
e.g.
Mazzolli et al. 2002)
. It is likely that, in Oman
also
, people consider leopards a threat to
their domestic stock (Spalton et al. 2006
a
&
b
).
In spite of
this
, nothing is known of the
freq
u
ency that leopards actually kill
livestock
,
pre
sumably intensive
ly
in Jabal Qara (study
area)
and Qamar
,
where leopards range near settlements
,
and where domestic stock
density is high
(Spalton et al. 2006
a
&
b
)
.
For
thes
e reasons, interviews to asses
potential
human
-
predator conflicts
were
conducted.
2.3
. Results
Species monitoring
Sixty
-
six
cells 2
x
2 km in size were sampled
within the study area (Fig. 2
.
3a
)
, some of
which
were also
resamp
led a number of times
.
Thirt
een species of medium and
large
mammals
were
recorded
(Appendix
1
),
some
of
were
target species
, i.e.
those
that
were
relevant to describe leopard
habitat conditions
(including presence of prey and
competitors)
,
yield
ing
quant
itative information
that could
be analysed
to detect population
trends
and spatial aggregations
.
From the
32
scats presumed to
have any chance
of being
from
a
leopard,
24 were successfully amplified, and
only
one
(4
.
2%)
was in fact leopard.
Compared to the 2008 data collected mainly
in Wadi Amat located to the
n
orth
of the study
area, new species
were
added to the quantitative analysis, for different reasons. The most
remarkable is the wolf, not detected at all in 2008,
corroborating that
its distribution
is
indeed
mainly in
the south
of the study area
.
McGregor et al. (2011) and Spalton (personal
communiciation) also report
wolves
in the northern area, but it is very clear from our
intensive
screening of the area with
multiple survey methods
that
it is uncommon there
and more common i
n the south
.
In contrast to
2008, enough information for q
uantitative
analysis was recorded
for caracal based on a couple of records from camera traps, used
more intensively here, and most records from DNA analysis,
as
employed in 2008. In the
case of
porc
upine
, it was not often recorded in 2008 probably a result of uncertainties
regarding correct ident
ification of scats at the time
and low occurrence of tracks (Table
2.3a). Regarding occurrence of species that had substantial quantitative records in 2008,
differences to the current study varied from 8 to 16.5% in occupation of cells.
19
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3a
.
Edited map of the study area, including the
sixty six
2 x 2 km cells surveyed,
with
main wadi systems,
expedit
ion base,
camera trap locations
,
and
p
aved roads
.
Coordinat
es are in UTM datum WGS 84 and degrees and
m
inutes. Cell coding is also shown, with numbers in the X axis and letters in the Y axis.
Leopard, wildcat, and fox
were recorded at single cells exclusively by DNA
analysis
(Appendix 2).
DNA analysis
was also more efficient than other methods for caracal and
wolf. Camera traps recorded species not recorded by other means,
namely
the hon
ey
badger, little spotted genet
and mongoose in a single cell, and Bla
n
ford’s fox in two cells
(see App
endix 3 for pic
tures of species
and
Appendix 4 for details of camera
trap data).
The m
aps below display the cells in which species with substantial quantitative information
were
found (for tabulated data see Appendix 5).
Carcasses were not included as they can
be carrie
d by flood
s and are
thus not representative of a given cell. Efficiency of method
s
in the way they contributed to detect species in cells
varied for each species. Wolf
and
hyaena were recorded
more widely
by tracks; caracal by DNA analysis; gazelle by trac
ks,
scats and sightings; ibex by tracks and scats; porcupine and hyrax by scats (Figs. 2.3b to
2.3h). Regarding
aggregation and abundance, wolf
was
clearly restricted to the
s
outh
of
the study area (Fig. 2.3b), gazelle
was
detected mostly in the
north
(Fig
. 2.3e)
and ibex in
the centre of the study area
(Fig. 2.3f).
No patterns
of
aggregation
were found for the other
species.
20
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Table 2.3
a
.
Comparative table of
distribution of target species
from years 2008 and 2011
(
except
those
revealed through
DNA analysis
, not available
for the 2008 period).
Proportion of total cells
with occurrence
(n= number of cells in which
species was recorded)
Species
2008 (n = 51) *
2011 (n = 66 )
Differenc
e
in proportion of cells
occupied
Ungulates
Gazelle
56.9 (n = 29)
68.
2
(n = 45)
Increase by 11.3%
Ibex
52.9 (n = 27)
36.4
(n = 2
4
)
Decrease by 16.5%
Hiracoidea
Hyrax
58.8 (n = 30)
4
2
.
4
(n = 2
8
)
Decrease by 16.4%
Rodentia
Porcupine
—
57.6
(n =
38
)
N
/
A
C
arnivora
Caracal
—
16.
7
(n = 11)
N
/
A
Wolf
—
12.1
(n = 0
8
)
N
/
A
Hyaena
31.4 (n = 16)
39.4
(n =
26
)
Increase by 8%
*Mazzolli and Hammer (
2008
)
Status of the Arabian leopard (
Panthera pardus nimr
) in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman.
Biosphere Expeditions, UK
. A
vailable via
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org/reports
.
21
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3b
. Graphic showing wolf distribution. DNA scatology was found to be the best method for detection of wolves.
Cells in which wolves were recorded are shown by method used: track identification, c
amera traps and DNA scatology.
The
number in the
legend specifies frequency of records, not number of cells. All these methods may be considered
reliable means to detect wolf presence, despite possible errors of track identification (see text). Wolf is cle
arly restricted
to the
southern
portion of the sampled area.
22
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3c
. Graphic showing caracal distribution. DNA scatology was found to be the best method for detection of
caracal. Cells in which caracal were recorded are shown by method used: track
identification, camera
-
traps and DNA
scatology. The legend specifies frequency of records not number of cells. All these methods may be considered reliable
means to detect caracal presence. There is no clear pattern of aggregation of cells for records of c
aracal.
23
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3d
. Graphic showing hyaena distribution. Track identification was found to be the best method for detection of
hyaenas. Camera traps had a high recording rate, but on few cells. Cells in which hyaenas were recorded are shown by
method u
sed: track identification, camera traps and DNA scatology. All these methods may be considered reliable
means to detect hyaena presence. There is no clear pattern of aggregation of cells for records of hyaena.
24
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3e.
Graphic showing gazelle distri
bution. Scats, tracks and sightings have all delivered high detection scores for
gazelles. Cells in which gazelles were recorded are shown by method used: track identification, camera traps, sightings,
and scats. The legend provides the number of cells sam
pled for each method. Sightings (for this particular species) are
presumed to be a more precise method of recording and have been prioritised for display; cells in which sightings were
recorded overlay those of other methods. Note that sightings are mostly
restricted to the
n
orth of the sampled area and
that there clearly are a larger number of cells with no records in the
south
ern section of the sampled area. The presence
of gazelles in the
south
ern section is nonetheless corroborated by identification of
tracks and scats in combination.
25
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3f.
Graphic showing ibex distribution. Scats and tracks delivered high detection scores for ibex and most cells
show a combination of both. Cells in which ibex were recorded are shown by method used: track ident
ification, camera
traps, sightings, and scats. The legend provides the number of cells sampled for each method. Sightings were scored in
just one cell and this was exclusive (no other method in this cell). Ibex locations seem to be aggregated around Wadi
U
yun and north of Titam.
26
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3g.
Graphic showing porcupine distribution. Identification from scats was the best method of detection of
porcupines over a wide area. Scats were found in all but one cell where tracks were also found. Camera traps had
a high
record rate, but in few cells. They are depicted in the map overlaying other methods. Cells in which porcupines were
recorded are shown by method used: scat and track identification, and camera traps. All these methods may be
considered reliable mea
ns to detect porcupine presence. There is no clear pattern of aggregation of cells for records of
porcupine.
27
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Figure 2.3h
. Graphic showing hyrax distribution. Identification from scats was the best method for detection of hyrax
over a wide area. Cells in
which hyrax were recorded are shown by method used: scat and track identification and
sighting. All these methods may be considered reliable means to detect hyrax presence. There is no clear pattern of
aggregation of cells for records of hyrax.
28
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisatio
n registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Outreach
activities and interviews
Nineteen activities were accomplished with
the
local community,
of which 15 were
interviews, two
were talks at three
schools,
and two were talks at the offices of
the
governors of
Hagaif
and
Jachnin
district
s
.
The activities reac
hed 19 adult herders and
farmers and 40 students
at
elementary
school
(Appendix 6)
.
Aside from the activities near
the study area, contacts were made in Salalah with
officers of
the
Wildlife Department
of
the Ministry of Environment
and Climate Affairs
(Fi
g. 2.3.2a) and with
lecturers and the
D
ean at
the University of Salalah.
Figure 2.3.2a
. Meeting between the scientist Marcelo Mazzolli (left), the Head of the Wildlife Department of Meca
(Ministry of environment)
Said Masalam Saed Al Mari
(centre), and
the expedition leader Paul
o'Dowd
(right) to report
on
expedition activities.
Results from interviews reveal
ed
that little or nothing is known of
either the ranger’s work
in the area or
the Leopard Survey P
roject
, but most interviewees declared that they
liked
the leopard
and all
answered
that they
were aware
of its
protected
status. Re
garding
leopard presence, answers
were conflicting,
on
whether
the species is
declining or
increasing.
Livestock predation either
from
leopard or
from
other carnivores seeme
d not to
be a major issue
and leopards were
mainly
perceived as not to impact on game species
either
.
No information of poaching of leopards
or prey
was
obtained.
There was a
consensus of a severe grazing
impact of live
s
tock (
A
ppendix
7).
29
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
DNA analysis
re
sults
DNA analysis was the best method for detecting wolf, caracal and leopard (see Fig. 2.3b
–
2.3h above).
L
eopard presence
was confirmed by scat DNA analysis
in a single
location
. The scat
was
located in the cell neighbo
u
ring the base camp
cell
. I
nten
sive s
urveys were also
conducted
at
the oasis of Uyun in cells 20 and 201F, with no results of leopard
presence
.
2.4
. Discussion
and conclusions
Monitoring
programme
s should address both the trends in wildlife populations over time
and the heterogeneity
of
their
distribution in the landscape.
True abundance or density cannot be estimated simply by counting numbers seen,
this
does
not take into account detection probabilities.
Such
probabilities can only be obtained
by standard line transect methodology
or through capture
-
recapture data, none of which
were feasible during this study, because
they require
a minimum number of animals
sighted and time
-
consuming trapping and re
-
trapping of animals for individual
identification.
Signs cannot unequivocally ide
ntify some
mammals. This means
that sampling for signs
was
not unrestricted for any species. In respect of identification of scats, carnivore scats
identification by sight
was
considered to be misleading
and
was
thus not encouraged.
DNA
analysis, for insta
nce, has shown that an unacceptably high percentage of
macroscopically
-
identified leopard scat turns out to be from other
species (e.g.
Arabian
leopard 52%
-
Perez et al. 2006, snow leopard 54%
-
Janecka et al. 2008). Even the
widely used identification of
species using microscopic analysis of hair contained in scats
often lead
s
to
erroneous identification (Harrison 2002,
Vanstreels 2010). T
his does not,
however, preclude
conservative attempts to identify the presence of key species when no
other methods ar
e available, but limits must be established. Mazzolli (2009) has, with the
help of local experts, performed the macroscopic identification of scats for leopard
presence acknowledgin
g the high level of uncertainty
and thus the possibility of
overestimating
leopard presence. In a monitoring program
me
, however, it is
desirable
to
empl
o
y
methods that provide a greater precision.
In as much
as
carnivore
scat
s
are not
suitable for species identifications,
sacts
of gazelle,
ibex, hyrax, and porcupine
are
species
-
specific and
as such yield information on
presence
or absence
of these species
. The
higher
amount of information recorded for target species
as a result of using scats, however,
does not necessarily imply
that they are the most
abundant
or that there were
not enough signs of other species. Indeed, issues related to
the conditions to identify signs of other species may have hampered a broader scope. As
mentioned, some species are more easily detected when present than others.
30
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
As with any animal able to mov
e, the absence of records of a species in a certain cell does
not necessarily mean
that
the species itself is absent. That is why resampling is required
to provide a reliable scenario of species’ occupancy (McKenzie et al. 2002). During the
expedition, how
ever, little resampling was actually done, because signs remained
in situ
for long periods before being erased (unlike in rainy or excessively windy areas) and
because multiple simultaneous sampling
s
(groups formed
by several team members,
spreading
out in
the wadi
s
and over the ledges) compensated for the reduced resampling.
To be effective,
it is
also
desirable that
a monitoring
programme
uses
a standard
methodology that allows
for
comparison in
both
time and space.
The Dhofar expeditions of
2008 and the
current expeditions
largely
employed the same methodology and were thus
comparable;
with the exception that here DNA analysis was also employed
.
The m
ost
remarkable
result from that comparison
was the
restricted range of the wolf to the
south
ernmost tip o
f the study area
and indications that gazelle was more abundant in the
north
.
The
apparent
concentration
of wolves
in
southern areas
places
the species in a
more vulnerable position than
that of
other
more widespread species that occupy
a
similar
niche
,
su
ch as the
hyaena
and caracal
.
All other species from which enough quantitative
data
were
collected
(
hyaena
, caracal, ibex, hyrax, porcupine)
were widespread
.
The
results of the
Dhofar expeditions
during
2009
-
2010 differed
in the way data
were
collected an
d analysed
.
In summary they found,
with no tabulated data
and
using
non
-
recommended
macroscopic identification of carnivore scats,
that the
north
ernmost and
south
ernmost zones were more biodiversity
-
rich and that the la
t
ter was better
leopard
habitat
.
T
he
curre
nt study does not support that
finding
and no
significant
differences in
the amount of leopard
-
like signs
in the
north
and
south
were found
.
The current study identified leopard
presence
in a single
location
,
based on DNA analysis
of scats,
in the ce
ll
neighbouring the base camp cell, near a
well.
Surveys were
also
intensively
done
near
another water source, the oasi
s of Uyun in cells 20 and 201F, with
no results of leopard presence.
That, combined with the fact that no other definitive proof
of
leopa
rd presence was found, corroborates the findings of Mazzolli and Hammer (2008)
and Mazzolli (2009) that leopard is uncommon in the
area. This conclusion is further
supported when the low or
null rate of leopards verified from vestiges and/or camera traps
f
ound in
the study area is compared with the higher rates obtained in the extreme
west
and east of the Dhofar mountains, by the Office of the Adviser for
Conservation of the
Environment
–
OACE (unpubl. data).
Another
study that
allows
compari
s
on
of relative
abundance of leopards
is that of Perez et al.
(
2006
). The
se
author
s
searched
for s
cats
near
water bodies and also
in
locations where leopard had been
previously
recorded
-
from
112
of the
collected
scats that had DNA
successfully amplified,
54
(48.2%)
bel
onged
to leopards, a
more than
tenfold
higher rate than the 4.2% found in the current study.
The low occurrence of leopards is consistent with the reported low or null depredation
rates. Livestock is common in the south of the study area and information c
ollected from
interviews suggests that losses to predation are rare. Thus the predation rate of leopard
taking livestock should be low. This makes the low numbers of leopard intriguing. With
healthy and widespread populations of wild prey, the only other o
bvious cause
s
of leopard
rareness
are
retaliation following livestock depredation
and general persecution based on
cultural
myth
-
based
prejudices
.
31
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Indeed Spalton (personal communication)
and McGregor et al. (2011) reports
that
leopards are widely persecu
ted and cannot find sufficient sanctuary in the relatively open
and exposed habitats that dominate the Dhofar mountains.
Clearly more research
work
should be done to investigate the causes of low leopard numbers in the area
, as well as
social and education
al work to raise environmental awareness, combat myth
-
based
prejudices against the leopard and to find ways for leopards and humans to co
-
exist and to
benefit from each other’s presence
.
Recommendations for further action (during expeditions and by other
parties)
Further expedition work and surveys.
Standardis
e sampling
and data analysis for all leopard studies in the region to allow
and encourage
comparison
s
across them
.
On
-
going training of local rangers and training in wildlife survey and monitoring
methodology
-
to include collection and storage of possible leopard faeces for
subsequent DNA analysis
.
Creating a forum involving lo
cal people, relevant government departments
and tour
operators to raise environmental awareness and address any
conservat
ion
problems or human/
wildlife conflict incidents.
Livestock care and education
programme
to improve livestock management and
encourage a
reduction in livestock numbers.
Excluding domestic livestock from
most favourable habitats in the long term.
Cr
eate a fund for leopar
d
-
related conservation in Oman under
the following
general
headings
: human
-
predator interactions
, ecology and distribution o
f leopard,
capacity
-
building.
2.5
. Literature c
ited
Barrault,
M. (1999)
Regards Dhofar.
Edition Michel Heti
er.
112 pp.
Breitenmoser,
U. & Breitenmoser
-
Würsten
,
C.
(eds.). (2006)
Cat
N
ews
S
pecial
E
dition n°
1
. The IUCN Cat Specialist Group
.
Graham, K.
, A.
Beckerman
and S
Thirgood
(
200
5
)
Human
-
predator
-
prey conflicts:
ecological correlates, prey losses, and pat
terns of management. Biological Conservation
122:159
-
171.
Haag,
T.
, A.
Santos,
C.
Angelo,
A.
Srbek
-
Araujo,
D.
Sana,
R.
Morato,
F.
Sal
zano
and E.
Eizirik (2009)
Development and testing of an optimized method for DNA
-
based
identification of jaguar (
Panthera
onca
) and puma (
Puma concolor
) fae
cal samples for use
in ecologica
l and genetic studies. Genetica
136:505
-
51
.
Harrison, R. (2002) Evaluation of microscopic and macr
oscopic methods to identify fiel
d
hair. Wildlife S
ociety Bulletin 30 (2):412
-
419
.
Harriso
n, D.
and
P.
Bates (1991) Mammals of Arabia. 2
nd
Edition. Harrison Zoologica
l
Museum Publication, Sevenoaks
.
32
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Janecka
,
J
.
, R.
Jackson
,
Y.
Zhang
,
D.
Li
,
B.
Munkhtsog
,
V.
Buckley
-
Beason
,
W.
Murphy
(
2008
)
Population monitoring of snow leopards using noninva
siv
e genetics. Cat News
48:7
-
10
.
Mackenzie, D.
Nichols, J
. Lachman, G. Droege, S. Royle, J. Langtimm
(2002)
Estimating
site occupancy rates when detection probabilit
ies are less than one. Ecology 83 (8):2248
-
2255
.
MacKenzie, D.I. &
J. Royle
(2005) Designin
g occupancy studies: general advice and
allocating survey effort. Journal o
f Applied Ecology 42: 1105
-
1114
.
McGregor, T., H. Hikmani & M. Hammer (2011)
Status of the Arabian leopard (
Panthera
pardus nimr
) in Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman.
Expedition report 20
09/2010.
Biosphere
Expeditions, UK. Available via
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org/reports
.
Mazzolli, M.
, M.
Graipel
,
N.
Dunstone
(2002)
Mountain lion depredation in southern Brazil.
Bio
logical C
onservation 105: 43
-
51
Mazzolli, M. (2009) Arabian leopard
Panthera pardus nimr
status and habitat assessment
in northwest Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman (Mammalia: Felidae). Zoology in
the Middle
East
47: 3
-
12
.
M
azzolli, M. and M. Hammer
(2008)
Status of the
Arabian leopard (
Panthera pardus nimr
)
in Dhofar, Sultanate of
Oman.
Expedition report 2008.
Biosphere Expeditions, UK
.
Available via
www.biosphere
-
expeditions.org/reports
.
Perez, I., E.
Geff
en,
O.
Mokady (2006)
Critically Endangered Arabian leopards
Panthera
pardus nimr
in Israel: estimating population parameters using molecular scatology
Oryx 40 (3):
295
-
301
.
Spalton, J. and H.
al Hikmani
(2006) The leopard in the Arabian Peninsula
–
distri
bution
and subspecies status. Cat News Special Issue No. 1: 4
-
8
.
Spalton, J., H.
al Hikmani,
H.
Willis, A. Bait Said
(2006a) Critically endangered Arabian
leopards
Panthera pardus nimr
persist in the Jabal Samhan Nature Reserve, Oman. Oryx
40
(3): 287
-
294
.
Spalton, J., H.
al Hikmani
,
M.
Jahdhami
,
A.
Ibrahim
,
A.
Bait Said
,
D.
Willis
(2006
b
) Status
of the Arabian leopard
Panthera pardus nimr
in the Sultanate of Oman.
Cat
News Special
Issue No. 1: 26
-
32
.
Vanstreels, R., F.
Ramalh
o, C.
Adania (2010) Microest
rutura de pêlos
-
guarda de felídeos
brasileiros: considerações para a identificação de espécies.
Bi
ota Neotropical 10 (1): 333
-
337
.
33
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
Appendix 1
. Species recorded during the 2011 expedition.
Common Name
Latin name
Sighting
Sign
Camera
trap
Bones a
nd
carcasses
DNA analysis
Arabian leopard
Panthera pardus nimr
—
—
—
—
x
Caracal
Caracal caracal
—
x
x
—
x
Gordon's wildcat
Felis silvestris
gordoni
—
—
—
—
x
Striped
hyaena
Hyaena hynaea
—
x
x
—
x
Arabian wolf
Canis lupus arabs
—
x
x
x
x
Arabian red
fox
Vulpes vulpes arabica
—
x
—
x
—
Blanford's fox
Vulpes cana
—
—
x
—
—
Honey badger
Mellivora capensis
—
—
x
—
—
Small spotted genet
Genetta genetta
—
—
x
—
—
White
-
tailed mongoose
Ichneumia albicauda
—
—
—
—
—
Arabian gazelle
Gazelle gazella cora
x
x
x
x
—
Nubian ibex
Capra nubiana
—
x
—
x
—
Rock hyrax
Procavia capensis
x
x
x
x
—
Cape hare
Lepus capensis
—
x
—
—
—
Indian crested porcupine
Hystrix indica
—
x
x
x
—
Hedgehog
Paraechinus
aethiopicus and P.
hypomelas
x
—
—
—
—
34
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
2
.
Results
of DNA identification from scats. Dash (
—
) = not available. A single leopard scat was found at
coordinates X=794834 Y=
1916139
. Datum WGS 84.
Sample number
Label
Date
Cell
Species
01
01
—
23O
Canis lupus
02
02
—
23O
Canis lupus
03
03
28/02/2011
10B
Cara
cal caracal
04
04
23/02/2011
19K
Caracal caracal
05
05
16/02/2011
22K
Canis lupus
06
06
01/03/2011
18D
Caracal caracal
0
7
09
24/02/2011
15C
Panthera pardus
08
11
28/02/2011
10B
Caracal caracal
09
12
23/02/2011
18J
Caracal caracal
10
14
24/02/2011
21
L
Vulpes
sp.
11
15
15/02/2011
15E
Hyaena hyaena
12
17
16/02/2011
23N
Canis lupus
13
18
15/02/2011
17D
Caracal caracal
14
20
—
21N
Caracal caracal
15
21
—
10A
Caracal caracal
16
22
16/02/2011
21P
Canis lupus
17
23
24/02/2011
21P
Canis lupus
18
24
24
/02/2011
15C
Caracal caracal
19
28
—
21P
Canis lupus
20
30
16/02/2011
21P
Canis lupus
21
31
—
21P
Canis lupus
22
32
16/02/2011
23O
Canis lupus
23
33
01/03/2011
18D
Felis silvestris
24
34
23/02/2011
18K
Caracal caracal
35
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
3
Sample of mammals
c
amera
-
trapped
during the 2011
expedition
.
Caracal
Porcupine
Striped
hyaena
Arabian w
olf
Juvenile Arabian ibex
Hyrax
Honey badger
Blanford’s f
ox
Small spotted genet
36
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
4
.
Camera
trap locations,
sampling effort
, and results.
ID
Date
installed
Cell
X (
east
)
coordinate
Y (
north
)
coordinate
Date
removed
Trap
nights
Species (n)
1
08/02/11
21F
0806879
1909673
02/03/11
22
Hyaena
(6), porcupine (5),
caracal (1), mongoose (1)
2
08/02/11
20F
0805676
1909910
02/03/11
22
Hyaena
(13), p
orcupine (12)
3
09/02/11
16F
0796330
1909996
11/02/11
02
—
3
11/02/11
16F
0796306
1910653
27/02/11
16
—
4
09/02/11
18E
0801269
1911415
27/02/11
18
Hyaena
(1), Porcupine (5),
caracal (1), Blanford’s fox (1)
5
09/02/11
21R
0806254
1886007
27/02/11
18
—
6
10/02/11
21R
0806771
1886110
27/02/11
27
Hyrax (17), honey badger (3),
wolf (1)
7
10/02/11
10B
0785578
1918502
28/02/11
18
—
8
09/02/11
16F
0796265
1911001
11/02/11
03
—
9
15/02/11
17E
0798368
1912064
28/02/11
13
Gazelle (1)
10
15/02/11
18C
0799351
1
914080
01/03/11
14
—
11
14/02/11
22N
0809426
1893087
28/02/11
14
—
12
16/02/11
21P
0807230
1890355
01/03/11
13
Porcupine (12), little spotted
genet (4)
13
16/02/11
21P
0807258
1890439
01/03/11
13
—
14
15/02/11
15E
0794354
1911828
02/03/11
15
—
15
16/0
2/11
23O
0811547
1892739
02/03/11
14
Porcupine (1), wolf (1)
16
16/02/11
21L
0807575
1899030
24/02/11
8
—
16
24/2/11
21L
0807907
1898267
01/03/11
5
—
17
23/2/11
19J
0802121
1902064
02/03/11
7
—
18
23/2/11
19K
0802427
1900691
01/03/11
6
—
19
24/2/11
21
L
0808221
1898192
01/03/11
5
Blanford’s fox (1)
20
24/2/11
21L
0807914
1897371
01/03/11
5
—
Total camera trap nights
278
Number of species = 9
37
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
5
.
Cel
ls in which target species
were
found
. Target species were those
mammals
that represented rar
e and
resource
-
demanding species, leopard prey species, or those that were recorded
in sufficient numbers
for quantitative
ana
lysis.
Cells recorded by DNA not included, please refer to appendix 2.
Species
Cells
Type of record
Caracal
10B/18E
Track, c
ame
ra
trap
Hyrax
21F/18F/15D/15C/20F/19E/ 14B/15
-
16F/11B/11A/10B/ 20I/22G/22H
/17D/
17E/
/17N/18C/18E/18J/18K/18Q/19J/19K/21L/22L
/22N/24N
/14C
Track, scat
, c
amera
trap
, carcass
Gazelle
18E/15D/15C/20F/15B/19E/14B/10B/
11B/11C/10C/9D/12A/13A/11A
/22G
/14C/
13C/20I
/22H/21H/17D/17E
/16D/
22K/
10A/12E/13D/
14A/18C
/18F/
21L/
17N/
18Q/19K/19O
/22N/ 22O
Track
, c
amera
trap
Hyaena
21F/20F/18F/15C/14D/15D/
15B/19E/14B/10
-
11B/10C
/11A
/18Q/
/23K/15E
/16D/
22K
/17N/18C/18J/19J/19K/21R
/24N/ 23O/22Q/21P
Track
, c
amera
trap
Ibex
18E/20F/15B
/19E/14B/15
-
16F/10C/9D/10B
/12A/22G/17E/
/21O/15E/15D/22K
/
15C/17N/18F/18J/18K/18N/19J/19K
/18O
/22
L
/22N
Track, scat
Leopard
—
DNA analysis of
fecal samples
Porcupine
21F/20F/18F/15C/15D
/15B/20E/19E/14B/21R/15
-
16F/10
-
11B/11C/10C/12A/13A/11A/13C/22G/22H/21H
/17D/18Q
/23K/22K
/16D
/
10A/10B/18C/18E/18J/18N/19J/19K/21L/22L
/22N/22O/23O/21P
T
rack, scat, quills
,
c
amera
trap
Wolf
23O
/21P/
19K
/
21L
/
22O
/
23N
/21R
Track, camera trap
38
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix 6
. Summary of outreach activities and interviews with local communities.
Date
Lo
cation
Contact person
Activity (interview,
talk, meeting)
Beneficiary/ profile
Number and
status of
beneficiary
15/2/11
Titam
Talk
Two schools
40 students
24/2/11
Titam
Interview
Two herdsmen
2
24/2/11
Titam
Interview
Farmer with
livestock
1
24/2/11
Qaftaut
Interview
Camel herder
1
27/2/11
East
of Ayoon,
Kismin village
Principle and
teachers
Talk, handing out
brochures
Mixed primary
school
Only talk to
adults (6)
27/2/11
Village Hagaif
Governor of
Hagaif district
Talk at his office
governor
1 pers
on
27/2/11
Village Jachnin
Governor of
Jachnin
Talk at his office
Governor, 2 elderly
sheiks, 2 secretary
of governors office,
1 young man
6 people
27/2/11
Outside Hagaif
village near road
Interview
Camel herder
1 person
27/2/11
5 km from Ayoon
village
near road
Interview
Camel herder
1 person
27/2/11
Qaftoat
Interview
Man with some
livestock
(main
profession not
herder)
1 person
28/2/11
Aruqum
Farmer
’
s wife
Interview
Farmers family,
Diwans rep.’s
3 adults, 1 child
28/2/11
Thila
Interview
Two farm
ers
2 persons
28/2/11
Ariqun/Araqun
Interview
Farmer with
livestock
1 woman
28/2/11
Araqun watertank
Interview
Farmer with
livestock
1 man
28/2/11
Titam/ Thub
Interview
Farmer with
livestock
1 man
28/2/11
Aqbat tawq
Interview
Young man
1 person
(+c
hildren)
1/3/11
Titam
Interview
1 elderly man
(former military
now herder)
1
1/3/11
Jebel Safa
Interview
1
f
armer
1
1/3/11
near Qaftaut
Interview
1
f
armer
1
39
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
7
.
Tabulated interview data. Total interviews with completed datasheets
(n=
1
5
)
. The totals in each item does
not always sum to the tota
number of interviewee
s
, as often
responses are unavailable
. The item ‘leopard presence’ may
have more than one input from the same interviewee, ‘not present’ and ‘present <10 years’.
Item
Interview
results
Item
Interview
results
Item
Interview
results
Ranger’s work
Leopard
perception
Leopard impact on
game species
Known
1
Dislike
2
Significa
nt
1
Unknown
10
Like
7
Occurs
0
Leopard survey
project *
Indifferent
4
None
5
Known
0
Leop
ard attack on
livestock
Poaching of leopard
Unknown
2
Significant
0
Significant
0
Leopard presence
Occurs
0
Occurs
0
Not present
4
None
5
None
2
Recent
(<5 years)
5
Livestock losses
to other causes
Not available
11
Old
(> 10 years)
4
Si
gnificant
0
Poaching of prey
Don’t know
4
Occurs
3
Significant
0
Leopard population
trend
None
4
Occurs
0
Increasing/stable
2
Not available
2
None
3
Declining
1
Leopard
protection status
Not available
10
Don’t know
5
Known
8
Livestock gr
azing
impact
Not available
5
Unknown
0
Severe
7
Moderate/low
0
*
This item was not in the
questionnaire
, but it was mentioned once. It should be incorporated in the next
questionnaires
.
40
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
8
.
Bird inventory generated by the expedition.
BIRD LIST OMAN
Common name
Latin name
2009
2010
2011
Afican scops owl
Otus senegalensis
x
African paradise flycatcher
Terpsiphone viridis
X
African rock bunting
Emberiza tahapisi
X
African rock martin
Ptyonoprogne fuligula
x
x
Arabian (Ma
sked) babbler
Lanius nubicus
x
x
Arabian babbler
Turdoides squamiceps
x
x
X
Arabian partridge
Alectoris melancocephala
x
x
X
Arabian warbler
Sylvia nana
x
x
Arabian wheatear
Oenanthe lugentoides
x
x
X
Asian brown flycatcher
Muscicapa davurica
X
Barn swallow
Hirundia rustica
x
x
Black (common) redstart
Phoenicurus erythronotus
x
x
Blue rock (cinnamon
-
breasted) thrush
Monticola solitaris
x
Bonelli's eagle
Aquila fasciatus
x
X
Brown neck crow
Corvus ruficolis
X
Bruce's green pigeon
Tr
eron waalia
x
Chestnut
-
bellied sandgrouse
Pterocles exustus
x
Collared dove
Sleptoplia decaorto
X
Common redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
X
Common swift
Apus apus
x
x
Cream
-
coloured courser
Cursorius cursor
x
Crested lark
Galerida cristat
a
x
x
X
Daurian shrike
Lanus isabellinus
X
Desert lark
Galerida deserti
x
x
Desert lesser whitethroat
Sylvia curruca minula
x
x
Desert warbler
Ammomanes deserti
X
Desert wheatear
Oenanthe deserti
x
x
Dhofar swift
Apus sp
x
x
East
ern Imper
ial eagle
Aquila heliaca
x
Egyptian vulture
Neophron percnopterus
x
x
X
Eurasian coot
Fulica atra
x
x
European roller
Coracias garrulus
x
x
Fan
-
tailed raven
Corvus rrhipidurus
x
x
X
Fork tailed swift
Apus pacificus
X
Gadwall
Anas strepera
x
Glossy ibis (Salalah)
Plegadis falcinellus
X
Graceful prinia
Prinia gracilis
x
x
Greater spotted eagle
Aquila Clanga
x
Grey heron
Ardea cinerea
x
Grey wagtail
Motacilla cinerea
x
x
Grey
-
headed kingfisher
Halcyon leucocephala
x
41
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
BIRD LIST OMAN
Common name
Latin name
2009
2010
2011
House (striol
ated) bunting
Emberiza striolata
x
x
House crow
Corvus spleiders
x
X
Hume's tawny owl
Strix butleri
x
x
Isabelline wheatear
Oenanthe isabellina
x
x
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus
x
x
X
Laughing dove
Steptopelia senegalensis
x
x
X
Lesser kestrel
Fal
co naumanni
x
Lichenstein's sandgrouse
Pterocles lichtensteinii
x
x
X
Little green bee
-
eater
Meropos orientalis
x
x
X
Long
-
billed pipit
Anthu similis
x
x
Long
-
legged buzzard
Buteo rufinus
x
X
Masked (Steppe grey) shrike
Lanius (m.) pallidirostris
x
Moorhen coot
Gallinurla chloroptus
X
Ruppells Weaver
Ploceus galbula
X
North
ern (hooded) wheatear
Oenanthe oenanthe
?
X
Palestine sunbird
Nectarinia osea
x
x
X
Red
-
rumped swallow
Hirundo daurica
x
Richard's pipit
Anthus richardi
x
x
Rin
g
-
necked (rose
-
winged)
parakeet
Psittacula krameri
x
x
Rock dove
Columba livia
x
x
X
Rose
-
coloured starling
Sturnus roseus
x
Rufous
-
tailed rock thrush
Monticola saxatilis
x
Saker falcon
Falco cherrug
x
Sand partridge
Ammoperdix heyi
x
x
X
Scru
b warbler
Scotocerca inquieta
x
x
Shining sunbird
Nectarinia habessinica
x
x
Short toed eagle
Circaetus gallicus
X
South
ern grey shrike
Lanius meridionalis
x
x
X
Spotted eagle owl
Bubo (africanus) milesi
x
x
Steppe eagle
Aquila nipalensis
x
X
Stonechat (African
stonechat?
-
S. felix)
Saxicola torqauta
x
x
Tawny pipit
Anthus campestris
x
x
Trsitam's grackle (starling)
Onychognathus tristramii
x
x
X
Variable wheatea
r
Oenan
the picata
X
Verreaux's eagle
Aquila verreauxii
x
x
White pectacl
e bulbul
Pycnonotus xanthopygos
X
White wagtail
Mutacilla alba
X
Citrine wagtail
Motacilla citreola
x
x
X
Yellow
-
vented bulbul
Pycnonotus xanthopygos
x
x
X
42
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
9
:
Interview datasheet
.
GUIDELINES FOR
RECORDING INTERVIEWS
OMAN
Objectives o
f interviews
To learn from local community on the main following topics:
1.
Where leopards are present now, and where they were present in the past (possible change in
distribution);
2.
Attacks of leopard to livestock (goats, camels, etc) now and in the past;
3.
Where leopard are most often seen now and where there are more attacks to livestock
–
If leopards
have attacked recently you can plan to visit this location;
Guidelines for Team members
You will be visiting local people to find out about their attitudes
to and information on Arabian leopards and
other wildlife. These interviews will be conducted in Arabic and will be discussed with you. Give time to the
Arabic interviewer to get acquainted and introduce the subject to the interviewee. He should soon get y
ou
updated on the conversation, as he has been briefed to do. In practice, role of the team member is to make
sure that all topics on this sheet are covered and all questions asked as far as possible. In a broader sense,
this component of the project would
not be in execution without your presence.
1.
Be relaxed, friendly, chatty.
2.
Take pictures only after asking for permission and then only a few.
3.
Keep the datasheet out of sight as much as possible.
4.
You can glance at the datasheet or record the questions in y
our notebook beforehand to make sure
they are all covered.
5.
Immediately after the interview and out of sight of the interviewee, discuss the datasheet and record
the answers, using judgment.
6.
Discuss the datasheet in the evening with scientific staff as par
t of filling in datasheet activity
Guidelines for the Ranger and
OCE
staff
It is recommended that you introduce yourself and the team members appropriately. This procedure is to
avoid the community to consider your as guide and the group as tourists, whi
ch is not true. Make sure the
local guide, if present, also understand that the
team members are
research volunteers working in
cooperation with the Diwan of Royal Court and Ministry of Environment
& Climate Affairs
, in the
Leopard Survey Project. Introduc
e yourself as Ranger of the Ministry of Environment or an officer of the
OACE, as appropriate. You should avoid such sentences as ‘
they
want to know about …’, the best way to
communicate is to say ‘
WE
are interested to know about the leopard, as we are in
the condition as
researcher for the Leopard Survey of the OACE…’. Failure to do so may compromise the interview, as the
community will perceive the Biosphere Expedition’s team as foreign tourists and may ask for rewards.
Guidelines for the local guide
T
he Diwan of Royal Court, the Ministry of Environment
& Climate Affairs
, and Biosphere Expeditions are
interested in the leopard because it is disappearing fast. If we do not help protect it, the desert border and
mountains will be emptied, there will be no
more leopards in the wild. By helping the leopard, you’ll be
helping your community.
You are very important for this research because people from your community will trust you information that
would not to visitors. We need to know as much as we can abou
t the presence of the leopard in the past and
where it is know to live now. If the leopard is causing damage to livestock (goats, camels) we need to know
to help the leopard and the herders.
43
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
DATASHEET: RECORDING INTERVIEWS
OMAN
INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY:
DATE OF THE INTERVIEW:
PERSONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE INTERVIEWEE
Sex:
Age:
Place of residence (name of community):
Place of birth (region):
Occupation:
If you are a livestock owner/raiser, what kind of animals do you have?
Camels
Goats
Cows
Horses
Other
INFORMATION ABOUT ARABIAN LEOPARDS AND OTHER WILDLIFE
Are there leopards near this area? If there are, when did you have a last evidence?
□ More than 10 year ago □ Between 5 and 10 years ago □ Less than 5 years ago
Wher
e did you find evidence of the leopard (
Wadi
, Region?)
___________________________
If you have a herd, where do you leave it (
Wadi
, Region?)
_____________________________
(You should insert a general coordinate after the interview) Coordinates:
_________________
If you have a herd, there are leopards near it? Yes _____
No
_______
Livestock losses to
leopards
(fill number of animals that have been taken)
Loss this
year
Loss last
year
Total herd
size
Number of herders
involved (single herd
or multiple herd)
Unit price in
OMR
Camel
Goat
Cattle
Livestock
losses to
other animals
(
hyaena
s, wolves, dogs)
Loss this
year
Loss last
year
Total herd
size
Number of herders
involved (single herd
or multiple herd)
Unit price in
OMR
Camel
Goat
Cattle
Page 1/2
44
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
DATASHEET: RECORDING INTERVIEWS
OM
AN
Livestock losses to
other causes
(disease, fall from cliff, snake bite, theft, drought)
Loss this year
Loss last year
Total herd size
Number of
herders
involved (single
herd or multiple
herd)
Unit price in
OMR
Camel
Goat
Cattle
YOUR OPINION ON THE LEOPARD
Which of the following statements best describes your feelings towards Arabian leopards?
Strongly dislike
Dislike
Indifferent
Like
Strongly like
The presence of Arabian leopards for you is
A good thing
A bad thing
Y
ou are indifferent
You are scared
If Arabian leopards attracted more tourists to the region, this would be
A good thing
A bad thing
You are indifferent
Are Arabian leopards protected in Oman? Yes ____
No ______
Strongly
disagree
Dis
-
agree
Neutral
Agre
e
Strongly
agree
Arabian leopards have a considerable impact
on large game (gazelle, ibex, etc)
Arabian leopards have a considerable impact
on small game (hyrax, hedgehogs, etc)
Arabian leopard attack humans
In regions where Arabian leop
ards live in
close proximity to livestock, they feed
primarily on domestic animals
We already have enough Arabian leopards in
the region
Comments
(record any other useful/interesting information here)
Page 2/2
45
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Appendix
10
:
Expeditio
n leader
’s
diar
y
27 January
Welcome to the 2011 Oman expedition diary. Just a quick one from us at Biosphere Expeditions to say that
staff have started to arrive in Muscat, we have picked up four shiny new Land Rovers, retrieved our
equipment from storag
e and are now in full swing getting the expedition prepared, first in Muscat and then
later in Salalah and Dhofar, Insha'Allah.
"Insha'Allah", by the way, is a phrase you are about to become very familiar with. I usually introduce new
expeditioners to thi
s phrase right from the start, so I'll do it again in this first diary entry: Insha'Allah translates
roughly as... 'If Allah wills it' and is a marvelously useful term of complete fatalism and one which has no
direct English equivalent. The nearest thing w
ould probably be '...but on the other hand I might get hit by a
number 73 bus tomorrow'
-
uttered in tones of sodden dejection by a clinical depressive with a strong Solihull
accent.
So far so good. I'll e
-
mail more from Muscat in due course. Please make
a note of my Oman mobile number
(for emergency use only), which is +968 92380988. I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Safe travels
Paul o’Dowd
Expedition Leader
31 January
A short video diary entry is now on our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
. You'll find it our Wall page.
1 February
Another video diary entry now at
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
.
Preparations going well here with half the team now on its way to Salalah to get the equipment down and
start setting up. We look forward to seeing you in Salalah in due cou
rse. Remember to meet at Costa Coffe
opposite departures (not arrivals, where there's also a Costa!).
More updates from Dhofar, but they are unlikely to be video entries from now on because there are now fast
internet connections in the land of the leop
ard ;)
2 February
Did we say no more video diary entries? Well, that would be true if some of us weren't stuck in Muscat. See
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/13
2594724471
for more.
3 February
Half the team is in Salalah buying food & other supplies and sorting out local staff. The other half have had
the Land Rover key flown up by a kind passenger from Salalah to Muscat and are now on their way to
Salalah, dri
ving 1,000 km along the edge of the Empty Quarter, where roadside cafes have internet and they
could upload another video diary entry to
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Exped
itions/132594724471
>
tab "Wall" (by the way, you do not need to have a Facebook account to view these video diaries
-
just click
on the link above and then the "Wall" tab and you should be able to see everything).
4 February
We're putting up the camp f
or you at the moment (see new video diary entry on
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
> Wall) and are on schedule to have
everything ready, insh'Allah.
When we arrived here yesterday, the place was untouched from last year
except for some evidence of camping by locals and lots of hyaena tracks around.
46
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Temperatures are between 12 C at night and around 30 C during the day and, you have guessed it, the sun
shines (mercilessly) all day, so don't forget shades, sunscreen, etc.
Again remember that you will be met at Muscat airport by a rep from National Travel & Tourism (NTT) who
will hand your tickets to you. If anything goes wrong at that end, you can ring
Ginu from NTT on +968
92800281 and you also have my mobile, which is +968 92380988. We'll see you at the Salalah end.
5 February
Base camp is all set and a couple of us are back in Salalah for the night for extreme printing, laminating,
shopping, etc. be
fore picking up slot 1 tomorrow. Watch the video diary update on
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471 > Wall and have a read of the attached for
what we have in store for you.
8 February
It’s day two of the Oman expedition and after
a first day of intensive training we have just returned from our
first field day. We conducted a survey of Ayun Waterhole and the wadi that contains it. Many tracks were
found including some that caused excitement (it’s yet to be determined whether that ex
citement is justified).
The appearance of fresh chiapatis at breakfast, courtesy of our great cook Ashraf, made Marcello and Steve
very happy. The team have taken to their tasks with great enthusiasm and keen eyes. It’s been a pleasure
to slowly scan the
tracks with Bill regaling us with stories of his diverse experiences and John bubbling with
his passion for biochemistry. I look forward to the chance to spend time on the tracks with each of the team
over the coming weeks.
PS. Marcello has just returned
and crushed our hopes that we had detected a leopard. Our exciting track
was made by a hyaena.
10
February
The great wadi search continues as the expedition team spread out into the landscape in search of evidence
of our target animals. The Land Rovers a
nd their drivers are each proving very capable on terrain that would
seriously tax a lesser vehicle and operator. Gunda has today negotiated a huge day of rock crawling and
sand crossings. The inevitable sand bog was easily overcome with a combination of G
unda's cool head in
not revving us into a deeper rutt, a lot of dead twigs under the wheels and Bill getting his back into the task of
pushing as the vehicle crawled out of its predicament.
Lots of good data and some valuable local interviews made a fun d
ay a productive one as well.
16 February
If ever there was adequate compensation for not finding clear signs of our target species, it couldn't be better
than the spectacular scenery we are witnessing as we negotiate this landscape in our surveys (see
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
> Wall)
. The wadis constantly remind us of
their coral reef heritage as the team trip over fossils of sea shells and an
cient corals. In recent days we have
conducted interviews with locals and a team has been visiting schools to both spread and aquire information
pertinent to our investigation. Anne, with her Arabic skills, and John with his background in education, have
b
een vital to various communications we have initiated in this regard.
Jackpot!! (probably)
Today three teams surveyed three new wadis in the area of Taytum where a couple of local government
officials kindly took Marcelo and I with stories of relatively
recent sightings. Each looked promising in its own
way and, inshalla, we have found signs of the Arabian leopard in two of them with good indications of
excellent habitat in the third. Anne found a paw print, which is very likely that of the leopard in a b
arren
-
looking dry wadi while Marcello found scratch marks on a wall, which looked to have been made by a young
leopard jumping inexpertly onto the ledge above. Needless to say, camera traps have been installed in all
three locations. Watch this space...
47
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
18 February
As always with field sign, you can't be 100% sure, but Marcelo is quietly confident that we now have
evidence of the diner (Arabian leopard) in the area (see
www.
facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
> Wall for an explanation of the "diner" reference). We need to wait for the DNA
analysis to come through, and this will take a while, but it's a great step forward.
Today we saw the team from the f
irst slot off at the Salalah airport. I miss them already. That group of people
made my job not just easy, but in fact a pleasure. If that is what I have to expect from teams in the future,
then I'm a lucky man. To all of you from Slot One, it was a pleasu
re to meet you and work with you in this
beautiful and challenging place. I hope you all take your kit of field research skills and and your fantastic
attitudes and lend them to other conservation projects, be it Biosphere Expeditions or elsewhere, in the
future. The field needs people like you. Please stay in touch and rest assured that so will we. Thank you, one
and all.
21 February
Team two is now settled in at base camp and has just completed the first day of training in the ways of the
field research
er. It seems the Force is strong with these ones and I have no doubt that they will contribute
greatly to Biosphere Expedition's and Oman's efforts to protect the Arabian leopard.
This afternoon I took half of the many drivers in this team on their 4x4 tr
aining session in the Land Rover
(see the action on
www.facebook.com/pages/Biosphere
-
Expeditions/132594724471
) and, as expected, all
were very impressed with the vehicle's ca
pabilities. They all handled the machine with aplomb and with all
but two of the team on the driving list, our problem will not be finding enough drivers, but rather finding
enough driving to give them all a decent go at the wheel. Marcelo and I are both l
ooking forward to
continuing the work we started with the great folk from group one with this eager new team.
28 February
Despite reports of some unrest in Oman, our mountain location remains blissfully quiet. In fact, most of the
locals are not even awa
re of the demonstrations that have happened elsewhere in Oman with the focal point
in Sohar, about 1200 km north of here. Needless to say we'll keep our ear to the ground, but as it is now,
there is no need to worry. I can't think of a safer place to be th
an the mountains of Dhofar.
Back to the work in hand, our third day of wadi surveys for the team of slot two was a forey into a previously
unvisited area between the dry country of the base camp and the escarpment with its influence from the
khareef monso
on. The two survey teams had very ...different experiences within a short distance of each
other. One lot found almost nothing of note whilst, searching only 500 meters away, the others came back
with a haul of predator scats and skeletal remains.
The day
before yesterday, we conducted a number of interviews in the local community. First we had tea
with a goat herder and his extended family. They told us a great deal about their relationship with the leopard
and confirmed its existence in the area with con
vincing immitations of a leopard's grunting cough
-
like call.
We also interviewed a very regal looking camel herder who repeated the goat herder's reports of stock loss
to leopards and had his son milk a nearby camel for our immediate consumption. The hot f
rothy milk was
excellent and mildly sweet tasting.
1 March
We are now in the camera retrieval phase of the expedition and we have captured a range of images of
some interest. Today, camera 4 came in with a caracal trotting down the steps of a waterhole.
We've seen a
badger, wolves, hyenas, hyrax, and gazelles but as yet, no leopard. After a torturous day in a steep thorny
wadi with Bjorn, Julia and Johnathon, Marcello found a large scat which he is pretty excited about.
Excitement over excrement for Marc
ello is cause for hopeful optimism that the scat might just be that of the
Arabian leopard.
We now have a box full of scat. I just hope the guys from Land Rover are as excited about us carting it back
to civilisation in their beautiful rigs as we are.
48
© Biosphere Expeditions, an international not
-
for
-
profit conservation organisation registered in England, Germany, France, Australia and the USA
Officially accredited member of the United Nations Environ
ment
Programme’s
Governing Council & Global Ministerial Environment Forum
Officially accredited member of the International Union for Conservation
Th
e teams who have been on the regular community contact detail have interviewed many people, from goat
herders to governors and have amassed an impressive dossier of locations and leads pertaining to stock
attacks and sightings of the... Leopard. Most peopl
e we've interviewed are convinced that the leopard is
resident in the locality with numerous credible accounts of recent contacts and convincing imitations of
leopard calls. We have also had a number of candid admissions of a willingness to shoot the anima
l in an
effort to protect livestock. The schools we have visited have expressed a great deal of interest in making our
visits a regular annual event and we hope to take them up on their kind invitations.
Tomorrow we are going out to see the uncle of a sch
ool girl whose grandfather recently lost a number of
goats to something which was in the habit of breaking the necks of its victims.
3 March
Unfortunately, the uncle was not able to take us to a leopard and in fact informed us that the goats were the
vic
tims of wolves. His niece had perhaps been a little excited about the possibility of helping these foreign
strangers and added some imaginative details to her recollection of her grandfather’s stock loss.
Today we broke the back of the big job of packing
up the camp at the end of the 2011 expedition. With a bit
of time to kill we headed out for a swim at the "local" waterhole. I brought the mask and fins that I have with
me for the Honduras Expedition that I will head to after leaving Oman. I got down 11 m
eters and had further
to go before hitting the bottom of the dark and freezing cold crevasse. Very eerie, but beautiful spot.
We will finish the packing tomorrow and head to Salalah to say farewell to the team. Thanks to all for a
fantastic effort and som
e great times.
