Conservation grounded in traditional ecological knowledge, culture, and hunting
Data files
Nov 26, 2025 version files 85.47 KB
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raw_data.xlsx
80.99 KB
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README.md
4.48 KB
Abstract
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.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.612jm64k5
Description of the data and file structure
We sampled bird community using point counts in Dayao Mountains in 2007 and 2008 during the peak period. All points were selected within the three forest types, i.e., old-growth forest (OF), hunting ground (HG), and firewood forest (FF). Except for five points in the reserve that were not visited during the breeding season in 2008 as a result of a broken trail, each point was visited five times: twice in the breeding season from March to April, twice in the nonbreeding season from November to December in 2007 and 2008, and once before the migration season in September 2008. A total of 63 points were selected and 310 points counts were conducted.
Bird hunting was also surveyed in six families during the migration season, from October to November 2008. The six families hunted for birds using traditional hunting methods in their ancestral HGs. Due to time constraints, it was difficult to check the harvests of the six families in a single day; therefore, we checked the composition of birds caught in bird basins for part of the six families per day. We identified and counted all captured birds by direct observation when hunters checked their bird basins. A total of 49 family × harvest days were recorded.
About the structure of the two Tables in 'raw_data.xlsx' files:
- 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.
- 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.
Files and variables
File: raw_data.xlsx
Part 1
Table 1: 'point counting data'
Variables
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Name of point counts: The name of each point in point counts. 21 points were surveyed in each type of forest. Except for 5 points in the reserve that were not visited during the breeding season in 2008 as a result of a broken trail, each point was visited five times: twice in the breeding season from March to April, twice in the nonbreeding season from November to December in 2007 and 2008, and once before the migration season in September 2008. A total of 63 points were selected, and 310 points counts were conducted.
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Forest type: There are three forest type in this column, i.e., hunting grounds, old-growth forests, and the firewood forests.
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Year: Survey years, including 2007 and 2008.
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Season: Survey seasons, including breeding season and non-breeding season.
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Species in point counting data: this variable including columns from E to BS, totally 67 columns. The name of each column represents a species we surveyed in point counts. We used these columns of data for calculating the bird diversity.
Part 2
Table 2: 'Vegetation Cover and Fruit Tree'
Variables
- forest type: There are three forest type in this column, i.e., hunting grounds, old-growth forests, and the firewood forests.
- canopy cover: The number of points covered by a vertical projection of the canopy layers (Nc) was enumerated in each plot. Then the 'canopy cover rate' was calculated by: Nc/20
- shrub cover: The number of points covered by a vertical projection of the shrub layers (Ns) was enumerated in each plot. Then the 'shrub cover rate' was calculated by: Ns/20.
- total vegetation cover: The total cover rate was calculated by: (Nc + Ns - Nc ∩ Ns) / 20.
- number of fruit trees: The result of fruit tree count.
Code/software
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EstimateS 8.0:
Colwell, R. K. (2009). EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. In Version 8.0 http://viceroy.eeb.uconn.edu/EstimateS.
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R 2025.09.2
R Core Team (2025). R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. https://www.R-project.org/.
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
- n/a
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Data was collected by the author, Wu Fei.
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.