Panda Debashish, Krishna Jasti Sai, Sharma Ajay, Pandey Puneet, Lee Hang, Singh Randeep
Amity Institute of Forestry and Wildlife, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA.
Sci Total Environ. 2023 Dec 10;903:166267. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166267. Epub 2023 Aug 12.
In human-dominated landscapes, quantifying ecosystem services in terms of economic benefits could contribute to establishing peaceful coexistence between humans and large carnivores. In this study, we estimated the monetary value of scavenging benefits provided by striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) in an anthropogenic landscape in the semi-arid region of Rajasthan, India. We converted the value of domestic livestock carcasses consumed by striped hyenas from opportunity costs to quantify the value of this important ecosystem service to local people. We determined the monetary value of carcass disposals using two methods, including (1) electric cremation, and (2) pyre burning of animal carcasses. To determine the minimum number of striped hyenas, present in the study area, we employed a photo-capture approach, and we used scat analysis to determine the livestock consumed by striped hyenas. We estimated that striped hyenas removed 23.13 tons (4.4 %) of livestock carcass waste from the total of 525.68 tons of waste generated per year in the Intensive Study Area (ISA). The annual monetary value of livestock carcass waste removal by striped hyenas in the ISA was estimated to be ~US$ 7095 for electric cremation and US$ 49,665 for pyre burning. Our study demonstrates the economic benefit of scavenging services provided by striped hyenas in areas where anthropogenic food is abundant. In such areas, as hyenas scavenge anthropogenic food, local communities benefit from waste management. Using alternative carcass disposal methods without striped hyenas would be expensive and likely environmentally damaging.
在人类主导的景观中，从经济效益的角度量化生态系统服务有助于建立人类与大型食肉动物之间的和平共处关系。在本研究中，我们估算了印度拉贾斯坦邦半干旱地区人为景观中条纹鬣狗（Hyaena hyaena）提供的食腐服务的货币价值。我们将条纹鬣狗消耗的家畜尸体价值从机会成本进行转换，以量化这项重要生态系统服务对当地居民的价值。我们使用两种方法确定尸体处理的货币价值，包括（1）电焚化，以及（2）动物尸体的柴堆焚烧。为了确定研究区域内条纹鬣狗的最小数量，我们采用了照片捕捉方法，并使用粪便分析来确定条纹鬣狗消耗的家畜。我们估计，在密集研究区域（ISA）每年产生的525.68吨废物总量中，条纹鬣狗清除了23.13吨（4.4%）的家畜尸体废物。在ISA，条纹鬣狗清除家畜尸体废物的年度货币价值估计电焚化约为7095美元，柴堆焚烧为49665美元。我们的研究证明了在人为食物丰富的地区，条纹鬣狗提供的食腐服务的经济效益。在这些地区，由于鬣狗 scavenge 人为食物，当地社区从废物管理中受益。如果没有条纹鬣狗而使用替代的尸体处理方法将成本高昂，并且可能对环境造成破坏。 （注：“scavenge”此处结合语境意译为“清理、消耗”更合适，但按要求保留原文未翻译完整的词）
