Asian badgers—the same, only different: how diversity among badger societies informs socio-ecological theory and challenges conservation

Book section

Of thirteen extant species of true badger, eleven have a distribution in Asia, as do the more loosely affiliated stink- and honey-badgers. Even though these badgers show superficial similarities, they exhibit very different societies, even within same species under different circumstances, and provide an informative model to advance understanding of socio-ecology. They illustrate how group-living is promoted by natal philopatry, and food security; enabled by omnivory and hibernation in cold-winter regions. Conversely predatory, carnivorous species, and those competing for food security within a broader trophic guild, tend to be more solitary. This socio-ecological diversity poses conservation challenges, with Asian badgers vulnerable to habitat loss, urban and road development, direct conflict with people, culling to manage zoonotic disease transmission, and hunting pressure – often for traditional medicine. These threats are ever-more prevalent in expanding Asian economies, where cultural and attitudinal changes are urgently needed to safeguard biodiversity for the future.

Authors: Zhou, Y; Newman, C; Kaneko, Y; Buesching, C; Chen, W

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Host title: Biology and Conservation of Musteloids
• Series: Biology and Conservation of Musteloids
• Publication date: 2017-10-19
• DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198759805.003.0013
• ISBN: 9780198759812
• Keywords: SBTMR