The role of Water Buffalo in LantauBiodiversity Conservation

There is a great project set up to look at The role of Water Buffalo in LantauBiodiversity Conservation

to find out more, and to read their interesting and informative blogs, please see https://www.hkbuffaloresearch.org/

About the project

Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) are fascinating large mammals predominantly present in Southeast Asia and with an estimated global population size of over 200 million. Due to their exceptional significance to ecosystem functioning, buffalo are popularly considered 'ecosystem engineers'. Yet historically, systematic scientific research is lacking concerning buffalo population dynamics, social behaviour, and their impact on wildlife and humans. In addition, how humans perceive buffalo remain unexplored. Lantau, a large island located in the western part of Hong Kong, is rich in biodiversity. Among other species, the island is home to a free-roaming water buffalo population, which provides a unique opportunity to fill in the gaps in buffalo scientific research. The current project supported by the Lantau Conservation Fund will assess the role of buffalo in Lantau’s biodiversity, by taking a behavioural ecology and social sciences approach. The project is led by an interdisciplinary team of researchers and has the two following major objectives:‍• Behavioural ecology: Determination of the buffalo population size, growth, and vegetation use during dry and wet seasons of the year. Additionally, investigate the social and ranging behaviour of the buffalo (herds).• Social science: Investigation of buffalo-human relations to assess anthropogenic influences on buffalo as agents of conservation. Scientific knowledge generated from the project will not only be instrumental in guiding the conservation efforts of Lantau biodiversity but will advance our understanding of the behavioural and ecological implications of a large mammal in such a unique habitat.