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Item Biodiversity assessment with emphasis on select faunal groups in the Hasdeo Arand Coal Field, Chhattisgarh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) WIIIn India, the coal reserves predominantly occur in the Gondwana sediments of the East Central region in the states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and parts of West Bengal. The Hasdeo - Arand coal fields comprising of Tara, Parsa, Parsa East & Kente Basan (PEKB), and Kente Extension (collectively known as HACF henceforth in the report) in Chhattisgarh is one of the identified coal-bearing areas. More than 80% of the HACF and the landscape surrounding it is forested. The coal blocks demarcated HACF and the landscape surrounding it mostly occur in the forests. The Ministry of Forests and Climate Change, Government of India under section 2 (ii) of Forest Conservation Act vide F.Bo.8-31/21 O-FC dated 6th July 2011 granted in-principle (Stage I) forest clearance for diversion of 1898.328 hectares of forest land in Parsa East and Kante Besan captive coal block (PEKB coal block) situated in Surguja Forest Division. This approval was given despite the FAC recommending to reject this proposal in FAC meeting dated 23rd June 2011. Subsequently, the Stage II final forest clearance was granted by Government of India vide MoEF&CC's letter no 8-31 /2010/FC dated 15th March 2012. Aggrieved by the clearance granted by the MoEF&CC, an appeal no 73 of 2012 (Sudiep Shrivastava Vs Union of India Ors) was filed in the Hon'ble National Green Tribunal (NGT) principal bench in Delhi. The Hon'ble NGT pronounced its judgement on 24th March, 2014 directing MoEF&CC to seek a fresh advisory from the FAC with emphasis on seeking answers to the following questions: (reproduced from the order) - (i) What type of flora and fauna in terms of bio-diversity and forest cover existed as on the date of the proposal in PEKB Coal Blocks in question. (ii) is/was the PEKB Coal Blocks habitat to endemic or endangered species of flora and fauna. (iii) Whether the migratory route/corridor of any wild animal particularly, elephant passes through the area in question and, if yes, its need. (iv) Whether the area of PEKB Block has that significant conservation/protection value so much so that the area cannot be compromised for coal mining with appropriate conservation/management strategies. (v) What is their opinion about opening the PEKB Coal Blocks for mining as per the sequential mining and reclamation method proposed as well as the efficacy of the translocation of the tree vis-a-vis the gestation period for regeneration of the flora (vi) What is their opinion about the Wildlife Management plan finally prescribed. (vii) What conditions and restriction do they propose on the mining in question, if they favour such mining? The judgement granted liberty to FAC to get expert opinion/specialized knowledge/advice from authoritative sources such as Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (lCFRE), Dehradun or Wildlife Institute of India (WII). This judgement of the Hon'ble NGT and stage-I clearance granted for prospecting over 1745.883 hectares of forest land of Kente Extension coal block for exploration of coal reserves vide MoEF&CC letter No. F.No 8-46/2017 -FC dated 19th December 2017 impose a condition that a biodiversity assessment study for entire HACF would be conducted by the State Government of Chhattisgarh through ICFRE, Dehradun in consultation with the WII. The condition is reproduced for reference: "(ii) A biodiversity assessment study is to be conducted by the state government through ICFRE, Dehradun in consultation with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun for the whole Hasdeo Arand coal field comprising of Tara, Parsa, Parsa East, kante to be funded by M/s Rajashthan Rajya Vidyut ll Page Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL). The study is to be awarded by the state Government by associating the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) Dehradun or Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and integrated wildlife management plan (IWMP) will be prepared and conservation area will be identified and mitigation measures will be recommended by the expert committee. The cost of the study and cost of implementation of the recommendations shall be borne by the Mis Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited (RRVUNL). The report will be submitted within two years". The main objectives of the biodiversity assessment that ICFRE and WII would jointly focus include: a. Provide details of flora & fauna with special reference to endemic threatened species reported from the study area b. Describe the habitat for such endemic/threatened species and identify likely threats for conservation c. Details of migratory route corridor critical areas for wildlife species especially umbrella species like elephants and tigers d. Document socio-economic values of the affected area vis-a-vis biodiversity values e. Consult with forest department officials, local communities in HACF and f. Identification of conservation areas within HACF Consequently, the biodiversity assessment focusing on faunal aspects of HACF was carried out by WII with ICFRE as the nodal agency for the overall assessment. The biodiversity assessment focusing on faunal aspects carried out by WII in the HACF and the landscape surrounding it using on-foot sign surveys and camera trap surveys (for mammalian baselineassessment); transect surveys (for avifaunal baseline assessment), ad libitum sampling for Herpetofaunain conjunction with secondary data and information obtained from Chhattisgarh Forest Department andthe village interview surveys established the ecological baseline information on faunal biodiversity. It isenvisaged in the ToR that impact assessment would be done for the Hasdeo-Arand coal fieldcomprising of Parsa, Parsa East & Kente Basan (PEKB), Tara Central and Kente Extension coal blocks. Of the four coal blocks mentioned, only PEKB is currently operational. Therefore, Wil's impact assessment (Chapter-7), mitigation of impacts (Chapter-S) and preparation of biodiversity conservation and management plan (Chapter-g) focuses on PEKB coal block. Nevertheless, landscape-level suggestions for managing wildlife in HACF and the landscape surrounding it have been detailed in the report. Opencast mining and associated developmental activities in forested habitats could potentially affect a variety of taxonomic groups. Nevertheless, measurement of every aspect of biodiversity in forested landscapes that span several hundred squares kilometers of mosaic habitats in a short period of time is seldom easy. In order to overcome this constraint, short-cut approaches that focus on monitoring large mammal populations, which serve as keystone, flagship or umbrella species have been advocated. As biodiversity assessment, impact assessment and mitigation strategies are to be studied at a landscape level, this study emphasized specially on the "umbrella species concept". The umbrella species concept is a globally accepted concept wherein conservation efforts targeted for a well -chosen representative species can confer a protective umbrella to numerous other co-occurring species in the landscape. Asian elephant and tigers serve as umbrella species in the tropical forested landscapes. Both tigers and elephants are long ranging and have specific ecological needs. Understanding the ecological requirements of these species can augur well for all other species found in the landscape.The results of the assessment show that HACF and the landscape surrounding it is rich in fauna. The HACF and landscape surrounding it supports over 25 species of mammals. The mammals of the Order Chiroptera and Rodentia (except for Ratufa indica that is included in the list) were not surveyed as that would require a long term duration and thus, the number of species reported in the assessment is best considered minimal. Among the mammal species recorded the Hasdeo - Arand area, nine species are listed in the Schedule - I, which are accorded the highest level of legal protection under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Mammalian species diversity includes threatened large carnivores like common leopard, Indian grey wolf, striped hyena, sloth bear, and others that appears to be widely distributed as evidenced by camera trap captures as well as detections during sign surveys. The Hasdeo Arand area is spread across three districts, viz. Surguja, Surajpur and Korba. The Korba district has two Forest Divisions (FD) viz. Korba FD and Katghora FD. The Korba FD had reported occurrence of tigers. The habitat connectivity between HACF along with the landscape surrounding it, and Achanakmar TR, Boramdeo WS and Kanha TR is strong, and may support sporadic tiger dispersal. Elephant occurrence was reported by the Forest Department in 148 out of 647 compartments in HACF and the landscape surrounding it with an area of 363.98 km2 during the period 2018 to 2020. The elephant occurrence is not restricted to any particular area and is spread across the landscape (Map- 21 , page 56). A conservative estimate of about 40 to 50 elephants could use different parts of the landscape at different times of the year. Human-elephant conflict in the form of crop losses and occasional property damage is widespread too. Elephant conservation and management in the landscape hinges on effective conflict resolution strategies by actively engaging with local communities and at the same time enriching the habitat condition for elephants. Chhattisgarh human-elephant conflict situation is a paradox with a relatively low number of elephants «300, which is <1 % of India's wild elephant population) but high levels of HEC with over 60 human lives are lost every year due to conflict (>15% of the reported human deaths due to HEC). In addition to loss of human lives, crop loss and damage to property due to HEC are severe. There is continuous dispersal of elephant herds from the neighbouring states of Jharkhand and Odisha. The study carried out by WII in collaboration with Chhattisgarh Forest Department from the year 2017 onwards clearly highlight that elephants have large home ranges. The forests that elephants currently occur are highly fragmented and degraded due to incompatible land-use. Infrastructure development and mining are further fragmenting the habitats making conflict mitigation a huge challenge. In fragmented habitats conventional fencing approaches minimally work due to high perimeter to area ratio of habitats. The EC region harbours less than 1/10th « 3000) of country's elephants, but loses over 40% (over 200HEC-related deaths) of reported 500 HEC-related human fatalities in the country. The HEC-related human fatalities reported in the region are highly disproportionate to its elephant population in the country. The increasing levels of HEC have resulted in considerable public resentment against the management and elephant conservation as a whole. HEC resolution is challenging in EC region due to fragmentation, loss and degradation of intact elephant habitats. In highly fragmented areas, the elephant home ranges tend to be large as small, degraded forest patches cannot sustain herds. It is observed that home range size is a function of habitat quality - in areas that support good intact habitats, the elephant home ranges are relatively small (eg. Rajaji, Mudumalai etc). However, in fragmented areas, elephant home ranges are typically large. The elephant herds are generally interlinked and home ranges spread over two or more states. One of the main reasons as to why elephants start dispersing into human-use areas is the threat to habitat. In particular, threat to elephant home ranges. While threat to habitat can be identified and sometimes even addressed, threats within individual home ranges of elephants are hard to evaluate and hence, difficult to mitigate. The latter threats are more insidious and lasting. Major disturbances to habitats such as mining not only cause habitat loss and fragmentation (as understood generally) but can affect individual herd's home ranges. Such disturbances can lead to abandonment of habitats as threats to home ranges have a threshold limits. The effect of mining on elephant habitat may not reflect in the same habitat, but could be a silent trigger for HEC in some other area within the landscape. In general, one of the reasons for HEC being disproportionately high in EC region is the elephant dispersal from forest habitats through fragmented human use areas. This large scale elephant dispersal out of intact forests coincide with commencement of large-scale mining projects and associate infrastructure developments in the EC region, particularly in the states of Odisha and Jharkhand. During the biodiversity assessment, a total of 92 species of birds were recorded with in HACF and the landscape surrounding it. The list is best considered minimal. As per the ebird (https:/Iebird.org/) a total of 406 species of birds have been reported in the three districts of Surguja, Surajpur, and Korba - the districts in which the HACF and the landscape surrounding it occurs. It is quite likely that many of the species of birds reported in HACF either use or pass through it. However, it may be noted that HACF and the landscape surrounding it just supports - 12.4% of the combined area (- 15,110 km2) of the three districts. Local communities in HACF and the landscape surrounding it are predominantly tribal. The livelihood of local communities is closely dependent on forest resources. The NTFP collection (of four major commodities) contribute nearly 46% of the monthly income reported by the households. This does not include the fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants, water and other resources that local communities collect from the forests. If such resources are pooled as income to local communities, it may be conservatively mentioned that over 60 to 70% of the total annual income of local communities come from forest-based resources. Thus, forest dependence substantially adds to income security of local communities. In addition to financial gains, forest produce collection is critical for medicine, food and other health benefits thereby providing food security and overall well-being. The local communities have reported coming across a variety of wildlife in and around their settlements. A few respondents (n = 4) have even sighted tiger in and around their settlements. They expressed concern about human-wildlife conflict involving crop losses, loss of livestock, loss of property and occasional loss of human lives. Garnering the support of local communities for wildlife conservation would be conditional on addressing human-wildlife conflict on a real-time manner. In general, the local communities are apprehensive of mining, which is perceived as a threat to livelihood as the land as well as forests are lost in the process of mining. The community respondents interviewed expressed concern and were anxious over loss of forests (and consequently material base for livelihood) and loss of land due to mining. The loss of forests due to mining is perceived as a direct threat to livelihood by the local communities. The local communities express positivity towards forest conservation and at the same-time insist on timely resolution of human-wildlife conflicts. Conservation initiatives in the landscape need to be participative and actively involve local communities. Considering this, as part of the biodiversity assessment, and as envisaged in the ToR of the study, the impact of the ongoing mine of PEKB in the HACF has been assessed. It may be noted that the impact assessment carried out by WII for PEKB coal block is not a true Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) as PEKB coal block is already operational covering nearly 1000 hectares of the 1898 hectares cleared for mining. Coal extraction is already being done and is in operational stage. Therefore, visualizing the true picture of the likely impacts on the physical environment as well as the wildlife the area supports is not possible. Nevertheless, selected impacts of the physical environment that are likely to impact directly on select biodiversity and social values in the PEKB operation have been identified. For this purpose, the faunal biodiversity list provided by Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) as part of the EIA for PEKB (IIFM, 2009) was used as the baseline for evaluating the impacts. In general, the impact assessment methods argue that the foremost step in impact appraisal must consider and identify project actions that are likely to bring significant changes in the project environment. Such impacts include: physical, biological and social environments. The potential impacts due to ongoing mining operations of PEKB on physical environment, fauna and local communities have been elaborated. The possible mitigation strategies for addressing the impacts of PEKB include progressive restoration, development of grass and leaf fodder plots, livelihood options to increase income sources, bio-filter check dams in the streams of the project sites, green-belt development - phytoremediation, development of "Green Gallery Belt", eco-restoration of waste dump, construction of underpasses, construction of pipe and box culverts as safe passages in the roads as mitigation strategies for reducing road mortality. The detailed mitigation strategies have been provided. The biodiversity conservation and management for PEKB focusing on species groups, threatened plant & animals, resource base of local communities along with the social values have been given. The Human-Elephant conflict mitigation strategies in the HACF and surrounding landscape should include the following: 1. Maintaining the ecological integrity of intact natural habitats without fragmentation and degradation is critical. Any additional mining leading to loss of habitat would escalate HEC unpredictably high 2. Formation of landscape-level Rapid Response Teams by engaging village youth with adequate remuneration is essential. The RRT members should be adequately trained in elephant behaviour and conflict management methods. 3. Judicious use of mobile barriers in select areas of HACF and surrounding landscape where HEC is high need to be experimented with active community participation. 4. Ex gratia payment for crop, property and other losses due to elephants have adequate and timely. The overall process of filing and obtaining compensation by villages should be made smooth and transparent 5. Habitat enrichment by improving surface water availability in carefully selected locations, development of grasslands and fodder base based on the list of plants suggested in the report and protection of critical micro-habitats such as riparian tracts are critical (Refer Table 9.23). 6. Human-elephant conflict is dynamic in nature. The above mentioned mitigation measures need to be experimented in smaller areas and based on the evaluation of efficacy can be scaled up. As certain portions of the PEKB block has already been opened for mining, the miningoperation may only be permitted in the already operational mine of the block. The other areasin HACF and landscape surrounding it should be declared as Uno-go areas" and no mining should be carried out considering the irreplaceable, rich biodiversity and socio cultural values. The HACF and the landscape surrounding it support rich biodiversity with a multitude of mammalianspecies including elephants and also harbours forest-dependent communities. Therefore, sustaining the forest cover and maintaining its overall ecological integrity is essential. It is pertinent that Chhattisgarh Forest Department with due consultation and involvement of local communities identify areas within HACF and the landscape surrounding it for declaration as Conservation Reserve (CR) under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Under the ambit of a CR, habitat improvement activities such as restoration of grasslands and restoration of degraded forests; improving surface water availability in relatively drier tracts during summer, regulating forest fires, and improving overall protection can benefit biodiversity. 2 The response pertaining to this query shall be provided by ICFRE as it deals with nora and efficacy of translocation of the tree vis-a-vis the gestation period for regeneration of the nora The coal mines along with the associated infrastructure development would result in loss and fragmentation of habitat. Mitigating such effects on wildlife, particularly the animals with large home ranges such as elephants is seldom possible. The human-elephant conflict in the state is already acute and has been escalating with huge social and economic costs on the marginal, indigenous local communities. Any further threat to elephants' intact habitats in this landscape could potentially deflect human-elephant conflict into other newer areas in the state, where conflict mitigation would be impossible for the state to manage. Opening up of coal blocks for minging in the HACF would compromise the imperatives of biodiversity conservation and livelihood of forest-dependent local. Even the effects of the operational PEKB mine need to be tactfully mitigated too, wherever possible. The assessment findings are in conformity with the study undertaken jointly by the Ministry of Coal and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change across nine coal fields across the country during the year 2009, where it was concluded that the Hasdeo-Arand coal fields in north-central Chhattisgarh is identified as a 'no-go' area. The findings of this joint study of 2009 culminated into an important policy decision towards facilitating an objective, transparent and informed decision regarding forest lands being diverted for coal mining projects. However, the findings of the study were set aside during 2011 . Considering the need to reconcile country's developmental needs with conservation priorities, the recommendations of the 2009 joint study holds substantial importance for ecologically balanced sustainable growth.Item Population estimation and monitoring protocol for hangul to central and South division of Kashmir(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2004) Qureshi, Q.; Shah, NitaCensus of Wildlife is an investigation that requires knowledge of, how many animals are present either now or in the future. It is important to examine the methods and use the robust, the ones in consultation with the concerned specialists. The Department of Wildlife Protection has been conducting regular census of Hangul in Dachigam National Park by adopting traditional method of total count in blocks. The estimation of numbers of wild animals has now achieved a level of sophistication and the methods have gone from simple counts to complex relation, involving numerous assumptions. The aim of this exercise was not to fallow the counting of population, but to explore the trend of population in order to monitor the same in future.Item Phylogeography and population genetics of leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Bhatt, Supriya; Mondol, SamratThis study based on assessment of genetic variation, phylogeography and demographic history among Indian leopards. It also deals with the local population dynamics of leopards in the Rajaji tiger reserve where utilization of microsatellite markers was done. MtDNA and Microsatellite markers used for the study. Non-invasive genetic approaches to understand the various aspects of species biology focusing on phylogeography, demography, and local population dynamics in this study. The major objectives of this proposed thesis are: a) To assess the phylogeography of the Indian leopards using mtDNA and microsatellite markers b) To evaluate the population structure and demographic history of leopards in the Indian subcontinent using both mtDNA and microsatellite markers c) To investigate leopard social dynamics using genetic data at the local level and examine how it varies across different densities.Item Impacts of Management Practices on Lion and Ungulate Habitats in Gir Protected Area(Wildlife Institute of India,Dehradun., 1990) Sharma, Diwakar; Johnsingh, A.J.T.study on the impacts of management practices on lion and ungulate habitat was conducted in Gir Protected Area (PA) from June 1991 to July 1994. The Gir PA includes Gir Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. It is situated between 20° 55' to 21° 20N and 70° *25 to 71° 15' E in the Southern part of Kathiawar peninsula in western Giijarat. Gir PA (hereafter Gir) is located about 60km South of Junagadh. The area which was 3,107 sq km in 1877 (Joshi 1976) has been presently reduced to 1,412 sq km, of which about 259 sq km is national nark. The terrain is hilly, altitude ranging from about 100m above mean sea level to 528m above mean sea level. The hills run in all directions, have moderate slopes, and constitute an important catchment for Kathiawar peninsula. The rocks are volcanic in origin, consisting of Deccan traps and are the oldest exposed rocks in Gir (Patel 1992). As many as seven types of soils have been categorized based on their colours (Munsell colour chart) ranging from dark yellowish brown to very dark greyish Brown (Pandit et al. 1992). The climate is semi-arid with three distinct seasons; summer (March-mid June), monsoon (mid June - mid October) and winter (late October to February). Gir has dry deciduous forest - 5A/Clb (Champion & Seth 1968). West Gir has Tectona grandis dominated vegetation. In eastern Gir Anogeissus pendula replaces Tectona grandis but the vegetation is dominated by thorny species such as Acacia and Zizyphus. Gir is the last refuge of the wild Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) and long term conservation of the Asiatic lion is an overriding management objective of Gir. In order to improve habitat conditions in Gir, the park authorities, over the last 20-25 years have made some management interventions such as relocation of some maldharis (local graziers), reduction in livestock grazing (especially migrant livestock during the rainy season) and fire control. These measures have led to vegetational improvement and increase in wild ungulate and lion populations. Understanding this vegetational improvement was thought to be crucial to determine the extent of management intervention required. The objectives of this study were: 1. to investigate the impact of maldharis on vegetation; 2. to investigate the habitat utilization by wild ungulates; and 3. to find out the impact of management practices (such as use of fire, creation of water holes, grass harvesting, maldhari relocation and creating of national park). iii The vegetation study was conducted in 211 plots of 20m X 20m each. Vegetation data included counts and measurement of trees, seedling, and shrubs. Status of trees and seedlings in terms of lopped, cut, dead or intact was recorded to study the effect of anthropogenic factors. Data on environmental variables i.e. slope and soil parameters (pH, electrical conductivity, potash, phosphorus, organic carbon, texture, moisture and water retaining capacity and colour) was collected to study their impact on the vegetation. Habitat utilization by ungulates was investigated through direct and indirect evidence. Indirect evidence included pellet group count and browse consumption. Pellets groups of chital (Cervus axis), sambar (Cervus unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), chinkara (Gazella gazelld), chowsingha (Tetracerus quadricomis) and wild pig (sus scrqfa) were counted from ten 10m X 2m belt transects in and around 100 vegetation plots. Direct count of ungulates was carried out using vehicle transects at twelve routes all over Gir in the summers of 1992, 1993 and 1994. Data on cover and animal evidence was collected in summer (April-May) and winter (December- January) of 1991,1992, and 1993. Browse consumption by ungulates was estimated on trial for few major browse species. The browse production and consumption was estimated through diameter weight relationship of twings based on linear regression. Habitat factors included were cover at 0.5m, 1.0m and 1.75m height, canopy, tree species diversity, browse availability, grass cover, leaf litter, distance from nes (hamlet), distance from water, slope and grazing by livestock. Cover was measured from five, fixed Im X lm quadrats in the 100 vegetation plots. Relationship of vegetation associations with environmental factors and ungulate abundance with habitat factors were investigated using multivariate analysis. Fifteen vegetation associations were categorized based on two way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) computer programme. These were: 1. Acacia catechu - Zizyphus nummularia - Aristida adscensionis 2. Apluda mutica - Themeda quadrivalvis - Sehima nervosum 3. Anogeissus latifblia-Acaciacatechu- erminaliacrenulata 4. Anogeissus latifblia - Acacia catechu 5. Acacia spp. - Zizyphus mauritiana 6. Zizyphus mauritiana 7. Acacia nilotica - Zizyphus mauritiana 8. Tectona grandis - Acacia catechu - Zizyphus mauritiana 9. Tectona grandis - Acacia catechu - Terminalia crenulata 10. Tectona grandis 11. Acacia catechu - Lannea coromandelica - Boswellia serrata 12. Tectona grandis - Acacia spp. - Wrightia tinctoria 13. Tectona grandis mixed 14. Mixed and 15. Syzygium ubicundum - Pongamiapinnata associations. iv Tree density and diversity were all maximum in Mixed association while seedling density and shrub volume were maximum in Syzygium rubicundum - Pongamia pinnata association. Soil pH, moisture and potash were important environmental factors which determined the vegetation distribution (Canonical correspondence analysis-CANOCO; P=.O5). However, different vegetation associations were governed by various environmental variables separately and just one or a combination of some variables could not explain the distribution of vegetation associations. Twelve habitat types were classified based on similarity in the vegetation associations and TWINSPAN analysis. These habitats were given a simple name and a name that represented the habitats. The following twelve habitats were categorized: 1. Scrubland 2. Savanna 3. Anogeissus - Acacia - Terminalia 4. Anogeissus - Acacia 5. Thom forest 6. Teak - Acacia - Zizyphus 7. Teak forest 8. Teak - Acacia - Boswellia 9. Teak - Acacia - Wrightia 10. Teak mixed 11. Mixed forest 12. Riverine Mixed habitat was more diverse while riverine was most dense in terms of cover. Thom forest provided maximum browse to the ungulates. Chital (Cervus axis) showed high use of Thom forest habitat while sambar (Cervus unicolor) used more Mixed, Riverine and Teak - Acacia - Zizyphus habitat. Data on other ungulates was not sufficient for statistical analysis. CANOCO showed that human disturbance governed the wild ungulate abundance in summer while ground cover and human disturbance were decisive factors in winter. Sambar and nilgai were away from disturbance while chital were relatively unaffected by disturbance, in both summer and winter. Chinkara was observed mostly in the east Gir, a place with conditions like savanna and with more human disturbance. Impacts of management practices was investigated in vegetation plots and pellet transects, and by comparing them at varying distances from nes and water points, between national paric and wildlife sanctuary, burnt and unbumt areas and between harvested and unharvested localities. Late serai stages of vegetation succession (Thomy - with Acacia and Zizyphus) were reached after 10 yrs of nes relocation and such stages were utilized more by ungulates. Impact of current neses on vegetation was severe only up to 500 m. Chital evidence were maximum, whereas sambar least, nearest a nes. The overall variation was significant only for chital both in summer and winter. There was significant variation in both summer and winter in chital evidence, not sambar, found at various distances from water holes. Maximum chital evidence were nearest the water holes whereas sambar were 1-2 km away from water. Controlled and cool fires did not change the vegetation composition and tree density significantly. Grass harvested areas produced more grass (1701±179 kg/ha) than unharvested ones (377±249 kg/ha). National park had significantly more tree density (500/ha), and less chital evidence (80 pellet groups/ha) than in wildlife sanctuary (480/ha, and 140/ha respectively). Teak thinning on an experimental basis is recommended to promote chital abundance. Water management by reviving disused wells in riverine tract, removal of at least 30 neses in a phased manner is suggested. Grass harvesting for local people and cool season rotational burning in unharvested areas are recommended.Item A report on population and density estimation of leopards in Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Jhala, Y.V.; Basu, ArnabItem Comparison of tiger population estimated using non-invasive techniques of pugmark, camera trap and DNA based analysis of hair and scat in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve Phase II: Estimation of tiger population : Executive summary(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Singh, R.; Pandey, P.; Saxena, L.; Qureshi, Q.; Sankar, K.; Goyal, S.P.Item Reintroduction of Gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Sankar, K.Item Habitat ecology and conservation status of wild ungulates in Northern parts of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Rawat, G.S.; Sankar, K.An ecological study on the wild ungulates was carried out in the northern parts of Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh during 2007 – 2009 with a view to ascertain the population status, distribution and habitat use pattern. The five species of sympatric ungulates found in this part of Trans-Himalaya include chiru or Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni), wild yak (Bos mutus), Tibetan argali (Ovis ammon), kiang (Equus kiang) and blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur). Specific objectives of the study were: (i) To study the population status and distribution of wild ungulates in northern parts of Changthang WLS, (ii) To study the habitat characteristics and habitat use by the ungulates, (iii) To identify the major threats and suggest conservation strategies, and (iv) To evolve protocol for monitoring wildlife populations in the study area. 2.The study area was located in the north and north-east of Pangong Tso covering Phobrang surrounds and Changchenmo Valley which vary in altitude from 4450 to 5800m asl. The entire landscape is spread over an area of >3100 km2. However, intensive study was conducted within <500 km2 around Phobrang and Changchenmo. The study area is characterized by cold arid environment with very sparse vegetation cover which can be categorized into moist and mixed meadows, desert steppe and scrub steppe. About 12% geographical area is covered by perpetual snow and glaciers, 1.6% area is represented by moist and marsh meadows and over 84% area is under sparsely vegetated desert steppe which is further divisible into various landscape units and habitat types. The study area is the only place within Indian territory where these five sympatric ungulates co-exist.3.Based on a reconnaissance trip we classified the study area into various strata. Field work was carried out during 2007 – 2009 covering two summer and one winter season. Line Transects and trail monitoring were followed for the collection of data on population structure, status and distribution of ungulates in various areas on seasonal basis. In each strata transects varying in length of 6-8 kms were walked. A total of 503 km were monitored in 42 trails, spending 249.85 hrs of observation. Data based on direct sightings and indirect evidences of ungulate species were recorded along transects in the survey blocks. Habitat parameters were quantified using standard methods. Conservation and management issues were identified based on primary and secondary data collected from the survey area.4.The study reveals that of the five species of sympatric ungulates, chiru and wild yak use only parts of Changchenmo Valley while remaining three species are found in both the areas. In Changchenmo Valley we estimate a population of 20 – 30 chiru, 110 – 120 wild yak, 125 – 150 kiang, 120 - 130 blue sheep and 35 – 50 Tibetan argali. Based on the past reports and present study we conclude that number of chiru population in Changchenmo Valley is on decline. Our study reveals that chiru males do use Changchenmo Valley during winter. For the first time, we report a new location of chiru i.e., Thratsang La in Changthang plateau.5.Blue sheep, being smallest of all the ungulates, selected steep and glaciated zones with short forbs and a few graminoids. Chiru males and wild yak were confined to eastern part of Changchenmo Valley, especially with higher cover of graminoids (Carex moorcroftii, Stipa purpurea, Leymus secalinus and Scirpus sp.). Kiang occupied most of the habitat categories except steep slopes and cliffs. Highest altitudes were used by blue sheep followed by wild yak, Tibetan argali, chiru and kiang. Kiang and argali showed preference for south facing slopes while other species used in proportion to availability.The major conservation issues in the study area include (i) Small and fragmented populations of threatened ungulates, (ii) Degradation of rangelands and loss of productivity, (iii) Possible genetic contamination of wild yak, (iv) Presence of feral dogs around security camps, (v) Lack of alternate livelihoods for the local people, (vi) Inadequate infra-structure and man power for the PA management. Appropriate recommendations to deal with above issues have been given.The study area is partly controlled by the Indian security personnel, who have taken keen interest in the conservation and monitoring of threatened wildlife in the area. A detailed monitoring protocol based on vehicle survey, on-foot patrol and animal observations from the fixed positions have been suggested.Item A study on sympatric carnivores (Tiger, leopard and wild dog) in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamilnadu, India : final report(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Sankar, K.A detailed long-term study on prey selection, food habits and population status of sympatric large carnivores (tiger, leopard and dhole) was documented in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu from January 2008 to April 2010.The objectives of the study were to estimate density, group size and composition for prey species of sympatric carnivores, study the food habits and prey selectivity of sympatric carnivores and to estimate the population of sympatric carnivores. The study area was divided into 3 x 3 km2 grids for line transect sampling. In each grid, a line transect (1.5 to 3.13 km) was laid (n = 33) along which the prey density was estimated for two successive years (January 2008 to December 2010). Prey species availability was estimated using line transect method in an intensive study area of 180 km2 comprising dry thorn, deciduous and semi-evergreen forests. The total length of line transects was 41.3 km. Each line transect was walked thrice in the dry season (January to April) and wet season (May to December) yielding a total effort of 369.45 km. Vehicle transects were used to estimate group size and composition of prey species in the intensive study area. Five vehicle transect routes ranging from 15 to 23 km were monitored. Total transect length of 93.5 km was monitored twice a month resulting in a total effort of 3740 km.Item National Studbook of Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Malviya, Majari; Srivastav, A.; Nigam, Parag; Tyagi, P.C.