This study was carried out to investigate abundance, distribution, structure and conservation status of three major ungulate species viz.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation of carbon and nitrogen in soil and leaves with the altitude, vegetation type, herbaceous biomass (HB), litter mass (LM) and with each other. Soil and leaf samples collected from different forest types along altitudinal gradients in the Karakoram Mountains. Dry and gas law methods were used for the chemical analysis. Regression models used for correlation analysis and T test for comparison. The correlation of soil total carbon (STC) and soil total nitrogen (STN) along altitudinal gradients and correlation between soil organic carbon (SOC) and STN was significantly positive with the values R2 = 0.1684, p = 0.01, R2 = 0.1537, p = 0.009 and R2 = 0.856, p = 7.31E−10 respectively, while it was non-significant between soil inorganic carbon (SIC) and altitude and also between SIC and STN. The concentration of SOC and STN was highest in the broad leaved Betula utilis forest (22.31, 1.6 %) and least in the mixed (Pinus, Juniper, Betula) forest soil (0.85, 0.09 %) respectively. In the tree species leaf total carbon (LTC) and leaf total nitrogen (LTN) were highest in the Pinus wallichiana (PW) (632.54, 19.77), and least in the Populus alba (87.59, 4.06). In the shrub species LTC and LTN nitrogen were highest in the Rosa webiana (235.64, 7.45) and least in the Astragalus gilgitensis (43.45, 1.60) respectively. Total carbon and total nitrogen showed a slightly decreasing and increasing trend with altitude in the leaf and soil samples, respectively. The mean nitrogen and carbon was higher in the leaves of trees (3, 97.95) than in the shrubs (2.725, 74.24) and conifers (2.26, 76.46) than in the leaves of the deciduous (2, 46.36) trees. The correlation between LTC and STN was non-significant. Strong significant (R2 = 0.608, p = 0.003) and weak non-significant (R2 = 0.04, p = 0.32) relationships were found in STN and STC with LM and HB respectively. SOC (75.15 %) was found to be the main contributor to the STC (76.20 %) as compared to the SIC (1.05 %). Furthermore, SOC (75.15 %) was the major constituent to the soil organic matter (SOM) as compared to the STN (5.85 %). The vegetation type and litter both showed high impact on STN and STC, while altitude and HB showed very little or no impact on carbon and nitrogen concentrations. However, altitude puts great impact on shaping vegetation structure due to decreasing temperature along the elevation and other climatic factors which are further responsible in controlling the carbon and nitrogen concentration.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-016-1935-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

1. Bycatch is the most significant threat to marine megafauna (sea turtles, marine mammals, elasmobranchs, seabirds) worldwide, and the leading cause of the decline of several cetacean species. The bycatch issue in the Indian Ocean is poorly understood, but high bycatch levels in gillnet fisheries have been documented for the past two decades, in both small-scale and semi-industrial fisheries. Unfortunately, methods to reduce bycatch are often unavailable, financially non-viable or socially unacceptable to fishermen. Using a network of trained boat captains in the tuna drift gillnet fishery in theArabian Sea, targeted catch and bycatch data were collected from 2013 to 2017 off the coast of Pakistan (northern Indian Ocean). Two fishing methods using multifilament gillnets were used: surface deployment and subsurface deployment (i.e. headline of net set below 2 m depth).3. Predicted catch rates for targeted species did not differ significantly between the two fishing practices, although a drop in tuna (6.2%) and tuna-like (10.9%) species captures was recorded in subsurface sets. The probability of cetacean bycatch, however, was 78.5% lower in subsurface than in surface sets. 4. Cetacean bycatch in tuna drift gillnet fisheries has the potential to be significantly reduced at a relatively low cost for fishers. However, further research with an appropriate sampling design and a large sample size is required to confirm the efficacy of the proposed mitigation method. The acceptability and adoption of subsurface setting by fishers also needs to be further investigated. Despite some limitations, this preliminary study also highlights the importance of crew-based observer data as an alternative source of data when observers cannot be deployed on fishing vessels.

Livestock depredation has particular significance in pastoral societies across the Himalayas. The dynamics of depredation by the snow leopard Panthera uncia and wolf Canis lupus were investigated by means of household surveys in the Hushey Valley, in the Karakoram Mountains of Pakistan. During 2008–2012 90% of the households in the valley lost livestock to snow leopards and wolves, accounting for 0.8 animals per household per year. The cost of depredation per household was equivalent to PKR 9,853 (USD 101), or 10% of the mean annual cash income. The majority (41%) of predation incidents occurred in summer pastures, predominantly at night in open spaces. Of the total number of predation incidents, 60% were attributed to snow leopards and 37% to wolves; in 3% of cases the predator was unknown. As an immediate response to predation the majority of the local people (64%, n = 99) opted to report the case to their Village Conservation Committee for compensation and only 1% preferred to kill the predator; 32% did not respond to predation incidents. The perceived causes of predation were poor guarding (77%), reduction in wild prey (13%), and livestock being the favourite food of predators (10%). The most preferred strategies for predator management, according to the respondents, were enhanced guarding of livestock (72%), followed by increasing the availability of wild prey (18%), and lethal control (10%). Livestock depredation causing economic loss may lead to retaliatory killing of threatened predators. For carnivore conservation and livestock security in this area we recommend improved livestock guarding through collective hiring of skilled shepherds and the use of guard dogs.