Estimating the Carrying Capacity of Takins in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve in Sichuan

The takin is one of the key species in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve. And yet some takins are frequently found dead during the routine monitoring in recent years. Such kind of death could be the results of diseases or starvation which were usually induced by over abundant population. Therefore,to assess takin population and estimate the carrying capacity,field survey and nutrition analysis were conducted from December 2012 to October 2014. The rcsults showed that the total energy provided by six plants in the winter-suitable habitat range summed up to 2.82 ±1.31×10¹⁰ KJ and the energy required per adult takin for over wintering was 7.24×10⁶ KJ. And therefore the reserve could support 778 ±362 adult takins. The takin density was found to be 2.48 takins per hectare on alpine meadow during summer,and therefore it was estimated that 1324 takins were currently scattered within its summer range,less than its carrying capacity. It is recommended that it should be appropriate to keep the takin population less than 1 500 individuals,namely,5.4 takins per hectare in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve.