<Session 6: Wildlife Tracking II>Roles of Swidden Fallows for Free-grazing Water Buffalo in Northern Laos

Abstract

In northern Laos, water buffaloes have been managed under free-grazing condition on swidden fallow lands as an effective practical use of previously cultivated fallow lands. However, there is little information about how water buffaloes utilize the mosaic environments which consist of patchy biotopes. We investigated the spatiotemporal use of swidden fallow lands by four water buffaloes using animal-borne GPS data-logger and satellite image analysis in August, 2011, in the village of Kachet. Villagers in Kachet use a relatively long fallow period (7 years) compared to other villages in northern Laos. All water buffaloes stayed in a 6-year-old fallow plot during the daytime hours, while they moved to a 1-year-old fallow plot by sunset, and spent time there until sunrise. We hypothesize that water buffaloes might stay in the older fallow plot with tree-shade areas during the day to regulate their body temperature because the buffaloes have few sweat glands and have a poor ability to maintain body temperature. The younger fallow plot was also useful for the animals: it was covered with various germinated plants and was utilized as feeding grounds by the water buffaloes. Our results suggested that plots of varying fallow periods have different roles for water buffalo. The spatial heterogeneity in swidden fallows might provide suitable grazing ground for water buffalo.