ANALYSIS OF LION-TAILED MACAQUE HABITAT FRAGMENTATION USING SATELLITEIMAGERY

Deforestation and forest fragmentation are the primary threats to the habitat of endangered lion-tailed macaques, Macaca silenus, in Karnata ka, India. Landsat satellite images of northwest Karnataka, India, fro m 1977 and 1990 were analysed. Two study sites, measuring 16.35x19.14k m (31,213ha) and 14.34x21.44km (30,561 ha), respectively, were selecte d for analysis. Based on a group home range estimate of 131 ha, contig uous habitat fragments large enough to support two or more groups of l ion-tails remained available in the study area in 1990, A single conti guous patch of 14,718ha in site 1 and two contiguous patches in site 2 , (4,276 ha and 9,097 ha) were available for reintroduction of captive lion-tailed macaque populations. Loss of habitat has primarily been o ccurring in and around previously disturbed regions. Ground-truthing o f the identified potential unfragmented sites confirms the results of the study.