Browsing by Author "Lyngdoh, Salvador"

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Assessment of capacity and training needs of key government staff and community members/institutions for a long term effective biodiversity conservation and development of a framework for implementaton in SECURE Himalaya project landscape in selected districts of Himachal Pradesh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Lyngdoh, Salvador; Sathyakumar, S.; Bhatnagar, Y.V.; Pandev, B.
The SECURE Himalaya project pertaining to the high-altitude Trans-Himalayan region for the improved demand management of high range Himalayan landscapes for the conservation of Snow Leopard, other endangered species, their habitats, and sustaining ecosystem services in a novel initiative aimed at achieving conservation goals through a holistic approach. A major component of the project, titled “Assessment of capacity and training needs of key government staff and community members/institutions for long-term effective biodiversityconser vation, and development of a framework for implementation in SECURE Himalaya Project landscapes (Lahaul, Pangi and Kinnaur) of Himachal Pradesh” was undertaken by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII, Dehradun). This component aims to assess the capacities and training needs of key stakeholders and develop a framework and specific training modules for the targeted stakeholders' capacity development. This report conceptualizes the approach of capacity development through training need assessment of identified stakeholders. It outlines the methods adopted based on consultations with various stakeholders, experts, managers and policy makers. Major gaps documented in the landscape with respect to various stakeholders were identified. Modules and capacity development schedules have been suggested to meet the needs for awareness on biodiversity conservation, enhanced training on wildlife monitoring techniques, interventions for reducing human wildlife conflict and strengthening enforcement. We mapped and categorized each stakeholders and their roles in the landscape. A training Need Assessment (TNA) of the target stakeholder through local meetings, workshops and focal as well as instead with the stakeholders documented opportunities for national and state training and research institutions to contribute to the capacity development of the landscape. We prepared detailed and specific training modules for multi-stakeholders through the TNA exercise. Training have been designed to meet the needs concerning their role in long-term biodiversity awareness, conservation, monitoring and enforcement. Hitherto, training modules were categorized into three themes: Biodiversity conservation, Biodiversity monitoring and Sustainable management and livelihood. Pilot training of trainer’s workshop on one of the modules, “Human-wildlife conflict mitigation,” for relevant stakeholders from the forest and different line departments was undertaken to further refine a capacity development framework, timeline and module development. The capacity development framework suggested in this report has been aligned with the indicators and outcomes of the SECURE Himalaya objectives. It is hoped that the exercise undertaken in this assignment will yield significant results with respect to enhancing the capacities of various stakeholders.
Assessment of mammalian diversity in Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Lyngdoh, Salvador; Parab, Tushar
Mammalian fauna of Himachal Pradesh is an admixture of Palearctic and Oriental elements since the state encompasses two bio-geographic zones i.e. 1 and 2, which are further subdivided into A &B (Roberts 1977); and the mountainous regions form a remarkable habitat for many animals, herbivores, and carnivores alike. They constitute a significant proportion of vertebrate diversity (Chakraborty et al. 2005, Saikia et al. 2004), and the state harbours about 27 percent of total mammalian species in India (Sharma and Saikia 2009). However, the State has come under a strong threshold of development, thereby inviting over exploitation and rapid destruction on natural resources but also has been open to many innovative steps to combat loss of biodiversity. Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance and has a wide variety of biodiversity. Due to the wide variation of altitudinal zoning, it hosts a wide range of wild animals viz. Common Leopard (Panthera pardus), Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), Himalayan Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus), Himalayan Brown Bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), Goral (Naemorhedus goral), Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Himalayan Ibex (Capra ibex), Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster) along with Small carnivore species like Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) and Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes). These mammals acted as an excellent model for determining the state of landscape biodiversity. The information reported here would help to identify and further prioritize biodiversity rich areas within the landscape. This Landscape was a pilot site with no established methodological framework. Hence, different sets of methodologies were adopted for sampling. Camera trapping was conducted to gather evidences of animal presence and further analyze the diversity, abundance, probability of occurrence of species and activity patterns. Presence points of 8 potential indicator species were analyzed for generating habitat suitability maps. Locations of direct sightings, indirect evidences (scats, pellet, pugmark, hoof mark), animal attack sites and indigenous knowledge were accounted for. The species are selected by their ecological trends viz population, distribution range, food habits and activity patterns which gave a brief idea about the surrounding habitats. Biologically significant areas were surveyed intensively with camera traps for the first time, which revealed the presence of rare species like Himalayan Musk Deer. The baseline inventory of 22 species of mammals found in the landscape has been generated with the help of direct observations and indirect evidences. Our findings highlights the potential of Dhauladhar Wildlife Sanctuary as a stronghold for conservation of several mammalian species.
Churdhar Wildlife Sanctuary : Where Nature’s Bounty Meets Cultural Reverence
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Sharma, Priyanka; Adhikari, B.S.; Lyngdoh, Salvador
Current population status, distribution and threats to Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata) in Terai Arc Landscape, Uttarakhand: a pilot study
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Lyngdoh, Salvador
This pilot study to provide information on the current distribution of Indian pangolin and major poaching hotspots throughout its ranges to suggest appropriate conservation strategies and protection measures for the species. The proposed objectives for this pilot study are the following: a. To review the current status, distribution and threats to the Indian pangolin population in the study area. b. To prepare a standard protocol for the survey and population estimation of Indian pangolin. c. To formulate effective anti-poaching strategies and devise conservation measures for Indian pangolin to help Uttarakhand Forest Department
Ecology of clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) in an East Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot - Carnivore Co-existence in Manas National Park, Assam, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Lyngdoh, Salvador; Habib, Bilal; Bhatt, Urjit
Sympatric species occupying similar niche can result in competitive exclusion of subordinate species. However, species are able to avoid interspecific competition through morphological, physiological, or behavioural trade-offs, which in turn leads to differences in resource use. A guild of wild species of Felidae comprising various combinations of up to eight species is distributed across South-east Asia, with species ranging in size from the tiger (Panthera tigris) to the flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps). Little is known of the ecology of most of these species, and less of their guilds. Large felids such as tigers and leopards coexist in most of their ranges. The sympatric association of such large cats has been studied and debated in most tropical forests of India. The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), a potent ambassador species for conservation, is among the least known. The clouded leopard is the smallest of the large felids and is least studied due to its secretive nature and nocturnal behaviour. The species is an umbrella species for the Asian forest ecosystem and can be found along the foothills of the Himalayas through Nepal, Bhutan, and India to South China down to Peninsular Malaysia, and on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The clouded leopard is vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and faces a global decline in population and contraction in its geographic range. The species occupies areas undergoing some of the most rapid deforestations and is threatened by poaching and wildlife trafficking. Clouded leopards are apex predators in many Southeast Asian rainforests, although they cooccur with larger predators such as tigers, leopards, dholes; their density, activity, and habitat use may vary. Although there have been discoveries regarding the felid guilds and habitat use of the Sunda clouded leopard, and the threat to the species from habitat loss, little is known for the mainland clouded leopard and the felids with which it is sympatric. Despite the fact that tropical rainforests are known for its high biodiversity and species richness, the scarcity and/or the cryptic behaviour of some of the species have resulted in the scarcity of information about these species. The tendency of many rainforest species to avoid humans on existing tracks (where most transect surveys are done) is well known. These conventional methods include surveys on the footprints, dung, calls, live-trapping, den counts and direct observation. All these surveys are usually performed along transects, and in the past, they were the preferred method in various countries. However, walking along transects to observe terrestrial mammals in tropical rainforests can be extremely challenging. The observers' different abilities to detect and recognize the species may lead to a bias during data collection, increasing the likelihood of animals fleeing unobserved. Presence-absence survey using transects lines or logging tracks may not yield substantial evidence of species diversity. Thus, if any survey were to be conducted without considering these factors, most wildlife surveys could expect a biased trend. In a dense tropical rainforest, camera-traps are useful to detect cryptic species, estimating species diversity, movement, interactions, habitat associations, abundances using individual recognition and, recently, without individual recognition in various countries. A good image from the camera trap is indisputable regarding a certain species' presence compared to an interview or conventional survey methods. The utilization of camera-traps has revealed the presence of secretive rainforest dwelling species, which have been overlooked by applying the traditional transect surveys. In India, this method has been used in estimating densities and abundances of various carnivore species in several protected areas, but few attempts have so far been made in the dense forests of tropical evergreen habitats of the north-eastern part. The use of camera trapping rate as an index of abundance is both promising and cost-effective for the rapid assessment of animal abundance in remote areas or where alternative methods are unfeasible.The study was conducted in tropical semi-evergreen forests of Manas National Park (MNP), Assam, India. The objectives of the study were to (1) estimate the status of clouded leopard and other carnivores, (2) assess prey status and feeding ecology of clouded leopard, and (3) determine the factors governing coexistence of carnivores.
Exploring ecological separation between Himalayan blue sheep and Himalayan ibex during winter in Indian Trans-Himalaya
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Prakruthi, G.M.; Sathyakumar, S.; Lyngdoh, Salvador; Bhatnagar, Yashveer
According to resource selection theory, two related species with similar ecological requirements compete for the same resources. They can only coexist if they are ecologically separated, either by habitat or food preference. This study explored the resource use and ecological separation of ibex (Capra sibirica himalayanus) and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) during the winter in the Spiti Valley, focusing on their segregation in space, habitat use patterns, diet, and activity pattern. The study was conducted in Kibber and Chicham areas (57 km2) of Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Himachal Pradesh, India. This study slightly deviates from the findings of a previous study by Namgail (2006), which reveals a high overlap in the habitat use between ibex and blue sheep in the Zanskar mountains. Systematic sampling using transects and trails, vantage points, opportunistic sampling, and camera traps was employed. Habitat and vegetation variables were recorded at random points and animal sightings to understand the patterns of habitat use and food selection. Spatial and temporal overlaps were analysed and micro-histological analysis of faecal samples compared the proportions of monocots and dicots in their diets. The study investigated how ungulates utilize habitats and their dietary habits with the availability of resources in their environment. Results showed substantial overlap in activity patterns, with the Jaccard similarity index indicating less spatial overlap between the species. The generalized linear model and Non-metric dimensional analysis indicated segregation based on their habitat preferences. However, there were no significant differences in their diets, the two species differed in the use of habitat at finer scales. Ibex preferred interspersed rocky slopes and slabs because of high rocky areas (escape terrain) and sparse vegetation, trading food for security. Blue sheep preferred less rocky areas with high vegetation cover like smooth slopes. Ibex preferred areas with more escape routes available than blue sheep. Thus, I conclude that Blue sheep, being more abundant than ibex, occupy distinct regions within the study area, and have a competitive advantage. While ibex are present in smaller numbers and confined to a specific region. Understanding their ecological requirements, especially in harsh winters, is crucial for targeted conservation efforts to ensure the sustainability of these species in a rapidly changing environment. Future research should focus on climate change impacts on habitat use and resource availability
Habitat use and interactions of mammalian carnivores in the tropical forest of Manas National Park, Assam, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2023) Bhatt, Urjit; Adhikari, B.S.; Lyngdoh, Salvador
The study was conducted at the Manas National Park (MNP), East Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot, in Assam. Previous research on MNP revealed their significance in supporting diverse wildlife, including mammalian carnivores, focusing on their distribution patterns, relative abundance indices, and population estimates. However, interactions, co-existence, and habitat use among carnivores in the park remain understudied, creating concerns for conservation efforts given the threats to biodiversity in Southeast Asia. Examining these aspects of MNP, with their varied ecological niches and body mass variations, can shed light on species interactions and habitat preferences. understanding these complex relationships and habitat use is essential for effective conservation and management strategies to ensure the long-term survival and ecological balance of carnivore communities. The thesis used camera traps to assess the richness, species composition, encounter rates, trap efforts, and threat status of mammalian carnivores in the MNP. The objectives of the study were to (a) assess diversity and species composition of mammalian carnivores, (b) determine temporal interactions among carnivores and their potential prey species, and (c) evaluate space and habitat use of mammalian carnivores in tropical forest of MNP.
Identifying delineating and mapping areas with high conservation values and developing management recommendatons/plans for SECURE Himalaya landscapes in Himachal Pradesh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Lyngdoh, Salvador; Sathyakumar, S.; Bhatnagar, Y.V.; Singh, N.; Yadav, S.N.
High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs) is an emerging concept used to identify important areas based on a variety of parameters including biodiversity, landscape context, threatened or endangered ecosystems, provisioning of basic ecosystem services, and dependence of local communities. The assignment aims to Identify High Conservation Value (HCV) categories of areas in the project landscape of Himachal Pradesh, delineate their boundaries and map them, and suggest relevant recommendations with respect to the potential threats prevalent in the areas, specific for each HCV category. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India along with UNDP has implemented a GEF funded project: SECURE Himalaya (Securing livelihoods, conservation, sustainable use and restoration of high range Himalayan ecosystems). The project aims to promote sustainable land management in alpine pastures and forests in Indian Himalayan ecosystems for conservation of snow leopard and other endangered species and their habitats and sustaining ecosystem services. The project SECURE Himalayas would be implemented over a period of six years in the high-altitude trans-Himalayan region, which covers an area of about 184,823 km2 representing 5.62 percent of the total geographic area of the country. The selected landscape for the project is Lahaul-Pangi & Kinnaur Landscape in Himachal Pradesh. The Himalayan ecosystem in India is of critical importance for its immense biological, sociocultural, and hydrological values. The biodiversity and ecosystems that it harbours form an important life-support system for a large number of agro-pastoral communities that depend on it. However, these natural ecosystems are under severe threat from high dependence of local communities on natural resources. The major threats as identified in the landscape are intensive grazing of the pasturelands by domestic livestock, inter-specific competition between wild ungulates and domestic livestock, human-wildlife conflict resulting in crop destruction and depredation of livestock, over-harvesting and illegal extraction of medicinal and aromatic plants by intruders, over-exploitation of natural resources and uncontrolled conventional tourism interfering with the fragile ecosystems and the wildlife of the area. The current assignment identifies and delineate the potential high conservation value areas in the landscape through a knowledge-based approach i.e. data compilation, remote sensing & GIS approach, and ground truthing. The information is presented through the appreciation and understanding of the study sites by short-listing of areas of high conservation value and their management regimes. We reviewed 101 documents (74 peer reviewed and 27 unpublished) pertaining to the subject, and concept of high conservation value forests. Remote sensing and GIS data was used to generate various layers like digital elevation model (DEM), land-use land cover (LULC), drainage network, road network, protected areas network, distribution, occupancy maps of species, forest cover, slope and maps of villages in the landscape in concern. With the help of the secondary data and various GIS layers, potential high conservation value areas were identified and mapped in the remote sensing and GIS environment. Through ‘ground truthing’ of the available data and stakeholder consultations followed by field visits to the potential areas, 28 villages were visited, 13 in Lahaul and 15 in Pangi valley. Village level meetings were organized and data were collected using semi-structured open-ended questionnaire, for validation of potential high conservation value areas (HCVAs). Key informants were identified and interviewed for further validation and verification for HCVAs. A presence survey was conducted in the landscape to understand mammalian species distribution by using a combination of direct and indirect methods. Direct methods were based on visualencounters of animals whereas indirect methods relied on quantification of indirect evidences such as animal feces (pellet groups, scats, droppings), tracks (pug marks, hoof marks, scrapes) and other signs (feeding/ digging). Since all the areas surveyed were located at higher altitudes on steep and uneven terrain, the trails in the forests and alpine regions were surveyed. A total of 79 trails (1 km each), were surveyed, 25 in Lahaul, and 54 in Pangi. A total of 17 areas with high potential for conservation were identified in the entire landscape, 11 in Lahaul valley, namely, Miar valley, Naingar & Neelkanth lake, Billing-Istingri, Darcha-Jispa, Koksar, Kuruched, Hadsar, Chandratal lake, Mrikula Mata temple, Trilokinath temple, Kardang monastery; and 6 areas in Pangi, Sural Bhatori & Sural Gompa, Hudan bhatori, Kadu nallah, Sechu Tuan, Luj and Mindhal. Consequent upon these consultations and ground verification, biodiversity values and associated threats to these biodiversity values have been identified for each of the short-listed area of high conservation value and relevant recommendations prepared. It is proposed that in order to conserve the integrity of each HCVA type the status of the land in concern needs to be ascertained. The key recommendations towards this end include- 1) Demarcation of critical areas within the short-listed areas of high conservation values to serve as important livelihood source for herder communities; 2) Integrated pastureland management regimes to reduce the pressure on the pastures, and provide some time for restoration; 3) Anti-predatory livestock management through fences and other barriers, human-accompanied herding of livestock to reduce livestock losses is recommended; also, the strategies suggested by the SECURE-HWC (human-wildlife conflict) project in Lahaul-Pangi landscape, shall be followed. 4) Enhanced training to the key stakeholders concerning the extraction, harvesting and sustainable use of medicinal and aromatic plants; 5) Enhanced collaboration between the enforcement agencies (like the forest department and security forces) for improved surveillance to identify, monitor and prevent illegal activities. 6) Policy harmonization for potential HCVAs in the form of recognizing such areas as Community Conservation Reserve, Biodiversity Heritage Sites or Medicinal Plant Conservation and Development Areas.
Spatial and Temporal Responses of Leopard (Panthera pardus) in the Presence of Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in Rajaji National Park Uttarakhand
(2021) Krishna, Anubhuti; Lyngdoh, Salvador
Leopards co-occur with tigers in several parts of Asia as well as over a major portion of their geographical distribution in India. A clear dominance hierarchy establishes between the two felid species in regions of sympatry with tigers, owing to stark body size differences, holding higher ground. The striped felid, thus, invokes numerical as well as functional responses in their less dominant counterparts. The current study aims at understanding the spatial and temporal patterns of leopards in the presence of tigers. Rajaji National Park in Uttarakhand offers an excellent natural setup for understanding such intra-guild interactions as the western part of the Park hosts leopards but is devoid of tigers and the eastern region has sympatric populations of the two felid species. These act as control and experimental setups respectively, and hence this site was chosen for conducting the field sampling. It was found that leopards exhibit some degree of spatial segregation from tigers as was evidenced by differences in the activity hotspots of the two felids in Eastern Rajaji. This is attributable, at least in part, to tigers as a negative relationship was obtained between space use by tigers and leopard occupancy under the occupancy framework. Temporal patterns, on the other hand, revealed a rather interesting trend. The diel activity of leopards in Eastern Rajaji, i.e., in the presence of tigers was very different from that of leopards in the western part of the Park. The activity of the latter was distributed throughout the day with nocturnal peaks of low intensity. The former, however, showed an activity pattern restricted to the nocturnal hours with very little activity during the day. The temporal peaks for this population also showed greater intensity than that of the pattern observed in the western leopard population.These peaks of activity, however, contrary to expectations, coincided with those of tigers in the landscape. Since predator-prey interactions also play an important role in shaping the temporal activity patterns of carnivores, the temporal overlaps between the two felids and their potential prey was also analysed. This too failed to offer an explanation to the rather unexpected leopard diel pattern in ER. It was subsequently observed that though leopards might have similar temporal activity to that of tigers, they are rarely at the same place at the same time. A clear lag was observed between leopard captures at camera traps following photo-captures of tigers at the same location. Hence, a combination of spatial and temporal segregation might be at play at a finer scale than at the population level and requires further examination in order to elucidate the interactions and mechanisms of sympatry between leopards and tigers in this landscape
Spatial ecology and predation pattern of wolf in Spiti Valley, Himachal Pradesh.
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Lyngdoh, Salvador; Habib, Bilal; Jhala, Y.V.
In the current study focusses on the ecological aspects of the wolves of the Trans-Himalayan landscape. This region is characterized by low prey and growing anthropogenic influences in the form of pastoralist practices. Over time wild prey and predators may have adapted or limited themselves against such anthropogenic influences. With respect to the Himalayan wolf, the strategies that it has developed to cope with seasonality, abundance of prey, habitat choice and traditional pastoralist practices are critical factors that have shaped its long term survival in this region. Therefore, the wolf has probably adapted itself within this environment that is a mosaic of wild and anthropogenic influences