User:Hreuter4/Plateau pika

Original section:

The plateau pika as well as being considered[by whom?] a keystone species is also considered[by whom?] a pest because of the degradation it causes to crops which causes a competition in foraging with the livestock of farmers such as yaks, sheep, and horses, which in turn affects their livelihood. The plateau pika is an herbivore that eats plants such as bog sedge, krobesia, grasses, perennial, turf. Farmers believed that a good method to manage pikas and stop them from foraging in their land was to start poisoning programs[2] which began to cause secondary poisoning which was believed[by whom?] to lead to loss of biodiversity. However the attempts in poisoning the pikas did not have a long-term effect as they would repopulate within the next breeding season and would return to the same population size. A second form of management is fencing, which also did not prove to be very successful in preventing foraging by the plateau pika. It is generally agreed[by whom?] that a solution will need to include improving livestock management and pest control; biologists[who?] believe that a way to accomplish this would be to gain a better understanding of how populations of pikas respond to control programs so that they can change the patterns of livestock grazing. Therefore, because of their rapid growth pikas are considered to be an animal of least concern.[2]

My edits:

Conservation efforts
The plateau pika is considered a keystone species and also considered a pest because of the degradation it causes to crops. This causes a competition in foraging with the livestock of farmers such as yaks, sheep, and horses, which in turn affects their livelihood. Conservation efforts for the Plateau pika have focused on a number of strategies. One approach has been to raise awareness among local communities about the important role that the pika plays in the ecosystem and to promote more sustainable farming practices that do not rely on exterminating the animals. This can involve providing alternative methods for protecting crops, such as using fencing or other physical barriers.

Another strategy has been to establish protected areas where the pika and other wildlife can thrive without interference from human activities. For example, the Sanjiangyuan National Nature Reserve in China, which encompasses much of the Tibetan Plateau, has been designated as a protected area for the pika and other endangered species.

Finally, some researchers have been studying the biology and behavior of the Plateau pika in order to better understand the species and its role in the ecosystem. This information can then be used to inform conservation efforts and management strategies.

Overall, conservation efforts for the Plateau pika are aimed at ensuring the long-term survival of the species while also promoting sustainable development in the region. By working to protect this important component of the high-altitude ecosystem, conservationists hope to maintain the ecological integrity and biodiversity of the region for generations to come.

Aiming to improve:

I would like to beef up this section with some background information on the pika's and give more of an insight into the actual conservation efforts for these animals with sources to back up the information