Conservation grounded in traditional ecological knowledge, culture, and hunting

The data are used for the accepted manuscript: "Conservation grounded
in traditional ecological knowledge, culture, and
hunting". The data that support the findings of this study
are openly available. In Guangxi, China, Yao people (an indigenous people)
employ a unique “bird-basin” hunting practice during the migratory season
in Dayao mountains. To assess the impact of forest utilization practices
on bird diversity, this study compares the bird diversity in the hunting
grounds of the Yao people with that in old-growth forests and in firewood
forests. We found a significantly higher level of bird species richness in
the hunting grounds than in the old-growth forests and the firewood
forests. Functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity were similar in
the old-growth forests and hunting grounds, and were lowest in the
firewood forests. Most of the birds captured by bird-basins were migratory
species with a small body size. “Bird-basin” hunting could be an effective
way of resolving conflicts between bird diversity conservation and
regional economic development. Unlike firewood forests caused by shifting
cultivation, forests within hunting grounds are proactively and
effectively managed by the Yao people, and require no external funding.