Ecology and Conservation of Mountain Ungulate in the Western and Trans-Himalayas, India

Abstract

The Western and Trans-Himalayan region of India is home to several unique and threatened mountain ungulates including Kashmir red deer or Hangul, Kashmir Musk deer, Urial, Argali, Tibetan Antelope or Chiru, Tibetan Gazelle, Wild Yak, and Wild Ass that are endemic to this region. However, this ecologically significant and diverse biodiversity is threatened by climate change, habitat degradation, and fragmentation accompanied by overexploitation in the form of poaching. In locations where the ungulates are common, the situation inevitably leads to human-wildlife conflict. All these have caused many wildlife species to become ecologically isolated, reduced in numbers, and in the process of becoming locally extinct. Over the years, I have undertaken extensive surveys to assess the status of 20 ungulate species inhabiting the Himalayan region belonging to four families, namely Bovidae, Cervidae, Equidae, and Moschidea including the eight out of the 10 most highly endangered ungulates in India, which are unique to this region. The results of our findings on the current status, information on the lesser known aspects of ecology, and critical factors determining the population decline, knowledge gaps, conservation threats, and management suggestions are presented in this paper.

Conserving the critically endangered Hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) - Future distribution and efficiency of protected areas under climate change: Implications for the conservation of Dachigam landscape

“…On the other hand, overexploitation in the form of illicit wildlife poaching, habitat degradation, and fragmentation pose serious threats to its main abode, the Greater Dachigam landscape. These issues have led to ecological isolation, population decline, and inbreeding and brought the species to the brink (Ahmad, 2022;Ahmad et al, 2023). Although the establishment of protected areas is a helpful conservation strategy, it has been found that poor management and smaller size may negate the advantages of all conservation initiatives aimed at enhancing biodiversity.…”

“…Many studies have assumed that the Dachigam landscape is critical for Hangul foraging habitats and provides key habitats (Ahmad 2004; Sharma et al 2010; Mukherjee et al 2021). The population of Hangul has drastically dropped due to habitat loss, overgrazing, poaching, and disturbances caused by human activities (Shah et al 2011; Hassan et al 2013;Ahmad 2022). Furthermore, Hangul migrates to alpine pastures in summer, which have been disturbed due to heavy livestock grazing and turmoil for the last few decades, resulting in a negative impact on the Hangul's population and distribution (Kaul et al 2020;Bhat et al 2020).…”

Gastrointestinal parasites of the wild ungulates (Mammalia: Cetartiodactyla) in the Hemis National Park, Ladakh, India

“…Blue sheep has been listed as the Least concern while Ladakh urial and Himalayan ibex are listed as Near-threatened (IUCN 2023). Blue sheep is distributed across the Tibetan plateau and its surrounding mountain ranges, while Himalayan ibex is distributed in the mountains of Pakistan, China, India, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Russia, and Tajikistan (Khattak et al 2020;Ahmad 2022). Ladakh urial, a subspecies of urial is restricted to the bank of river Indus, Shayok and its major tributaries in Ladakh, India and Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (Khara et al 2021).…”