Influence of Livestock Grazing and Forest Resource Extraction on Habitat Quality of Wild Mammals in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary

Abstract

Livestock grazing and forest resource extraction are among the most pervasive anthropogenic pressures influencing the ecological integrity of protected areas in central India. The present study evaluated the effects of grazing intensity, fuelwood collection, and non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction on the habitat quality of wild mammals in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary, Singrauli District, Madhya Pradesh. A total of 48 sampling sites were established across low-, moderate-, and high-disturbance zones between October 2024 and June 2025. Habitat quality was assessed using vegetation structure, canopy cover, shrub density, ground vegetation, and signs of anthropogenic disturbance, while mammalian occurrence was documented through line transects, camera trapping, and indirect evidence such as footprints, scats, and feeding signs. Vegetation analysis revealed that mean canopy cover declined significantly from 78.6 ± 5.2% in low-disturbance sites to 54.8 ± 7.1% in highly disturbed areas (p < 0.05), whereas livestock dung density increased nearly fourfold across the same disturbance gradient. A total of 22 wild mammal species belonging to 14 families and 7 orders were recorded during the investigation. Species richness decreased from 20 species in relatively undisturbed habitats to 13 species in heavily disturbed locations. Camera trap records indicated a 41.3% reduction in detection frequency of medium- and large-sized mammals in areas subjected to intensive grazing and fuelwood extraction. Habitat quality index values exhibited a strong negative relationship with anthropogenic disturbance (r = ?0.76, p < 0.01), while mammal species richness showed a significant positive association with habitat quality (r = 0.81, p < 0.001). The findings demonstrate that continuous livestock grazing and unsustainable forest resource extraction are degrading habitat structure and reducing habitat suitability for wild mammals within the sanctuary. Strengthening regulated grazing practices, promoting community-based forest management, and restoring degraded habitats are recommended to improve ecological resilience and support long-term mammal conservation in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Introduction

This study investigates the effects of livestock grazing and forest resource extraction on the habitat quality of wild mammals in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh. Protected areas are essential for conserving biodiversity, but increasing human activities such as grazing, fuelwood collection, and non-timber forest product (NTFP) extraction degrade habitats, reduce vegetation cover, fragment ecosystems, and increase human–wildlife interactions. These disturbances negatively affect mammal populations by reducing food availability, shelter, breeding sites, and movement corridors.

The literature highlights that excessive grazing compacts soil, suppresses vegetation regeneration, increases competition between livestock and wild herbivores, and may spread diseases to wildlife. Unsustainable forest resource extraction alters forest structure, reduces canopy cover, and changes wildlife behaviour. Previous studies consistently show that anthropogenic disturbances decrease habitat quality, mammal diversity, and ecosystem stability, while modern tools such as GIS, remote sensing, camera traps, and occupancy modelling improve habitat assessment.

The research adopts a field-based descriptive and analytical approach in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary, a tropical dry deciduous forest supporting diverse mammals such as chital, sambar, nilgai, wild boar, leopard, and sloth bear. The sanctuary was divided into low-, moderate-, and high-disturbance zones using stratified random sampling. Data were collected through vegetation surveys, measurements of grazing and resource extraction intensity, line transects, indirect wildlife signs, camera traps, and GPS mapping.

Habitat quality was assessed using vegetation characteristics, while mammal diversity was evaluated through species richness, Shannon–Wiener and Simpson diversity indices, and relative abundance. Statistical analyses, including ANOVA and Pearson's correlation, were conducted using SPSS, and spatial maps were prepared in ArcGIS.

Preliminary results identified livestock grazing, fuelwood collection, and NTFP extraction as the dominant anthropogenic disturbances. Low-disturbance areas located in the forest interior maintained relatively intact vegetation, whereas high-disturbance areas near villages exhibited heavy grazing, tree cutting, human trails, and visible habitat degradation. The study aims to provide scientific evidence for habitat restoration, sustainable resource management, and improved conservation planning to protect wild mammals in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary.

Conclusion

The present study highlights the significant influence of livestock grazing and forest resource extraction on the habitat quality and diversity of wild mammals in Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary, Singrauli District, Madhya Pradesh. The findings reveal that anthropogenic activities are unevenly distributed across the sanctuary, with areas located near villages and access routes experiencing substantially greater ecological disturbance than the interior forest. Continuous grazing, fuelwood collection, and harvesting of non-timber forest products have contributed to reduced canopy cover, poor natural regeneration, degradation of the forest understory, and overall decline in habitat quality. The sanctuary supports a diverse mammalian community comprising 22 species representing 14 families and 7 orders. Among these, chital (Axis axis), sambar (Rusa unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) were the most frequently recorded species, indicating that these herbivores remain well adapted to the dry deciduous forest ecosystem. However, the decline in species richness from low-disturbance to highly disturbed habitats, together with the reduced detection frequency of medium- and large-sized mammals, demonstrates that increasing anthropogenic pressure adversely affects wildlife occurrence and habitat utilization. The strong negative correlation between anthropogenic disturbance and habitat quality, coupled with the positive association between habitat quality and mammal species richness, further confirms that healthy forest ecosystems are essential for sustaining mammalian biodiversity. The study emphasizes the need for an integrated conservation strategy that combines scientific habitat management with community participation. Regulating livestock grazing, promoting sustainable harvesting of forest resources, restoring degraded habitats, strengthening protection in ecologically sensitive zones, and enhancing awareness among local communities are essential measures for minimizing human-induced pressures. Long-term ecological monitoring using camera trapping, vegetation assessment, and geospatial techniques should also be incorporated into management plans to evaluate changes in habitat condition and wildlife populations. Overall, this study provides valuable baseline information for protected area managers and policymakers and contributes to the development of evidence-based conservation strategies for the long-term protection of wild mammals and the ecological integrity of Bagdara Wildlife Sanctuary.

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Copyright © 2026 Sanjay Singh, Yogesh Mishra. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.