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.

Methods
We sampled the bird community using point counts: The first Table, named 'point counting data' in the 'raw_data.xlsx' file, is used for calculating the bird diversity for the three types of forest, i.e., hunting grounds (HG), old-growth forests (OG), and the firewood forests (FF). Unlimited radius point counts were performed to survey birds in 2007 and 2008 during the peak period of bird activity, between sunrise and 3.5 h past sunrise, with 10 min duration. The points were located at least 150 m apart. Twenty-one points were surveyed in each type of forest. A total of 63 points were selected, and 310 points counts were conducted.

Vegetation surveys were conducted to determine whether bird distributions were correlated with vegetation structure. The second Table, named 'Vegetation Cover and Fruit Tree', is used for calculating the land use by local Yao people through vegetation surveys. The surveys consisted of 13 plots within a 10-m radius for each habitat type in the same areas where bird surveys were conducted. The plots were located at 100-m intervals. The variables recorded in each plot included shrub cover, canopy cover, total cover, and number of fruit trees (DBH <8 cm). Sampling points were established at 2-meter intervals along two diameters at right angles, with the exception of the point of intersection between the diameters. A total of 20 sample points were established within each graph. Here, we only show the calculated data results for vegetation surveys part.