Habitat occupancy of the critically endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) under human disturbance in an urban environment: Implications for conservation

Globally, urban expansion has led to habitat fragmentation and altered resource availability thus posing significant challenges for wildlife. This study analyzed spatial distribution, habitat use patterns, and anthropogenic impacts on habitat occupancy of the Critically Endangered Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) in the urban landscape of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City, Nepal. Using a single-season occupancy modelling approach, we investigated the factors influencing the detection probability and habitat occupancy of Chinese pangolins in 134 grids of each 600 m × 600 m. Our study identified the role of termite mounds in influencing detection probability, emphasizing the species' myrmecophilous behavior. Additionally, the Human Disturbance Index (HDI) emerged as a significant factor negatively affecting habitat occupancy of Chinese pangolins. We observed a medium level of anthropogenic disturbances in the grids where pangolin presence was detected. The findings emphasize the need for ..., Field surveys in Dharan Sub-metropolitan City dividing the area into grids of each 600m * 600m. A subset of grids (n-152) were randomly selected and surveyed using the line transect of 600m length. Within every 600 m of each transect, Chinese pangolin detection/non-detection data along with field-based covariates (described below) were collected in every 100 m segment. For each 100 m alternate segment within 600 m transects, we gathered quantified data on environmental variables and threats, including vegetation destruction (VD), forest fires (F), livestock grazing and related signs (L), human presence, foot and vehicular trails (H), and evidence of pangolin killing (K).
We utilized the Unmark package (Kellner et al., 2023) in R software to conduct a single-season occupancy hierarchical model. , , # Habitat Occupancy of the Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) under Human Disturbance in an Urban Environment: Implications for Conservation

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.73n5tb34t](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.73n5tb34t)

## Description of the data and file structure

This *.csv data file contains the field data collected during the Chinese pangolin surveys in the selected 152 study grids. It contains 14 columns and 153 rows.

* On each grid, there were six replicates (Replicate 1 - Replicate 6). The values in these columns indicate pangolin sign presence as '1' and absence as '0'. 

- Distance to the nearest water body was calculated as the distance from the centroid of the study grid to the nearest water sources using Euclidean distance tool in ArcGIS 10.5. All the distances were measured in meter. 
- The terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI) was calculated from SRTM-DEM data.
- NDVI was derived from 30 m resolution Landsat 8 imagery captured during November 202...