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Established in 1982, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an internationally acclaimed Institution, which offers training program, academic courses and advisory in wildlife research and management. The Institute is actively engaged in research across the breadth of the country on biodiversity related issues.
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An ecological study on nesting patterns and Behavioural dynamics of vultures in Kangra valley, Himachal pradesh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Bhattacharya, Malyasri
Vultures are nature’s most efficient scavengers, playing a critical role in maintaining ecological balance. Their populations in India have suffered a drastic decline from 97-99% between 1993 and 2002, leading to the establishment of captive breeding programs aimed at species recovery. Threats of decline have now stabilized, but little is known about the ecology and survival of the vultures in the wild, necessitating this study for the conservation of vultures in their natural habitat. Kangra Valley, situated in the westernmost region of Himachal Pradesh state in India, is one of India's important vulture sites, supporting most of the nine vulture species recorded in the country. Among these, the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis), and Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) are the most observed, while the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), and Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) are recorded occasionally. Kangra is also one of the most densely populated districts of Himachal Pradesh, with an extensive road network, contributing to anthropogenic pressures on vulture populations. While the region has a long history of vulture census efforts, aspects of their breeding ecology remain poorly understood. Why do they select a particular tree for nesting? What are the variables that affect nest site selection? What is the nest success rate? Where do they move, and what is their home range? What are the threats? This study, conducted
between 2019 to 2024, focuses on the breeding ecology of White-rumped Vultures in Kangra, examining their nesting preferences, reproductive success, threats to nesting colonies and spatial movements. Additionally, the research explores the climatic niche availability for all nine vulture species found in the region, assessing current and future climatic scenarios to predict potential habitat suitability. The Chir Pine forests of Kangra serve as the breeding habitat for White-rumped Vultures in the region. The breeding season of the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in the area extends from November to April, encompassing mating, incubation, hatching, and fledgling development, lasting approximately 25-28 weeks (October—April). Over three consecutive breeding seasons (2021-2024), the study recorded 17 active nesting colonies with a total of 617 active nests, primarily in Chir Pine (Pinus roxburghii) trees. Nest site selection was influenced by tree characteristics, with vultures preferring trees with a larger girth at breast height (GBH) (average GBH of 254.8 cm + 49.3 SD), lower canopy cover (5-10%), greater shrub density (77-100%), and proximity to other nesting trees and water sources. Conversely, areas with high fire activity, dense canopy cover, and limited nearby trees were found to be less suitable. In addition to breeding ecology, the study identified 36 carcass dumping sites in the region. These sites, managed by local communities, serve as designated areas for livestock carcass disposal, primarily for cattle and buffalo. The carcasses are transported from households to the dumping sites by local cobblers, locally known as "Harijans." The decline of open carcass disposal areas has posed further challenges for vulture populations. To understand movement patterns, five wild White-rumped Vultures were satellite-tagged in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, in 2021. The tagged individuals exhibited extensive movements, ranging across Jammu & Kashmir, the Pakistan border near Punjab, and Uttarakhand. Three of these vultures have consistently nested in Dolba and Lapiana within Kangra between 2021 and 2024. The study recorded an average home range of 1367.6 km? for non-breeding individuals and 1719.8 km? for breeding individuals across seasons. The future distribution for the nine vulture species shows a significant decline in the modeled climatic niche for seven vultures by 2041-2060 and 2061-2080. The study identified electrocution, forest fires and poisoning as major threats, with notable vulture fatalities recorded. Major forest fire-prone areas include Gopalpur, Pathiar Range, Lunj, and Baranj Sirmani. This study offered insights into India's largest documented aggregation of 617 White-rumped Vulture nests. The study recommends targeted conservation interventions to ensure the long-term survival of White-rumped Vultures. These include the protection of nesting sites, preservation of old-growth forests, and support for cobbler communities engaged in carcass disposal. Additionally, designated vulture feeding stations within forested areas should be established. Given these findings, the study proposes designating the region as a Vulture Safe Zone, suitable areas for releasing captive-bred vultures with continuous monitoring. Himachal Pradesh Forest Department (HPFD) and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC) have to come up with guidelines to declare a vulture safe zone as well as a strategic conservation plan to safeguard this critically endangered species.
Management of habitat, its connectivity and human-large carnivore conflict in Western Terai Arc Landscape (TAL)
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Verma, Nishant; Pandav, Bivash; Mondol, Samrat
A wildlife corridor is an area of habitat that connects wildlife populations otherwise separated by human pressures such as roads, development or logging. Functionally corridors allows for the exchange of individuals between populations, reducing the negative effects of inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity that often occur in isolated populations. The Western Part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) a region listed among the 200 globally important ecoregions for its rich assemblage of large mammals. Over time land modifications for agriculture and anthropogenic disturbances disrupted these connections. Despite this the TAK retains immense conservation value, sustaining two level I Tiger Conservation Units - Rajaji Corbett and Chitwan-Parsa-Valmiki- alongside several level II Units. Recent assessment estimate that about 20,800 sq km of tiger habitat remains on the Indian side of the TAL. The study area of this doctoral research spans the Western Terai Arc landscape and centres around Rajaji National Park encompassing connected forest divisions in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh where it aims at (i) Evaluating corridor use by wildlife in Rajaji National Park and adjoining divisions (2) evaluating the extent and severity of human - large carnivores conflict in the Western TAL and (3) Evaluating existing management practices for large carnivore conservation. Towards evaluating the activity of wildlife and for assessing corridor functionality, systematic sign surveys were carried out in 2022–2023 to identify suitable sampling sites across all corridors, prior to camera-trapping. Transects were walked to record signs such as dung, pugmarks, hoof marks, and scrapes of large mammals. Further, a total of 87 camera traps were deployed in 2022 and 2025, yielding a total of 9,670 trap nights. Sign surveys revealed that leopards and elephants were the most frequently encountered species across both eastern and western corridors. Chillawali–Shiwalik showed extensive elephant signs, confirming its role as an elephant movement pathway. Camera traps recorded 17 species in the forest areas and nine in the corridors, with the highest species richness being recorded in Chillawali-Shiwalik, followed by Chilla-Motichur and Laltappar, and Teenpani. Chillawali-Shiwalik had the highest Relative Abundance Index (RAI) for chital (269.53),
followed by Teenpani for wild pig (227.2) and sambar (123.31), whereas Chilla-Motichur and Laltappar exhibited lower RAIs for most species. In contrast, adjacent forest areas exhibited higher RAIs across all species, indicating a preference for less-disturbed habitats. Species exhibited distinct activity patterns between corridors and forest areas. Leopards were uniformly active throughout the day in the forest but showed slightly reduced daytime activity in corridors (Δ = 0.71). Elephants exhibited contrasting activity patterns, with a daytime activity peak in forest ranges and a nighttime peak in corridors (Δ = 0.48). These results highlight both the functionality and challenges of four key wildlife corridors in RNP in maintaining connectivity for species within fragmented habitats. Details of human-wildlife conflict incidents were collected from each of the Forest Divisions of the study area for 12 years (2012-2024). Of this, incident details of attacks on humans were available from 2018 to 2024, while livestock depredation incidents were available from 2003 to 2024. Of the collected data, large carnivore conflict incidents were compiled on the basis of the species of carnivore involved, and the incidents were categorised into attacks on humans and livestock depredation. Species-wise conflict points were extracted, and for each of the species, 5000 random points were then generated in QGIS to act as absence points in the study area. 65 incidents of attacks on humans were due to large carnivores – including tigers (n=29), leopards (n=19), and bears (n=17) (2018 to 2024), and 3,258 incidents of livestock depredation were attributed to large carnivores – including tigers (n=615) and leopards (n=2,635) (2003 to 2024). Human population densities were significantly different for locations of bear and tiger attacks on people and random points, whereas livestock population density was significantly different at locations of human-leopard conflict as compared to random locations. Similarly human population densities significantly varied between locations of livestock depredation by tigers & random non-conflict locations, while both human & livestock population densities were significantly different at locations of livestock depredation by leopards and random locations. Elevation gradient (p<0.01) in the study area was one of the major drivers of human conflict with bears and leopards on humans. Distance to linear infrastructure (p<0.01) and Human Footprint Index (p<0.05) majorly drive leopard attacks on people. Additionally, livestock and human population densities (p<0.05) influence bear and tiger attacks on people. Tiger attacks on humans were also driven by distances to linear infrastructure & Protected Area (p<0.01), and nightlight (p<0.01). Annual precipitation, terrain ruggedness & elevation, distances to linear infrastructure & water, human population density, and Human Footprint Index (p<0.001) are some of the factors that drive livestock depredation by leopards & tigers. The results of this study highlight the variations
in trends and drivers of conflict with each large carnivore in the study area, with severe socio-economic and ecological consequences. The evaluation of management practices in the Western Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) was carried out using the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) framework developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that have been adapted for the Indian tiger reserves. This framework assesses management performance
across six broad elements: context, planning, inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes, and provides a structured mechanism to identify strengths and gaps in conservation practice. Data was collected from (a) working plans and Tiger Conservation Plans, (b) field records and secondary data, and (c) primary evaluation and scoring. The site-specific scores were aggregated to generate comparative rankings across divisions, and grouped under five major elements (context, planning, input, process, and output). Selected critical indicators were examined individually to highlight specific areas of weakness. Additional parameters relating to habitat degradation, encroachment, invasive species status, and habitat recovery were also scored qualitatively. Scores ranged narrowly from 66.41 (Kalsi) to 68.97 (Dehradun), with Lansdowne (68.75), Rajaji (67.19), and Shivalik (67.17) occupying intermediate positions, indicating moderate but consistent levels of management. Disaggregated analysis revealed variation across the five evaluation elements. Planning (68.52) and Inputs (68.75) received relatively higher scores, reflecting the availability of documented management plans, budget allocations, and staffing provisions (Figure 4.2). By contrast, Processes (65.17) and Outputs (62.92) scored lower, indicating weaknesses in implementation and outcome delivery. Indicator-level analysis pointed to specific areas of
weakness, specifically indicators related to control of biotic pressures, stakeholder participation, and conflict mitigation consistently received low scores. These findings reveal that management effectiveness in the western TAL is functional but fragile, characterized by strong planning frameworks but weaker implementation and ecological outcomes. The Western Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) represents one of India’s most critical conservation frontiers where ecological connectivity, large mammal persistence, and human livelihoods intersect. This thesis generates crucial understanding of the interdependence between habitat connectivity, conflict mitigation, and management effectiveness. Fragmentation of corridors intensifies edge effects and human intrusion, which in turn elevates conflict frequency, further complicating management efforts. This study provides several actionable insights for strengthening conservation outcomes in the
western TAL, including landscape integration, corridor restoration, conflict mitigation, participatory management, monitoring, and policy mainstreaming.
Patterns and Determinants of mammalian assemblage in an Eastern Himalayan Landscape unit
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Chackaravarthy, S. Deepan; Gopi, G.V.; Ramesh, K.
This thesis presents a detailed investigation of the mammalian assemblage in a selected landscape unit in the Eastern Himalayan in the Far East region of Arunachal Pradesh. The selected landscape unit is located in a Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, with its mountain ranges are biogeographically well connected to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. The study unit remains one of the least explored forests for mammalian species, except for a few prior expeditions. The unit is situated between two contiguous tiger reserves, The Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Namdhapa Tiger Reserve to the south, and the state’s largest wildlife sanctuary, the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, to the north and the Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary to the west. The landscape units encomposses protected areas, including the Kamlang Tiger Reserve and Wildlife Sanctuary, and forest divisions of Lohit, Anjaw, Anini, and Namsai forest divisions. The terrain is rugged and hilly, traversed by various rivers and streams, which are the contributors to the river Brahmaputra. We conducted a reconnaissance survey to fulfil the objective of creating an inventory, and the resulting information guided
the deployment of camera traps in locations optimal for effective photo capture of mammals. The objective of the study also examines the perception of the indigenous people towards mammalian, species. A questionnaire survey was conducted in and around the study unit, to assess the perception, which also provides information about species that are not directly captured in the camera-trap monitoring programme. The study documented several mammalian species in the selected landscape unit, with species, like tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (Panthera pardus), were reported from secondary sources and direct sightings. Dhole (Cuon alpinus), clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), and Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) are the top predators recorded using camera traps. Certain species of conservation interest are also reported, such as Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens), and the recent past distribution of Wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee). This information adds additional credits for reintroduction programs in future. Both bear species, the Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) and the Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus), are recorded in this study. The recently segregated species Gongshan Muntjac (Muntiacus gongshanensis) and data-deficient species like the Northern Tree Shrew (Tupaia belangeri) were also recorded during the study period.
Though the study reported flying squirrels at taxa level the region is occupied by species that are listed as endangered and critically endangered. The Critically Endangered Chinese Pangolin (Manis pentadactyla) was also recorded with one individual rescued during the study. The habitat suitability prediction for selected species, both at a regional scale and at the landscape unit level provided valuable insights for conservation and management. The analysis using time-stamped camera-trap images shows that the interaction of Dhole and Yellow-Throated Martens with prey is high, possibly due to the lower density of higher Felids. The activity pattern of the Mishmi Takin (Budorcas taxicolor taxicolor) offered valuable and additional information about the migratory species which moves across habitats and elevations seasonally. The questionnaire survey on the people’s perception revealed that the people’s cultural connectedness to the wilderness remains strong. A community-based participatory approach should be developed in this region to enhance conservation practices. The study also identified an increasing trend of negative interaction with species such as the dhole (Cuon alpinus) and crop damage caused by the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) recorded through indirect evidence. Additionally, there are also two least studied rodents: The Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus macrourus) and the Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica), which was noted to requiring further studies on their ecological role in the region. There have been discoveries of new species very recently in this region, underscores the need
for a deeper understanding of species distribution in this region. In a landscape where people are deeply connected to culture, tradition and beliefs, there needs to be an inclusive approach for further exploration. A significant proportion of respondents indicated that cultural beliefs and traditional rights interlink with species protection in the region. A successful transfer of knowledge either the stratified sampling of communities and citizens to ensure that only
those most apt to conduct science are invited to participate (Fernandez-Gimenez, 2008). It deals with the General Introduction about the study and its objectives. It deals with the description of the study area. It describes the basic Inventory of mammals, which is one of the core findings of the study. It focuses on the suitable habitat modelling of select mammal species recorded in the study unit. It examines the Diel activity pattern, temporal activity overlap, and spatial co-occurrence of mammal species in the study unit, serving as a representation of the species activity patterns in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh. It explores the perception of people on mammalian conservation in the landscape unit, based on a questionnaire survey.
World heritage biodiversity programme for India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2003) Mathur, V.B.; Krishnaswamy, Jagdish; Singsit, S.; Bawa, Kamajit S.; Ishwar, N.M.; Vanak, Abi Tamim
India, one of the earliest signatories to the World Heritage Convention has five key Protected Areas currently on UNESCO’s World Heritage List - Kaziranga and Manas in Assam, Keoladeo Ghana in Rajasthan, Sundarbans in West Bengal and Nanda Devi in Uttaranchal. All five sites satisfy the natural heritage criterion ‘contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science and conservation’ (iv) and hence are critical to the preservation of globally Significant biodiversity. A strong potential exists to build and to strengthen the constellation of India’s World Heritage Biodiversity (WHB) sites in ways that are exemplary and beneficial for the larger network of PAs in India and abroad. The World Heritage Convention also offers a unique possibility in India to link nature and culture in innovative ways to promote conservation of species like the tiger and the elephant at a nation-wide scale. India presents the greatest challenge anywhere in the world for integrating conservation and development on a grand scale, and success here could have major implications for other parts of the developing world. The WHB sites symbolize humanity's struggle to conserve the earth's precious biological heritage against its own onslaught of nature. Combined with other Protected Areas such as National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, WHB sites represent the last stand of the nature and the best hope for humanity to conserve our most precious endowment. India represents a remarkable example of successful efforts to conserve significant amounts of biodiversity against all odds. Despite the presence of more than one billion people, India has managed to place 154,826 km? of its land area under its PA network. Considerable amount of biodiversity also occurs in habitats outside protected areas. Furthermore, protected areas in India are among the best-managed reserves in the developing world. The WHB sites and other Protected Areas in India, however, remain highly vulnerable to degradation. As islands, these areas are surrounded by harsh biophysical landscapes and alienated local communities. The PA management is not fully equipped to deal with the growing threats to the parks. The staff is inadequately trained in the enforcement of laws protecting wildlife. In some cases such as Manas in the northeast, field staff is demoralized, having suffered setbacks due to insurgency and social turmoil in the area. Moreover, the field staff have neither access to good communications nor to facilities for health and education for themselves and their families and the basic infrastructure required for the effective management of the PAs are generally lacking. World Heritage Biodiversity Programme for . At higher levels, the park management has been unable to incorporate concepts of conservation science and wildlife management in developing management plans. Since parks represent habitat islands surrounded by dissimilar habitats with high densities of human populations, changes inside the park due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors are inevitable. However, there is no significant effort to adopt a systems approach to anticipate
and predict future changes. Continuous assessment and monitoring of biodiversity are almost non-existent. The "island" status of the World Heritage sites also makes them highly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures. Although these islands are connected to varying degrees with other natural habitats, there have been no comprehensive efforts to examine the feasibility of establishing habitat connectivity in areas containing the WBH sites. Since the areas
surrounding sites are even more vulnerable to human pressures than the WBH sites, it is critical to examine the potential of connection among natural areas wherever these sites are located and to bring these areas under greater protection. A more serious problem is the lack of local community involvement in conservation efforts. Local communities in many cases remain hostile to the idea that the parks cannot be used for their traditional purposes of grazing, fishing, or extraction of fuel wood and non-timber forest products. Wild animals from the parks also pose a danger to their livestock, crops and houses, thus exacerbating the conflict. Thus, local communities perceive conservation
legislation as a threat to their livelihoods. Although there are economic benefits from conservation, such as ecotourism, such benefits generally do not accrue to local communities. Protected areas also have a low profile. The civil society in general is not aware of the importance and in some cases even the existence of World Heritage sites. Although the protected areas have a tremendous educational potential, educational institutions hardly ever use world heritage sites for educational purposes. A new initiative funded by the United Nations Foundation (UNF) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and coordinated by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India initially covering four existing and ten proposed World Heritage Cluster Sites in India has been initiated to address the key conservation and management issues within a single new framework. This framework
referred to as the ‘World Heritage Biodiversity Programme for India (WHBPI)’ has been developed through a collaborative planning process by the, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE). The ten year WHBP' will have two phases of four and six years each. Four of the existing five WHB sites in India namely Kaziranga, Keoladeo, Manas and Nanda Devi National Parks have been
included in the WHBPI. programme as it is receiving a similar support from the Asian Development Bank under the ‘Sunderbans Biodiversity Project’. The goal of the WHBPI is to strengthen biodiversity conservation in Protected Areas by \
building replicable models at WHB sites that emphasize law enforcement, promote habitat integrity and connectivity, enhance the role of local communities in Protected Area management, improve the professional, social and political profile of the Protected Area management community and its civil society partners. The specific objectives of WHBP! are to: 1) increase the capacity of the staff to address critical needs in conservation, management and protection of the WHB sites, (2) enable the . park staff to incorporate principal concepts of modem science in management plans, (3) increase the connectivity among natural areas in the vicinity of the WHB sites, (4) enhance the stake and the involvement of local communities in the management and the protection of the parks, (5) raise the profile of the WHB sites in civil society, (6) bring about policy and governance reforms so that the management have the flexibility to address contemporary challenges to the conservation of biodiversity in the parks, and (7) conduct surveys at sites that may be designated as additional World Heritage. Biodiversity cluster sites.
Conservation plan for biodiversity likely to be impacted by Greenfield Jewar International Airport, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) WII
India has emerged as the fastest-growing major economy and is expected to be one of the top three economic powers in the world over the next 10-15 years. India, like other developing countries, is confronted with the dilemma of securing functionality of different ecosystems rang ing from natural to urban habitats alongside the priorities for expanding the transportation infrastructure. Among these, airports are increasing in numbers to cater to the increased demand air travel for effective connectivity across the country. With the growing needs for air travel from New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and visualizing its unsustainability in meeting high traffic demand in the future based on the projection, the Government of India has recently initiated a project to build a new airport called "Greenfield Airport" at Jewar, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh (U.P.). The proposed airport covering an area of 1334 ha is
within New Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). This would facilitate air travel from the region's entire National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, 13 districts of the State of Haryana, eight districts of the State of Uttar Pradesh, and two districts of the State of Rajasthan (Anonymous 2019). With this development and very close proximity to the national capital, it is expected to have several large infrastructure development projects in the landscape. For judicious planning, NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) was created in 1985 to plan the development of the region and to enact harmonized policies for the control of land use and development of infrastructure in the region to avoid any haphazard development of the region as well as conservation of natural resources (Anonymous 1985). The NCRPB's Regional Plan 2021 aims to promote economic grow1h and develop the entire NCR as a region of global excellence http://ncrpb.nic.in/regionalplan2021 .html). On the same lines, the NCRPB has also envisagedincreasing the ambit and has the vision to expand and develop further, for which it is working on a new Regional Plan 2041, which is slated to be, completed soon (http://ncrpb.nic.in). For Greenfield Jewar International Airport (GJIA), Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) was appointed as a nodal agency by the Government of Uttar Pradesh state to
execute the land acquisition process and other activities about airport development on behalf of the Directorate of Civil Aviation, Government of U.P. The YEIDA has steered a Techno-economic feasibility study by PricewaterhouseCoopers Private Limited (PwC) and an EIA study by Greenclndia Consulting Private Limited. Based on these studies, YEIDA moved the proposal to the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for obtaining "Environmental Clearance" and this was deliberated in the 42nd Meeting convened on 10-12 July 2019. To bridge the gaps between the development and conservation of natural resources, YEIDA was asked to conduct a study for the preparation of "Conservation Plan for Birds and Fauna" in consultation with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for further consideration. With the followup, a technical proposal titled "Conservation Plan for Biodiversity likely to be impacted by Greenfield Jewar International Airport, Gautam Budh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh" was submitted to YEIDA forconsideration and it was accepted. Subsequently, a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed between WII and YEIDA for a study of Phase-Ion 30th August 2019 at shradun, India. The scope of the proposed project was as follows: a. Identify the key sources of impacts and the nature of impacts (direct and indirect, long term and short term and irreversible impacts if any associated with the airport) that would help guide the preventive, ameliorative, and restorative strategies to be adopted in the conservation planning. b. Identify the significant biodiversity values represented by rare, endangered and threatened (RET) floral and faunal species belonging to major taxa (hefpetofauna, birds, and mammals) within the zone of influence of the project. 1-0-1' G c. Assess the vulnerability of habitats and landscape features within a 10 km radius to impacts during
different phases of the airport development and the likely implications. d. Prepare a conservation plan for rare, endangered, and threatened (RET) faunal species that is based on preventive and restorative measures for impact mitigation.
e. Propose the Phase-II plan (Ten Years) for the "Post-Development Monitoring" for the status of RET species. Consequently, the Wildlife Institute of India mobilized a team of researchers, which started collating desktop-based information on the conservation importance of the taxa and habitats (terrestrial and wetlands) available in the landscape surrounding the airport. We also obtained crucial data, information, and shapefile of the proposed airport from YEIDA. participatory approaches in conservation have played a pivotal role during the last four decades to fulfill human and ecological/environmental goals. Realizing this, we organized a day "Consultation Workshop" with the stakeholders and knowledge partners at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Naida, Uttar Pradesh on 1st February 2020. Around 32 participants attended the workshop from Non-Governmental Organization, Nongovernmental Individuals, and officials from the Forest Department, YEIDA,MoEFCC, and others. We shared and discussed our envisaged framework of the planning process forthe preparation of the "Biodiversity Conservation Plan" with the participants. Based on the valuable
suggestions received, we finalized our framework and approaches for the preparation conservation plan. Landscape conservation planning for biodiversity requires the integration of natural wildlife habitats at different scales so as consider the dispersal capacity of various taxa. Based on collated information and suggestion received during the workshop, we prepared the final framework of our approach for the collection of field data for the preparation of the "Conservation Plan for Biodiversity" for the GJIA landscape. We also reviewed the areas of conservation importance at the landscape level around the GJIA site. The landscape falls under Upper-Gangetic Plain and is a part of the semi-arid biogeographic
zone. Because of these mixed habitat features, the landscape is endowed with rich biodiversity because of numerous wetlands created along the river Yamuna and the presence of various Protected Areas lmportant Bird Areas (PAs/I BAs) such as Sultan pur National Park, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Surajpur Bird Sanctuary, and Dhanauri wetland, etc. All these habitats are rich in bird faunal diversity (160 to 300 species) and for migratory birds. Additionally, it has a mosaic of scrub habitats within the agriculture landscape and is the home for two key species of conservation importance besides others such as Indian antelope or Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) which is Schedule I species of the Wildlife
(Protection) Act 1972 and Sarus Crane (Grus antigone). The infrastructure development plan envisaged in the landscape by YEIDA may cause rapid urbanization and land-use changes and may leave its ecological footprint. Thus, it requires the "Cumulative Impact Assessment" (CIA). Therefore. we also consider other areas which may be critical for the biodiversity conservation of this landscape.