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Item Supplementation of Gaur in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Nigam, Parag; Gorati, A.K.; Vishwakarma, R.; Bhandari, B.; Habib, Bilal; Mondol, Samrat; Nath, A.; Sen, S.; Krishnamoorthy, K.; Sahay, A.; Nanda, R.; Tiwari, V.R.Reintroduction and supplementation programs have been implemented worldwide to improve the conservation status of wildlife that have experienced a significant decline due to overexploitation, habitat destruction and fragmentation. Genetic drift and inbreeding are the two processes particularly relevant in reintroduction efforts that lead to reduced fitness, deceased survival rates and increased susceptibility to diseases. The MPFD in collaboration with WII has initiated a three year project (2024-2027) titled : Population management strategies for gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) conservation: supplementation of gaur in Bandhavgarh tiger reserve, Madhya pradesh''. This project aims to ensure the long term viability of the species by enhancing its genetic diversity. To facilitate the smooth execution of field operations, an action plan was developed and released during the Inception cum planning workshop held at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. Conservation translocation have become an important tool in recovering the threatened and locally extinct population. Species translocation are increasing all around the globe to reverse biodiversity loss and restore ecosystem functions. Reintroductions require careful planning as small population size experience inbreeding depression, which leads to decreased fitness and demographic stochasticity. Although genetic diversity is not directly linked to species extirpation, low gene pool results in low species recovery. To enhance the gene pool and long term viability of the restored species, supplementations are crucial, especially in small and isolated populations. The addition of new individuals amplify the gene flow in reintroduced species.Item Unveiling Torputitora presence in Sikkim streams through eDNA(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Mane, S.S.; Pant, B.; Kolipakam, VishnupriyaEnvironmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding was used to detect the presence of Tor putitora (Golden mahseer) in selected streams of Sikkim. Water samples were collected from six sites based on habitat characteristics conducive to the species survival. The collection of samples was followed by filtration of water samples, isolation of the DNA, PCR and sequencing targeting the COI region were conducted under aseptic conditions. The results confirmed Tor putitora presence at two locations (BR-06 and BR-08) with high certainty (>99%) aligning with previous studies on tis distribution in Sikkim. These results indicate that these streams serve as habitats for Tor putitora. These findings highlight the potential of these streams to support mahseer populations, reinforcing the need for conservation efforts to protect these critical habitats from ecological threats like ecological pressures, including hydropower and linear infrastructure development. This study adds to the expending evidence concerning mahseer distribution in Sikkim and highlights the critical need for conservation initiatives aimed at safeguarding its essential habitats by incorporating appropriate mitigation measures. Continued research and long term monitoring are imperative to evaluate population dynamics and ensure the sustainable management of Tor putitora in the region.Item Preliminary assessment of tigers, co-predators and prey in Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra, India for exploring options for conservation translocation(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2020) Habib, B.; Nigam, P.; Joshi, K.; Panwar, P.As part of the project “Preliminary assessment of tigers, co-predators and prey species in Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary, Maharashtra, India for exploring options for conservation translocation”, the study was carried out in Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. The fieldwork was carried from January 2019 to June 2019 covering an area of 418.85 km2 in southern Gadchiroli. The Eastern Vidarbha Landscape (EVL) holds a high density of carnivores both inside and outside protected areas leading to an increase in human-wildlife interactions. Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary (PWLS) is a part of EVL and could be an important corridor. To explore new habitats for carnivore species, we conducted a preliminary assessment of tigers, co-predators, and prey in PWLS. The sanctuary mainly is dominated by Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous forest. We conducted carnivore and ungulate sign surveys and deployed camera traps (n=25) in 40 km2 area in Bahmni range. The area was divided into different 1.42 × 1.42 km2 grids and at least one pair of camera trap was placed in each 2.0164 km2 grid at 20 sites and operated for 24-27 days in Bahmni range. Apart from that random camera traps were placed at 5 sites in Kamlapur and Pranhita ranges for 1 to 7 days during the study period. The camera traps sampling effort was 1030 trap nights and around 33000 images were captured. For prey species density estimation, 24 line transects of 2 km length were walked in 43 beats with 5-7 replicates. For vegetation quantification, we laid a total of 144 circular plots of a 10-meter radius and recorded 43 trees, 37 shrubs, and 13 grass species. We used both spatial and temporal data for occupancy estimation. Data were analyzed using the software Presence for occupancy estimation and Distance 7.2 for density estimation. A total of 10 carnivore species were recorded directly or indirectly during the study period. According to the IUCN Red List of threatened species, 2 are Endangered and Near Threatened, and 2 are vulnerable. The major carnivore species are leopard, Asiatic wild dog, sloth bear, Indian grey wolf, jungle cat, Indian fox, and rusty-spotted cat. The occupancy estimate (ψ) of leopard in the null model was 0.20 while for other carnivore species like sloth bear, jungle cat and wild dog were 0.70, 0.74, and 0.68 percent respectively. A total of 14 prey species were recorded during the line transect and sign survey. The major prey species are sambar, Indian gaur, chousingha, Indian giant squirrel, chital, wild pig, nilgai, barking deer, langur sp., rhesus macaque, and Indian peafowl. Among these, 3 species are listed as Vulnerable and 1 as Near Threatened by IUCN Red List. Overall density estimation of major ungulate species was 14.82/km2. The encounter rate of cattle was 0.17/km, nilgai 0.039/km, chital 0.059/km, chousingha 0.016/km, and wild pig 0.022/km. Individual density estimate of major ungulate species like chital 2.27/km2, wild pig 11.55/km2, nilgai 0.72/km2, langur 0.55/km2, Indian hare 1.78/km2, peafowl 0.44/km2, grey jungle fowl 1.87/km2, chousingha 0.28/km2 and cattle were 28.61/km2. Occupancy estimate of ungulate species like sambar 0.27%, chital 0.44%, chousingha 0.51%, Indian gaur 0.07% and nilgai were 0.59%. The major threats in the sanctuary areas are hunting for local consumption, tree cutting, livestock grazing, forest fire, roadkill, and electrocution. We have got 28 % usable images of cattle grazing and 4 % of hunting. Other administrative lacunas are impractical beat boundaries, unequipped frontline staff, lack of legal action against the guilty, inadequate infrastructure, lack of training and capacity building. There is a consistent trepidation of left-wing extremism in the minds of locals and forest officials. It prevents or demotivates them from working efficiently in the PWLS. These activities directly or indirectly affect wildlife conservation and management in PWLS. This was the first-ever scientific study conducted to document prey and predator presence in PWLS. Further detailed and long-term studies are required for a better understanding of species ecology and their habitat. Such studies will help not only in better management and conservation of species in the area but also in decision-making on conservation translocations. Based on the preliminary study and SWOT analysis following are measures to be taken before translocation of any large carnivore species to Pranhita Wildlife Sanctuary: 1. Capacity building of local staff for effective wildlife management.2. Enhancement of protection measures in the Sanctuary to reduce poaching, hunting, and other illegal activities. 3. Habitat improvement by grassland management and eradication of lantana and other invasive species. 4. Reducing threats due to electrocution by illegal power fences used for local hunting and protection of crop fields by local farmers. 5. Special forest protection force for Gadchiroli considering extremism issues.6. Augmentation of the prey base to enhance fast recovery of prey species.7. Maintaining full-strength dedicated forest staff across all range offices of the division.8. Building infrastructure such as patrolling roads, forest chowkis etc., across the sanctuary.9. Involving local people in conservation measures across the sanctuary.10. Establishment of local ecodevelopment committees. 11. Wildlife-oriented management across the Gadchiroli forest division.12. The special financial package for Gadchiroli for enhancing wildlife-oriented management.13. Mitigation measures on the existing roads through the sanctuary and other critical wildlife corridors across the division.14. Implementation of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee Jan Van Vikas Scheme for development of villages across the forested landscape of Gadchiroli to achieve sustainable development of these villages and reduce the man-animal conflict.15. Identification of potential areas within the district for designation as Sanctuary, National Park, Conservation Reserve, Community Reserve.Item Status of Ganges River Dolphins, threats and best practices for conservation(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Qureshi, Qamar and othersThe South Asian river dolphin is a widely distributed apex predator in Ganga and Brahmaputra river systems. The Gangetic Dolphin ranges into most of the large tributaries in the Ganga Basin: the Chambal, Ramganga, Yamuna, Gomti, Ghaghara, Rapti, Son, Gandak and Kosi, besides the main channel of the Ganga. In the Brahmaputra valley, it ranges into the major tributaries such as the Tista, Adadhar, Champamat, Manas, Bhareli, Subhansiri, Dihang, Dibang, Lohit, Disang, Dikho and Kulsi rivers. From status surveys, and mortality data, the most devastating threats is dolphin poaching for oil, used for bait fishing and traditional medicine and dolphin entanglement in gill nets, especially mono-filament gill netsItem 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.