Theses and Dissertations
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Item A study on habitat use and food habits of swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli duvauceli) in Jhilmil Tal, Haridwar Forest Division, Uttaranchal(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Tiwari, Rachna; Rawat, G.S.Habitat use and food habits of the swamp deer (Cervus duvauceli duvauceli) were studied in and around Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve (JJCR), Uttarakhand, during June 2006 and June 2008. This population of swamp deer was recently rediscovered in the state and warranted an ecological study and conservation initiative because the habitat around this study area is heavily fragmented due to expansion of agriculture, habitation and various other land use practices. Therefore, this study was initiated. The major objectives were: i. ii. iii. To study seasonal variation in habitat use pattern and food habits, Activity pattern, Population structure and habitat condition, and iv. Identify threats and suggest conservation measures. Habitat evaluation of various potential (but fragmented) habitat blocks in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve area and surrounding Banganga wetland revealed that they bear a close resemblance with the prime swamp deer habitat both in terms of structure and composition of key habitat variables.Item A study on the structure and composition of forests along an altitudinal gradient in upper Bhagirathi catchment, Garhwal Himalaya.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2001) Uniyal, Sanjay; Rawat, G.S.; Biswas, SasThe present study highlighted the role of anthropogenic factors in distribution of plant communities in addition to altitude, aspect and slope. Market oriented economy has influenced the ethnobotanical knowledge of the local people. Though human-induced pressures are increasing in the area, still the status of forests in Bhagirathi valley is satisfactory compared to neighbouring areas. Hence, proper conservation and scientific management of such rich and diverse forest in small watersheds should be taken up on a priority basis. Data were collected from primary and secondary sources. Field work (primary source) was carried out during July 1996 to July 1999. Stratified random sampling was done for quantification of various vegetation and site parameters. The study area lies between 780 18' to 780 57' E long and 300 30' to 31 0 08' N lat. It covers an area of ca 2050 sq.km. and has an altitudinal gradient of 279 to 6600 m. For the intensive work two representative watersheds viz., north facing Duggada watershed (DWS) and south facing Bhatwari watershed (BWS) were selected. Objectives of the study include: preparation of baseline vegetation maps of the area, assessment of forest structure and composition, quantification of available woody biomass, documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge of local people and assessing the conservation status of rare plants in the area.Item The ecology and conservation of ungulates in Great Himalayan National Park, Western Himalaya.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1999) Vinod, T.R.; Rawat, G.S.Ungulates form a major component of the mammalian fauna in the Himalaya. In total, 19 ungulate species belonging to four families viz., Moschidae, Cervidae, Bovidae and Equidae, inhabit the Himalaya, out of which eight species are reported from the state of Himachal Pradesh (HP). Apart from some surveys and short term ecological studies on a few ungulate species of Western Himalaya, there has been no detailed study on ungulates of HP except for Himalayan ibex (Capra ibex sibirica). The available literature highlights the difficulties of studying rare and/ or elusive ungulates in Himalayan condition. Long term study on the ecology of theses' species are needed for the conservation and monitoring. Present study on the ecology and conservation of ungulates namely goral (Nemorhaedus qoral), Himalayan musk deer (Moschus chrvsogaster), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), in Great Himalayan National Park, Kullu district, HP, was conducted from January 1996 to November 1998. An intensive study area of ca. 90 km2 was selected in the South-western region of. the Park, which represents various ecological zones of the Park. The objectives of the study were (i) to estimate the abundance and density of goral, Himalayan musk deer & Himalayan tahr in relation to human use, (ii) to determine the group size. composition & sex ratio of these animals. (iii) to study the habitat use pattern and (iv) to identify and discuss conservation issues. mitigation measures and to develop a long term' monitoring programme. In this study an attemp has been made to estimate the abundance and density of major ungulates viz, goral, Himalayan musk deer and Himalayan tahrItem Interaction of Kiang (Equus kiang) with Livestok in Hanley Valley of Chanthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Hussain, Asif; Qureshi, Qamar; Rawat, G.S.Hanley Valley «320 41' 27" N 790 04' 3.5") in Eastern Ladakh forms the western most extension of Tibetan plateau and has been recognized as an important biogeographic province in India (Indian Trans-Himalaya). This region harbors a rich array of wild and domestic ungulates. The area is also home to nomadic Changpa and Tibetan refugee herders. The political, social and ecological transformations have altered previous, well-established links between the pastoral population and their rangeland environment. Over the years, with growing integration of the local economy of Ladakh and with better development of cash markets, the pastoral community is fast losing its tolerance towards the kiang and it is increasingly seen as a competitor to livestock. The purpose of this study was to document this intensifying conflict between pastoralism and Kiang conservation, using resource selection functions. Data on habitat variables were collected on 4 fixed trails of varying length (3- 7 km) for kiang (with and without livestock presence) and livestock for use availability analysis. For food habits, micro-histological method in case of kiang and bite count method in case of livestock was used. Data on activity pattern of kiang was collected to examine change in response to livestock presence. Density and encounter rates were estimated using vehicle transects (n=5) of varying lengths (5-56 km). Livestock were followed (focal animal sampling) from dawn to dusk to estimate amount of forage removed. Availability of different habitat variables was estimated using ArcGIS 9.2. Total of 104 kiang groups before arrival of livestock and 187 kiang groups after livestock arrival to the area were recorded. Habitat use by kiang and livestock was significantly different (8 = 0.00016, P < 0.05). Habitat use by kiang before and after livestock arrival was found to be significantly different (8 = 0.013, P <0.05). Groups of kiang were observed (n=14) for time budget evaluation, 7 prior (640 min) and 7 (820 min) after livestock had come to the area. Activity pattern of kiang before and after livestock arrival was found to be significantly different (8 = 0.04, P <0.05). Food preference for kiang before and after livestock arrival was not found to be significantly different. Food preference for kiang and livestock was significantly different (6= 0.0000007, P < 0.05). Use-availability analysis suggested differential selection for food plants. Schoener's niche overlap for food items found moderate overlap between kiang, sheep and goat «60%) and high overlap between kiang and horse (>80%). Forage removed (kg) by sheep, goat and horse were 2.33 kg, 2.25 and 8.19 kg respectively. Total density and encounter rate for Hanley valley was 0.07 kiang/km2 and 0.45 kiang per km respectively. The difference in habitat use translated into Kiang using higher elevations while livestock used middle elevations more than available. Kiang used steep slopes whereas livestock used steep as well as gentle slopes more than available. Kiang used North-West aspect more than available. Kiang used vegetation communities dominated by graminoides while sheep-goat used communities dominated by shrub and forbs. Density and encounter estimates did not show considerable increase in kiang population compared to previous studies. Hence, the perception of people of kiang overstocking in the study area appears to be misplaced. Detailed perception studies should be carried out in the whole of Changthang and herder-centered participatory programmes need to be carried out on a large scale to ensure long term conservation of kiang in eastern Ladakh.