33ANNUAL rd ARS 2019 RESEARCH SEMINAR · 2019-08-26 · presentation at the 33rd Annual Research Seminar, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, August 23, 2019, Pp. 1. Programme

RESEARCH SEMINARANNUAL33 rd ARS

2019

Suggested citation for abstracts:

Dutta, Sutirtha, and Jhala, Y.V. (2019): Conservation breeding of Great Indian Bustard: inception and learning. Abstract of rd

presentation at the 33 Annual Research Seminar, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, August 23, 2019, Pp. 1

Programme & Abstracts

th26 - 27 August 2019

RESEARCH SEMINARANNUAL33 rd

ProgrammeProgrammeProgrammeProgramme

26 – 27th August, 2019

SEMINAR CHAIRPERSON Dr. H. S. Pabla, Chairman, TRAC

INAUGURAL SESSION

0930 – 0935 h Welcome Dr. Bitapi Sinha, Research Coordinator

0935 – 0940 h Opening Remarks Dr. V.B. Mathur, Director

0940 – 1000 h Research activities and accomplishments (2018-2019) Dr. G.S. Rawat, Dean

1000 – 1015 h Release of Publications

Title of Publication Released by Assisted by

Wildlife Watch in the Indian Himalayan Region: Series V Dr. H.S. Pabla Ms. Aashna Sharma, Mr. Naitik Patel & Ms. Ranjana Pal

Assessment of habitat use by Black-necked Crane and e-flows of Nyamjang Chu hydroelectric project, Tawang

Dr. S.S. Negi Dr. Gopi, G.V.

Wildlife Conservation Plan for the impact zone of Etalin HEP, Dibang Valley District, Arunachal Pradesh

Sh. N. Ravi Shankar Dr. K. Sivakumar

Fishes of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve Dr. K.K. Raina Dr. J.A. Johnson

Diversity and ecology of herpetofauna in Panna Tiger Reserve

Sh. S.K. Mukherjee Dr. Abhijit Das

Wings of Ganga Part III Dr. Erach Bharucha Dr. Ruchi Badola

Ganga Aqua-life Data Collector App Sh. V.B. Sawarkar Dr. S.A. Hussain

1015 – 1030 h Inaugural Address Dr. S.S. Negi, Vice-Chairman, Rural Development and Migration Commission, Uttarakhand State

DAY 1: 26TH AUGUST, 2019

TECHNICAL SESSION – I Species Recovery & Wildlife Monitoring Programmes

Chair : Sh. S.K. Mukherjee

Co-Chair(s) : Dr. Pradeep Vyas Dr. Kunal Satyarthi

Session Facilitator : Sh. Qamar Qureshi

1030-1045 h Counting tigers: An insight into the world’s largest wildlife survey Dr. Y. V. Jhala Scientist-G

1045-1100 h Status and Conservation of Gangetic river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)

Dr. K. Vishnupriya Scientist-C

1100-1115 h Conservation breeding of Great Indian Bustard: Inception and learning Dr. Sutirtha Dutta Scientist-D

1115-1145 h GROUP PHOTOGRAPH AND TEA

1145-1200 h Recovering Dugong populations in India: How much is enough? Anant Pande Project Scientist

1200-1215 h Conservation actions for Manipur’s brow antlered deer or Sangai: Progress achieved so far

Dr. Chongpi Tuboi Project Scientist

1215-1230 h Discussion and comments of Chair and Co-chairs

TECHNICAL SESSION – II Climate Change in the Himalaya and Ganga Rejuvenation Chair : Sh. V.B. Sawarkar

Co-Chair(s) : Sh. D.V.S. Khati Dr. R.C. Sundriyal Session Facilitator : Dr. Ruchi Badola

1230-1245 h Monitoring of climate change effects for identifying potential vulnerabilities in the Indian Himalayan Region

Dr. Soumya Dasgupta Project Scientist

1245-1300 h Climate wars: Ensemble forecasts predict unpromising future for Himalayan coldwater ichthyofauna

Dr. Vineet Dubey Project Scientist

1300-1315 h Connecting Climate Change, Landscape & People: Telling a Himalayan Story through Open Source Data

Arun Kumar Project Scientist

1315-1415 h LUNCH

1415-1430 h Assessment of ecosystem health and addressing research gaps in the Indian Himalayan Region: A multi-disciplinary approach

Dr. Nehru Prabakaran INSPIRE Faculty

1430-1445 h Conservation planning for the Ganga River in the ecological health context

Dr. Shivani Barthwal Project Scientist

1445-1505 h Sea to source plastics: An overview Dr. J.A. Johnson Scientist-E

1505-1525 h Discussion and comments of Chair and Co-chair

1525-1545 h TEA

SESSION – III A Mixed Bag (Poster Presentations and M.Sc. Dissertations: Three Minute Talks – TMT) Chair : Dr. Erach Bharucha, Chairman, ICSAP

Co-Chair(s) : Sh. Rajiv Bhartari Dr. Jayashree Dubey

Session Facilitator : Dr. S. A. Hussain 1545-1610 h Poster Presentations (3 Minutes Each)

1 The Tamil Nadu Colonial nesting water bird Atlas: Assessment of their Status and distribution

Frank, S J D

2 Dugong conservation in India: Making Partnerships Work in Endangered Species Conservation

Prachi Hatkar

3 Communities’ role in Dugong Conservation: Insights from Tamil Nadu Madhu Magesh

4 Dugongs, Seagrasses and Fisheries: Tales of fisherfolk from the Andaman Islands Swapnali Gole

5 Molecular evidence for the continued use of river dolphin oil in India: Implications for conservation

Shweta Singh

6 Secrets of commensalism and co-existence of Kites in Delhi Urvi Gupta

7 Population Management of Species in Conflict Priya Gusain

8 Tiger conservation initiative in Nandhaur landscape: An update Ajaz Hussain

1610-1640 h M.Sc. Dissertations (3 Minutes Each)

1 Factors that shape vegetation in the arid zone of India Aaranya Gayatri

2 See through Sound: Understanding the pattern of habitat use by Gangetic river dolphin in Kaziranga part of Brahmaputra River

Abhishek B

3 Investigating the Social Structure of Female Asiatic Lions Doli Borah

4 Factors influencing small carnivore community structure in Chandoli National Park, Northern Western Ghats

Himanshu Lad

5 Same or Different? Foraging and nesting habitat of eastern Indian Olive Ridley sea turtle populations

Mohit Mudliar

6 Is it time to call the cows home? Nisam Mang L

7 Vigilance Architecture and Emergence-Return behavior of Indian Flying Fox Pratik Das

8 Resource use and Distribution Patterns of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in sub-Himalayan river systems of Uttarakhand

Sayanti Basak

9 Patterns of bird community structure in relation to land-use driven habitat changes in the arid grasslands of Thar Desert

Varun Kher

10 Do dogs finally have their day? Subhashini K

1640-1715 h Discussion and comments of Chair and Co-Chairs

2000 h DINNER (All are invited)

DAY 2: 27TH AUGUST, 2019 TECHNICAL SESSION – IV Large Carnivore Ecology

Chair : Sh. Nitin Kakodkar, CWLW Maharashtra

Co-Chair(s) : Sh. Nishant Verma Sh. L. Krishnamoorthy

Session Facilitator : Dr. Y.V. Jhala

0930-0945 h It’s all about the journey: Dispersing tigers in human dominated landscapes

Zehidul Hussain Senior Project Biologist

0945-1000 h Dear enemies vs Nasty Neighbours: Inter-pack interactions in Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India

Pallavi Ghaskadbi Senior Project Biologist

1000-1015 h To howl or not to howl: Factors affecting the howling response in Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)

Sougata Sadhukhan Junior Research Fellow

1015-1030 h Interaction of carnivore communities in Kanha Tiger Reserve Jayanta Kumar Bora Junior Research Fellow

1030-1045 h Conserving Asiatic lion in the human dominated landscape of Saurashtra

Keshab Gogoi Junior Research Fellow

1045-1100 h e-Bird technology for tiger conservation: New frontier in protection and conflict management

Dr. K. Ramesh Scientist-E


1125-1145 h TEA

TECHNICAL SESSION – V Human-Wildlife Interface and Conservation-Development Issues Chair : Dr. Mewa Singh

Co-Chair(s) : Dr. Rajiv K. Srivastava Dr. Vaibhav Mathur

Session Facilitator : Dr. Pratap Singh

1145-1200 h Complex situations, pensive consequences: Fine-grain analysis of human casualties due to human-elephant conflict in Chhattisgarh

Dr. Bivash Pandav Scientist –F

1200-1215 h Troubling mammals: Conflict with humans in a diverse assemblage of large mammals in Indian Himalayan Region

Dr. Dipanjan Naha Project Associate

1215-1230 h Road effect zones of major prey species in roaded landscapes in India Akansha Saxena Senior Research Fellow

1230-1245 h Samruddhi: Where economic and wildlife corridors coalesce for a prosperous tomorrow

Indranil Mondal Project Scientist

1245-1300 h Signatory urban adaptiveness: Resident and migratory populations of an urban raptor respond contextually to breeding and wintering constraints

Nishant Kumar Senior Research Fellow


1315-1415 h LUNCH

TECHNICAL SESSION – VI Landscape Ecology and Wildlife Forensics Chair : Sh. Ravikant Sinha

Co-Chair(s) : Dr. Ravikiran Govekar Sh. Sanjay Pathak

Session Facilitator : Dr. P.K. Malik

1415-1430 h An update on the achievements of Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics Cell

Dr. S.K. Gupta Scientist-E

1430-1445 h Individual identification to dispersal dynamics: Insights from dhole genetics in Eastern Vidarbha Landscape, Maharashtra, India

Shrushti Modi Senior Research Fellow

1445-1500 h DNA Detective: Population assignment of seized rhino horns back to its origin

Tista Ghosh Junior Research Fellow

1500-1515 h Corridor connectivity drives tiger meta-population dynamics in the Terai-Arc landscape, India

Suvankar Biswas Senior Research Fellow

1515-1530 h Grasslands on the wane: Assessing swamp deer habitat dynamics over last three decades along upper Gangetic plains

Shrutarshi Paul Senior Research Fellow


1545-1600 h TEA

CONCLUDING SESSION Chair : Dr. H.S. Pabla, Chairman, TRAC

Co-Chair : Dr. V.B. Mathur, Director, WII

1600-1630 h Comments on the Annual Research Seminar

1630-1645 h Photographic Competition Awards Dr. Bitapi Sinha, Research Coordinator

1645-1700 h IARS, HRS, NMCG, CAMPA & ARS Best Presentation Awards

Dr. Bitapi Sinha, Research Coordinator

1700-1725 h Concluding remarks

Dr. H.S. Pabla, Chairman, TRAC Dr. V.B. Mathur, Director, WII

1725-1730 h Vote of Thanks Dr. Bitapi Sinha, Research Coordinator

DAY 3: 28TH AUGUST, 2019 1000-1300 h Training, Research and Academic Council (TRAC) Meeting (For members only)

2nd 30th Annual Research Seminar, 2016

1

33rd ANNUAL RESEARCH SEMINAR, 2019

Counting tigers: An insight into the world’s largest wildlife survey

-Dr. Y.V. Jhala

Aim: A healthy tiger status is the litmus test of our commitment to develop with minimal impact on our natural heritage. The Tiger Task Force mandated NTCA and WII to assess the National tiger status quadrennialy. Herein, we present the salient results of India’s tiger status.

Methods: Tiger estimation covered 3.8 lakh km2 of forests in 20 states, with a survey effort of 5.23 lakh km, and camera-trap deployment at 26,838 locations, setting global records. Data were collected digitally, using an android application (M-STrIPES) that geotags photo-evidences and records track-logs. Special software (CaTRAT, ExtractCompare, Hotspotter) were used to segregate 3.5 crore photographs to species and fingerprint tigers and leopards from their stripe and rosette patterns. Spatial data on individual tiger photo-captures was used in combination with information on prey, habitat, and anthropogenic factors as covariates in a joint-likelihood spatially explicit capture-mark-recapture framework to estimate tiger populations.

Results: Tiger population in India was estimated at 2,967 (SE 2,603 to 3,346); of which 83% were camera-trapped and 87% were accounted for by capture-mark-recapture. Tigers are increasing at an annual rate of 6% since 2006. Out of the genetically divergent tiger populations of the North-eastern Hills, Odisha and Southern Western Ghats that are in need for targeted conservation efforts due to their vulnerable status, southern Western Ghats has shown recovery. No tiger was recorded from Buxa, Palamau, and Dampa Tiger Reserves.

Conservation Implications: Tiger recovery in India can be attributed to creating secure space for breeding populations by stringent protection and incentivised voluntary relocation of human settlements from Tiger Reserves. Hon. Prime Minister's commitment to have a “Conversation with Conservation” and to bring “Harmony between Development and Conservation” is laudable. To achieve this we need policy, legal instruments, restoration and management of habitat corridors that connect our protected areas. Development of infrastructure traversing corridors has to be wildlife sensitive. Currently tigers occupy only 88,985 km2 from amongst 3.8 lakh km2 forests in tiger states. Restoring these forests with prey will accommodate our increasing tiger populations and minimise conflicts.

Keywords: India, Spatially explicit capture-recapture, Tiger status & conservation

Project Title : Status of Tigers, Co-predators, Prey and their Habitats in India Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Y.V. Jhala & Prof. Qamar Qureshi Researcher(s) : Tiger Cell, MSTrIPES team & All India Tiger Project Researchers Funding Agency : National Tiger Conservation Authority Project Duration : November 2017 - October 2019


2


Status and Conservation of Gangetic river dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica)

- Dr. K. Vishnupriya

Aim: The Gangetic river dolphin, is currently endangered, with a declining range over the past several decades. This species is the top predator of the riverine ecosystem, and its persistence is essential for the overall wellbeing of riverine habitats. The current status of Gangetic river dolphins are not well studied, and this project aims to identify critical knowledge gaps that will help in understanding the current conservation scenario of this species, as well as developing a conservation action plan that will secure the future of aquatic biodiversity in India.

Location: Brahmaputra, Ganga and their tributaries.

Methods: To estimate abundance double observer method using either single boat or boat in tandem was used. Along with dolphin counts, associated variables like fish, planktons, habitat, depth, and anthropogenic pressures were recorded. Hydrophones were deployed to understand dolphin activity pattern, and acoustic characteristics. Social surveys and conservation awareness programmes were conducted to understand and enhance community participation in conservation.

Results: Abundance in undisturbed Kaziranga was 125(± 24), while in human use area of Goalpara was 49(±4). Dolphin populations at Chambal, Kulsi and Subansari were found to be 25, 37 and 38 respectively. Fish abundance has a positive influence on the occurrence of dolphins, while discharge and velocity had a negative effect. Dolphins are active through out the day, with no discernible differences between sites. However, the diel activity pattern differs in different river habitats. With movement of vessels, acoustic activity showed changing trends. According to social survey data, dolphin oil is widely used as fish bait and medical puproses (77% respondents).

Conclusions: Protection plays an important role in not only determining dolphin abundance, but also in the diversity and richness of fishes and phytoplanktons. The effect of boat noise on dolphin acoustic patterns needs further investigation, though initial results indicate trends of change in some parameters. The persistent use of dolphin oil presents a severe threat to the future of dolphin conservation, and needs to be addressed. Protection and conservation awareness are the most critical aspects for dolphin persistence and abundance.

Project Title : Conservation Action Plan for Gangetic River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica gangetica) Principal Investigator(s) : Prof. Qamar Qureshi, Dr. Vishnupriya Kolipakam, Dr.S.A. Hussain, Dr. Ruchi Badola, Dr. Bitapi Sinha

Researcher(s) : Wakid, R.Rashid, S.Ray, V.Singh, S.Deori, A.Phukon, A.Wardukar, R.Rastogi, M.Jacob, G.Roy, K.Roy, S.Ray, H.Jhala, A.Dutta, H.Sharma, R.Prajapat, Y.Nobis, A.Bettaswamy, A.Rokade.

Funding Agency : CAMPA Project, MoEFCC Project Duration : 2016-2021


3


Conservation breeding of Great Indian Bustard: Inception and learning

- Dr. Sutirtha Dutta

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) is on the verge of extinction as only 100-150 individuals are left in wild with increasing levels of anthropogenic threats. Conservation breeding has been recommended and debated for many years as a tool to buy time for in-situ implementation and as insurance.

We established the first GIB conservation breeding facility at Sam, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan as part of the Endangered Species Recovery Program.

To implement this project, we entered into a tripartite agreement with Rajasthan Government and MoEFCC (July 2018), and a technical collaboration with International Fund for Houbara Conservation / RENECO. To avail the current breeding season, we developed a pilot facility at a mutually decided location - the Sam Forest Department establishment. We trained our technical staff in bustard husbandry and breeding techniques at National Avian Research Center, Abu Dhabi (May 2019).

To develop the captive stock, we searched wild nests from remote vantages and collected eggs from wild birds from two enclosures inside Desert National Park (June-July 2019) that were transported in shock-absorbent boxes inside slow-moving vehicles. We incubated them in Brinsea Octagon/Ovation incubators at temperature of 37.5°C and humidity of 20-60% to achieve targets of 17% weight loss and daily density loss of 0.008 g over the estimated 22 days incubation period. Hatched chicks were housed in indoor transparent boxes for initial ~25 days, and were subsequently housed in outdoor shaded juvenile cages. Birds are being reared on a diet of nutritionally balanced pellets, insects, eggs, vertebrate meat and plant fiber.

Eight GIB chicks have hatched (mean hatch weight 86 gm) and are maintained to follow a linear growth pattern with daily mass gain of about 25 g upto the first 30 days (comparable to captive Ardeotis spp.), and are highly imprinted on their keepers.

Our current operations involve experimentally determined modifications from existing management protocols of the related Chlamydotis spp. and Ardeotis spp. that have resulted in steep learning to streamline the ideal approach for GIB conservation breeding that will be scaled up in subsequent years.

Keywords: Ardeotis nigriceps, ex-situ management, endangered, grasslands, India

Project Title : Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of the Great Indian Bustard: An Integrated Approach Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Y. V. Jhala and Dr. Sutirtha Dutta Researcher(s)

:

Dr. Tushna Karkaria (Project Veterinarian), Bipin C. M. (Project Associate), Arjun Awasthi (Project Associate), Mohib Uddin (Project Assistant), Devendradutta Pandey (Project Assistant), Sourav Supakar (Project Assistant), Tanya Gupta (Project Assistant), Vineet Singh (Project Associate), Srinivas Y (Project Fellow) & Dr. Shravan Singh Rathore (Senior Veterinary Officer & Project Affiliate)

Funding Agency : CAMPA (NCAC) Project Duration : 2016 - 2021 (First Phase of Pilot phase)


4


Recovering Dugong populations in India: How much is enough?

-Anant Pande

Aim: Dugongs in India are threatened with gill net entanglements, illegal hunting for meat and vessel traffic. Recovering dugong populations entails targeted, multidisciplinary research and participatory action for their long-term persistence. We present an update of the Dugong Recovery Program involving multiple stakeholders across the dugong distribution sites.

Location: Gulf of Kutch, Gujarat; Gulf of Mannar & Palk Bay, Tamilnadu and; Andaman & Nicobar Islands

Methods: We investigated seagrass habitat characteristics using systematic underwater transects or random intertidal quadrates. Threats of boat traffic and plastic pollution were estimated using point-count sampling. We analysed Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), nutrient contents in seagrass and sediments along with gut content of stranded dugongs and genetic structure of the Indian dugong populations. We conducted multiple outreach programs and organized capacity building trainings in all the study sites.

Results: We found new areas of active dugong foraging at Chepri (n= >25), Bhaidar island (n= >20) and Taam (n= 8) at GoK. Over 119 ha seagrass areas with dense cover included Pagar (41.62 ± SD25.98%), Chusna (23.41±SD22.2%), Bhaidar (17.54±SD18.39%), and Noru (13.8±SD12.49%). Over 80% fishermen reported frequent dugong sightings in proposed conservation reserve area of north Palk Bay (seagrass cover > 68%) whereas >47% fishermen reported decline in seagrass habitats in last 5 years. High tourism areas of South Andaman recorded maximum threats (litter=1.14 items/km2, vessels=1.77 boats/ km2) with reports of illegal hunting from north Andaman. Cymodocea spp. (2.76±4.55) and Halodule spp. (4.75±5.94) dominated in dugong gut samples with fragments of plastics also recovered. Outreach programs (>125) reached over 10,000 people in 2018-19. Dugong Scholarship Program enrolled 168 more students as Dugong Ambassadors. Over 35 forest department, marine police staff and fisherfolk were trained in SCUBA-diving whereas >500 personnel from Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy were sensitized.

Conclusion: Improved partnerships over last three years have led to a better understanding of the species distribution and threats. Identified critical habitats need to be sampled using drones, satellite imagery, stable isotopes for delineating core management areas.

Keywords: Dugongs; Seagrass; Partnerships; Threats

Project Title : Recovery of Dugongs and their habitats in India: An integrated participatory approach Principal Investigator(s) : Dr K Sivakumar, Dr J A Johnson Researcher(s) : Anant Pande, Project Scientist Funding Agency : CAMPA Project Duration : 2016-2021


5


Conservation actions for Manipur’s brow antlered deer or Sangai: Progress achieved so far

-Dr. Chongpi Tuboi

The Sangai (Rucervus eldii eldii) occurs as a single, small, isolated population in the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), Manipur making it highly susceptible to inbreeding depression and climate change impacts. The Sangai conservation programme aims to (a) Secure existing population in Keibul Lamjao National Park, (b) Create a second population at the select site and (c) Involve local communities in conservation process. This presentation summarizes the progress achieved in the Sangai conservation under the MoEFCC – CAMPA sponsored Endangered Species Recovery Programme during 2018-2019.

To examine the distribution pattern, pellet density was calculated within the 28 km² of phumdi area sampled and the pellet of Sangai and hog deer was recorded in 13 km² and 23 km², respectively. The population monitoring exercise conducted during 2019 estimated density of Sangai was 3.61 ± 1.15 individuals/km2, with a minimum and maximum of 2.46 and 4.76 individuals/km2, respectively at 95% confidence level. The habitat use by Sangai was significantly (p<0.05) influenced by phumdi thickness (0.65 ± 0.16), vegetation cover (0.63 ± 0.17) and short grasses (0.68 ± 0.37). The result of stress physiology showed significantly (U=58, p=0.003) higher level of mean FGM concentration in wild population (28.73 ± 16.93 pg/50 µl, n = 10) than the captive population (n = 30). Socio-economic study suggests that 31.5% of the annual income of the local community is derived from the Park resources which affects the habitat. To ensure community participation awareness programmes, consultation workshops, capacity building, trust building exercises, livestock vaccination camps and livelihood training camps are being organized. Veterinary investigation of prevalent diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Black Quarter (BQ) and Skin infections were recorded in livestock. These interventions ensured long-term conservation of Sangai as well as sustainable development of the local communities. Based on the study, an Integrated Management Plan has been prepared and is at various stage of implementation. The advocacy and consultation has been augmented for creating the second home at Pumlen Pat.

Keywords: population density, habitat use, stress physiology, community participation

Project Title : Conservation Action Plan for Manipur’s Brow-antlered Deer or Sangai: An Integrated Approach Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. S.A. Hussain & Dr. Ruchi Badola Researcher(s)

: Project Scientist-Dr. Chongpi Tuboi; Project Associate- Dr. M.V. Sharma; Project Fellows- Ak. Santikumar Singh, Mirza G Ullah, Dr. S. Naosekpam, Dr. Nengneikim Baite & Tennison Gurumayum; Project Assistants- N. Bijyaluxmi Devi, Endrea Moirangthem

Funding Agency : Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority Project Duration : 5 years (2016-2021)


6


Monitoring of climate change effects for identifying potential vulnerabilities in the Indian Himalayan Region

-Soumya Dasgupta

Aim: Climate and anthropogenic drivers are the two major threats to the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) that provide life line to several million people and home to rich and diverse biodiversity. The study aims to assess the impacts of climate change on fauna (terrestrial, aquatic and soil micro fauna), microflora (lichen and soil bacteria) and human communities in the IHR.

Location: The study was carried out in Bhagirathi river basin (Uttarakhand), Beas river basin (Himachal Pradesh) and Teesta river basin (Sikkim).

Method : Baseline data was generated for the three river basins based on systematic review of literature and grid-based field surveys using varied nested grids for different taxa. A total of 38, 29 and 16 grids (256 km2) were sampled in Bhagirathi, Beas and Teesta basins. In total, 110 data loggers were deployed in each 500m elevation class from 500 to 5000 m. Different bioclimatic variables and presence locations of the species was used to predict their current and future distribution under different RCPs for the near and distant future. Threshold level indicator taxa analysis (TITAN) was done for macro-invertebrate community to identify taxa’s which are more vulnerable to climate change effect. Open top chambers been deployed in different field sites for artificial warming experiment. A total of 77 villages were selected from different clusters formed using twostep algorithm on the basis of different parameters and 1,347 households were surveyed for vulnerability analysis.

Result: We recorded new distribution records and altitudinal shifts which were hitherto not documented. Multivariate analysis with species presence, their habitat and anthropogenic activity shows species affinity towards different habitat types with different human land use regimes. Vulnerability assessment identified different vulnerable groups in the three study sites and determinants of vulnerability were identified.

Conclusion: We highlight the potential threats of climate change in the IHR and how it would affect the macroecology, and the future distribution and vulnerability of species and ecosystems.

Keywords: anthropogenic drivers, bioclimatic variables, multivariate analysis, species distribution modeling

Project Title : Assessment and Monitoring of Climate Change Effects on Wildlife Species and Ecosystems for Developing

Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Indian Himalayan Region Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. V. B. Mathur, Dr. S. Sathyakumar Researcher(s) : Soumya Dasgupta, Project Scientist, DST-NMSHE Funding Agency : DST-NMSHE Project Duration : 2014-2019


7


Climate wars: Ensemble forecasts predict unpromising future for Himalayan coldwater ichthyofauna

-Dr. Vineet K Dubey

Aim: Mountain systems throughout the globe are conspicuously sensitive to on-going climate alterations. This condition is much more detrimental in the Himalaya, where glacial retreat is faster than ever recorded. Snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii), a cold water specialist of Himalaya is highly threatened to extinction due to climate-induced habitat contraction as well as invasion pressures from the non-native brown trout (Salmo trutta fario). Therefore, the study aimed at assessing the climate change response and competitive interactions of native and invasive trout in the Himalaya.

Location: The Himalaya runs as a 2,400 km long arc from west-northwest to east-southeast. The Himalaya proper was chosen as study area which has strict geographical extent defined between 75 and 95 E and 27 to 35 N.

Methods: Primary data on occurrence records including life history traits was collected from August 2015 to June 2019 using cast, drag and kick nets in selected rivers representing Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. A total of nine statistical and machine learning Species Distribution Models (SDMs) were used. Repeated data-splitting was used for model calibration on 80% training and 20% validation data sets. For each of the SDMs, current and future climate habitat suitability was predicted. The future ensemble projections were built based on six Generalised Circulation Models (GCMs) of the most current Coupled Model Intercomparison Project.

Results: Out of the nine algorithms, the Random Forest showed highest predictability for both snow trout (TSS=0.8760±0.0733, ROC=0.9731±0.0185) and brown trout (TSS=0.8915±0.1034, ROC=0.9721±0.0319). As per the ensemble of all GCMs and SDMs, the overall loss of suitable habitat was estimated to be 21% and 43.8% for snow and brown trout respectively. Both the species showed a predicted range shift towards south-east of the Himalaya from their current distribution. Predictions also revealed that the Brahmaputra basin would be more susceptible to future native-invasive conflicts as compared to other basins.

Conclusion: Increased areas of conflict predicted for the future raise concerns on the survival of native species, as early maturation and fast reproduction would tend to favour the invasive brown trout.

Key words: climate change, Himalaya, invasion, trout


Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Indian Himalayan Region Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. K.Sivakumar and Dr. J.A.Johnson (Thematic Principal Investigators Aquatic Component) Researcher(s) : Dr. Vineet K Dubey (Project Scientist) Aashna Sharma (SRF) Funding Agency : DST Project Duration : 2014-2019


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Connecting Climate Change, Landscape & People: Telling a Himalayan Story through Open Source Data

-Arun Kumar A

Aim: The specific aims of spatial ecology thematic group of National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE) includes development of spatial and inter-operable database, climate change scenarios and predictions, decadal change analysis of land use land cover (LULC), monitoring of ecosystem health and development of tools for community engagement for mitigation and adaptation.

Location: The study has been carried out across the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR), viz. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and the hill regions of West Bengal.

Methods: A database of ecological, anthropogenic and climatic layers was established through open-source and procured data. An ensemble approach with 17 downscaled GCMs was adopted to project future change from the baseline. We used Globeland30 dataset to understand the decadal change in the LULC between 2000 and 2010. A grid based approach was used with a composite of indicators to assess the health of the IHR. We developed a DIY activity book “Climate Cool-Kit” to reach out to schools and universities to build climate awareness through fun exercises.

Results: The database at Landscape Ecology and Visualization Laboratory (LEVL) holds 37 layers that can be shared within and outside the Institute. The LULC change results show a decrease of 523km2 forests in Uttarakhand between 2000 and 2010. The fragmentation analysis shows decrease of 105km2

of large core (>500 acres) forest into smaller patches. The ecosystem health index shows most of IHR to be within near natural to good category, while poor only in smaller pockets. Climate Cool-Kit’s Survey demonstrates participants experiencing an increase in knowledge or concern, 89% agreed that the Cool-kit helped them better understand climate change and 91% agreed for Sustainable lifestyle.

Conclusion: Although the present database at LEVL is adequate for the informed decision making, the database need to be updated based on emerging new and updated dataset. Pertaining to the uncertainties and variations in the impacts and resilience of different ecosystems in the IHR, long-term studies monitoring of the systems need to be established.

Keywords: Climate Projection; Land use & Land cover Change; Fragmentation; Ecosystem Health; Climate CoolKit


Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Indian Himalayan Region. Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. V. B. Mathur, Dr. S. Sathyakumar & Dr. K. Ramesh

Researcher(s) : Dr. Sujata Upgupta, Project Scientist; Mr. Arun Kumar. A, Project Scientist; Ms. Tanvi Gaur, Senior Research Fellow & Mr. Ashish Kumar, Project Assistant.

Funding Agency : Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India. Project Duration : 2014 – 2019 (5 Years)


9


Assessment of ecosystem health and addressing research gaps in the Indian Himalayan Region: A multi-disciplinary approach

-Nehru Prabakaran

Aim: Climate change impacts on the Himalaya are of global concern due its rich biodiversity and human dependencies. Especially, addressing the enormous knowledge gap related to Himalayan biodiversity is important to design effective mitigation plans that could ensure conservation of Himalayan biodiversity in a long-term. In this context, the National Mission on Himalayan Studies fellowship scheme (NMHS) is aimed to address the existing research gaps in the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) through a multi-disciplinary approach.

Location: Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim.

Methods: A total of 13 projects were carried out under the NMHS fellowship scheme. The broad themes of the research being undertaken include three Research Associate level studies viz; Assessment of Ecosystem Services from selected watersheds; Long Term Ecological Monitoring of Himalayan Ecosystems; Vulnerability of agroecosystems to climate change; and ten Research Fellow (Junior & Senior) level studies including inventory and ecology of lesser known taxa viz., mammals (3), avifauna (1), entomofauna (1), lichen (1), nematodes (1), conservation education (1), Ecorestoration (1) and commercial use of wild medicinal plants (1).

Results: These broad spectrum of research projects have created new datasets on the biodiversity and ecology of lesser known taxa in various protected areas of the IHR. These studies have established: birds, micro-invertebrates and odonates as indicators of river health; nematodes as proxies to evaluate climate change effects; and importance of community participation in the continuous flow of ecosystem services, invasive species management, and wild medicinal plants conservation.

Conclusion: Integrating the research findings of these projects in the management and conservation planning of various PA’s and the particular taxa in the IHR would be key to achieve the overall aim of the NMHS scheme. Moreover, these projects have also identified some critical research gaps that warrant an immediate scientific enquiry.

Keywords: NMHS, lesser known taxa, climate change indicator, ecosystem services

Project Title : National Mission of Himalayan Studies - Fellowship scheme Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. G.S. Rawat Researcher(s) : Dr. Nehru P, DST-INSPIRE Faculty Funding Agency : MoEFCC - NMHS Project Duration : 3 years (2016 - 2019)


10


Conservation planning for the Ganga River in the Ecological health context

- Shivani Barthwal

Rivers and associated ecosystems are vulnerable to ecological disruption due to escalating anthropogenic pressure and climate change impacts, coupled with inadequate conservation planning. National Mission for Clean Ganga entrusted the Wildlife Institute of India a project for planning ecological restoration of Ganga River. This study provides an overview of the conservation planning approach for the Middle and Lower Ganga based on ecological health assessment.

The study adopted a multi-perspective approach to develop River Ecological Health Assessment Framework, which was applied to 414 Basic Evaluation Units (BEUs) of 5 km stretch each from Haridwar to Nurpur spanning a distance of 2070 km. 31 indicators representing habitat conditions, biotic integrity and anthropogenic influences were assessed through field observations and secondary information to derive Ecological Health. Ecological health score of each BEU was calculated by multiplying scores. Health scores were classified into Ecological Health Classes - Very good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Middle Ganga showed higher species richness (4.7 ±0.17) as 83.8% (n=161) of BEUs had good combination of habitat features such as shallow pools with sandy/clayey banks, shallow pools with meanders and braids. This resulted in higher waterbird abundance, diversity, and occurrence of breeding sites. In this stretch, channel morphological alterations (0.84±0.13 km), agricultural areas (33.35 ±0.81 m2) and high BOD (2.31 ±0.05 mg/L) caused significant pressure on the river ecosystem. The Lower Ganga had significantly higher habitat heterogeneity (12.25 ±0.16) but species richness was low (1.4 ±0.11) due to poor habitat combination variations (66.7% of BEUs, n=148) and high anthropogenic pressure manifested in the form of Total Coliform (27765 ±4407.1 ppm), nitrate (1.03 ±0.07 mg/L), built-up areas (11.21 ±1 m2) and sand mining in 31% of the BEUs. Lower Ganga had higher presence of deep pools resulting in higher encounter rate of dolphins.

Our analysis suggested “Good” Ecological health of the Middle Ganga and “Fair” Ecological health of the Lower Ganga. It provides fine-scale insights on ecological status of the river based on which good river stretches can be prioritized for conservation and degraded stretches can be restored.

Keywords: Conservation prioritization, habitat restoration, species-habitat relationships, river management

Project Title : Biodiversity and Ganga Conservation Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. S.A. Hussain & Dr. Ruchi Badola Researcher(s)

: Project Scientists: Shivani Barthwal, Niladri Dasgupta; Spatial Analysist: S.K. Zeeshan Ali; Project Associates: Goura C. Das, Aftab A. Usmani; Project Fellows: Michelle Irengbam, Saurav Gawan, Shuchismita Das, Ajay P. Rawat, P. Gangaimaran, Aishwarya Ramchandran.

Funding Agency : National Mission for Clean Ganga Project Duration : July 2016 – December 2019


11


The Tamil Nadu colonial nesting waterbird Atlas: Assessment of their Status and distribution

-Frank S.J.D

Aim: Colonial nesting waterbirds face major risks to their populations and its habitats. The present study as part of national atlas of colonial nesting waterbirds aims to strengthen the knowledge base by conducting a state wide survey in Tamil Nadu on the status of colonial nesting water birds and investigate associated threats.

Location: The study was conducted across the state of Tamil Nadu during both the season i.e) South-west and North-east monsoon (2017-2019).

Methods: Approx > 60,000 km spanning across the 35 districts of Tamil Nadu were surveyed covering major wetlands (lakes, ponds, rivers) for the presence of waterbird breeding colonies. Information pertaining to nesting area, activity period in the nesting site, nest trees used, nesting species, number of nests and conservation threats were collected during nesting season (October 2017- July 2019). Detailed photo documentation for the nesting sites and species were recorded.

Results: A total of 99* heronries were identified as breeding sites during October 2017- July 2019 in 20 districts. About 18% of the nesting sites fall under the category of protected area and 82 % in non-protected area. Twenty of the 26 water bird species were found to be nesting in Tamil Nadu. In general species richness of nesting waterbirds was high in protected area when compared with non-protected area. Acacia nilotica, Prosopis juliflora, Peltophorum pterocarpum, Azadiracta indica, Tamarindus indicus etc, were found to be major nesting trees.

Conclusion: Sites that were recorded during the observed period (2017-2019) were mostly new when compared with previous sites. From the observation it is found that most of the heronries active in the past has been found to be lost. This may be due to various factors like removal of nesting trees, anthropogenic disturbances (indiscriminate hunting) and changes in monsoon pattern. Moreover there has been a major shift in the nesting behaviour of waterbirds showing preference towards human dominated landscape which itself is a challenge in identifying when taken into consideration the enormous waterbodies in Tamil Nadu.

Keywords: Heronries, Conservation, Sites, Monsoon, Waterbodies

Project Title : Atlas of Colonial nesting waterbirds in the east coast states of India. Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Gopi.G.V and Dr. Bivash Pandav Researcher(s) : JRF Funding Agency : WII (Grant in Aid) Project Duration : April 2017- April 2020


12


Dugong conservation in India- Making Partnerships in Endangered Species

Conservation

-Prachi Hatkar

Aim: One of the important objectives of dugong recovery program to raise awareness among stakeholders about the importance and ecological roles of the species and its habitat in the marine ecosystem. Therefore, this program is aimed to achieve this objective through partnerships with various stakeholders including local fishing communities.

Study area: Awareness, education and outreach programs were conductedd in all three dugong distribution ranges in India viz Gulf of Kutch(Gujarat), Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay (Tamil Nadu) and Andaman Islands.

Methods: We identified stakeholders in study sites ranging from government organizations, enforcement agencies, nongovernment bodies and native communities through a consultation process in all study areas. Our outreach programs consisted of community workshop, presentations, street plays, rallies, beach clean-up activities, exhibitions, TV shows, radio programs etc. We targeted school children of fisher community using unique approach of Dugong Scholarship Program. In addition, we also conducted capacity building programs for frontline staff of enforcement agencies, researchers, school teachers and representative of local community.

Result: During 2018-19, total 204 outreach programs were conducted in all three sites viz 110 in Tami Nadu, 51 in Andaman Islands and 43 in Gujarat which have reached over 10,000 people. Under the phase-II of Dugong Scholarship Program 100 more students from Tamil Nadu and 46 students from Andaman Islands, 22 students from Gujarat have been selected as Dugong Ambassadors in 2019. Dugong Volunteer Network has increased the feeling of belongingness towards dugong and sea grass conservation. With continuous streaming of information on dugong distribution and stranding, the field team and forest department have been enabled to respond swiftly and initiate necessary action on the ground. Improved partnerships have led to a better understanding of the interests and activities of participants in decision making in the endangered species program. Also, it has helped in clarifying the role of human values in the recovery process, including programmatic decision-making outcomes.

Conclusion: Awareness and nature education programs in partnership with stakeholders especially local institutions and communities proved to be more efficient in conservation of marine species especially dugongs.

Keywords: Awareness, Dugong ambassadors, outreach, stakeholders

Project Title : Recovery of Dugongs and their Habitats in India: An Integrated Participatory Approach

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. K. Sivakumar and Dr. J.A. Johnson

Researcher(s) : Project Assistant

Funding Agency : CAMPA

Project Duration : 2016-2021


13


Community’s role in Dugong Conservation: Insights from Tamil Nadu

- Rukmini Shekar & Madhu Magesh

Aim: Evaluate the efficacy of capacity and awareness building programs among local stakeholders towards participatory management of dugongs and their habitats in Tamil Nadu.

Location: Study area extends from Adhiramapattinam, Palk Bay to Tuticorin, Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu, covering nearly 400km of coastline with 4000km2 sea areas. It includes a major part of the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve’s Eco-development zone.

Methods: Organized series of stakeholders consultations and awareness programs. Selected stakeholders were provided SCUBA training to promote eco-tourism and community based marine biodiversity monitoring. Organized the Dugong Scholarship Programme, awareness rallies and coastal clean-ups programs with school children, youth, men and women. Efficacy of these programs was related with volunteer reporting’s of dugongs sightings and stranding, number of dugongs rescued and released from fishing nets, reduction in poaching of dugongs and other protected marine life.

Results: Three coastal clean-ups, 14community meetings, four capacity building activities, questionnaire and fish market surveys, and an awareness rally were conducted for fisherfolk, students, Tamil Nadu Forest Department (TNFD) and Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group (TNCSG); both individually and/or in collaboration with TNFD and TNCSG between September2018 and July2019. As part of the Dugong Scholarship Programme, 1300students appeared for the exam and 100were selected to receive the scholarship, on merit basis. Fifty schools from three coastal districts participated. Now, 153students from Tamil Nadu alone, receive the scholarship. The Dugong Volunteer network was expanded to over 1700people, including the Forest and Police departments. Dead stranding of 13 dugongs were recorded from August,2018 to August,2019. Poaching of dugongs has declined and two entangled dugongs have been released back. A part of Palk Bay has been proposed as a Dugong Conservation Reserve, not only because of the abundance of seagrasses and Dugongs in the area, but owing to the high dependency and tremendous support extended by the local community.

Conclusion: Capacity and awareness building programs among local stakeholders towards participatory management of dugongs and their habitats in Tamil Nadu were found to be more efficient and help in recovery of dugongs and their habitats.

Keywords: Outreach, stranding, scholarship, conservation reserve, volunteer

Project Title : Recovery of Dugongs and their habitats in India: an integrated participatory approach Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. K Sivakumar, Dr. J A Johnson Researcher(s) : Rukmini Shekar and Madhu Magesh (Project Fellows) Funding Agency : CAMPA Project Duration : 2016-2021


14


Dugongs, Seagrasses and Livelihoods: Tales of fisherfolk from

the Andaman Islands

-Swapnali Gole

Aim: Dugong population in the Andaman Islands is relict and fisheries contribute to some of the major threats to existing individuals in terms of gill net entanglement, boat strike and hunting. Thus, understanding awareness about dugongs and seagrasses amongst fisherfolk, nature of their interaction and attitude towards conserving it, is crucial in dugong conservation. Therefore, we aimed to document traditional knowledge of fisherfolk in Andaman Islands to understand their level of awareness, dugong distribution and habitat use across a gradient of fishing pressure.

Location: The present study was carried out in the Andaman Islands.

Methods We carried stratified sampling across high to low fishing pressure areas in the Andaman Islands and interviewed fisherfolk (n=64) using semi structured questionnaire.

Results: All respondents were aware about dugongs, while only 64.51% had seen it. About 96.78 % of people were aware about seagrasses although it was misidentified as sea algae by 20.63%. Of the total respondents, 58.73% used motorized vessel thus, having a vast fishing range as opposed to 41.26% fisherfolk non-motorized boat users restricting fishing activities to near shore creeks. Hook-line was mostly used gear (36.30%) followed by gill nets (24.65%) which are one of the major threats to dugongs. Further, respondents (19%) reported negative interaction with dugongs throughout the survey range either as net entanglement (11.11%) or direct intake (7.93%), making Diglipur and Little Andaman sensitive for dugong conservation.

Several people (26.98%) believed that there was a decline in the seagrass coverage in the region and attributed this loss to tsunami 2004. Seagrass habitats were used for gleaning (33.33%), fishing (20.63%) and boat anchorage (15.87%). Lastly, information on new seagrass meadows was given by informants.

Conclusion: Fishing villages with negative interaction with dugongs were identified for focused outreach activities in next season. Wide coverage of Dugong volunteering network throughout the Andaman Islands resulted in two successful rescues of net entangled dugongs from North Andaman, as a major boost to our conservation efforts.

Keywords: traditional knowledge, sensitization, dugong rescue

Project Title : Recovery of Dugongs and their habitats in India: An integrated participatory approach

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr K Sivakumar, Dr J A Johnson

Researcher(s) : Swapnali Gole/ Project Fellow




15


Molecular evidence for the continued use of river dolphin oil in India: Implications

for conservation

-Shweta Singh

Aim: To understand the current status of the use of dolphin oil, and also test the efficacy of using molecular tools to monitor the presence of Dolphin DNA in oils .

Location: Fish bait oil sample was collected from Dhubri

(26.1359°N, 89.9253°E) in Assam.

Methods: DNA was extracted from four field collected purported dolphin oil samples. The mitochondrial cytochrome b region used universally for species identification was targeted for amplification and sequencing for species identification. The sequences were assigned species using NCBI Blast.

Results: Three out of four samples successfully yielded DNA which was further used for detecting the presence of Dolphin DNA. A molecular tool is an accurate technique for detecting the presence of dolphin DNA. Two sequences showed 100% identity with Platanista gangetica gangetica sequences on the NCBI database, while the remaining sample was identified to be that of a domestic goat.

Conclusion: A molecular tool is an accurate technique for detecting the presence of dolphin DNA through the modified protocol developed in this study. The results prove that, despite the promotion of alternate to dolphin oils for bait fishing, dolphin oil is still in rampant use. The promotion of alternate oil also raises the question of endangering native cat fishes that are targeted through these bait oil fishing. To ban the bait fishing effective law enforcement combined with monitoring through molecular tools, continued community engagement and livelihood skill development is the most viable solution.

Project Title : Development of Conservation Action Plan for Ganges River Dolphin

Principal Investigator(s) : Prof. Qamar Qureshi, Dr. Vishnupriya Kolipakam, Dr. S.A. Hussain

Researcher(s) : Senior Research Biologist




16


Secrets of commensalism and co-existence of Kites in Delhi

-Urvi Gupta

Aim: Growing urbanization is increasing human-wildlife interactions, including attacks towards humans by predators in cities due to increasing urbanization, human encroachment of natural habitats, occasional expansion of green-spaces, intentional feeding to attract wildlife, and growing adaptation of animal species to urban ecosystems. Here we examine the role of ecological, landscape and human factors in promoting human-aggression by Black kites Milvus migrans and the social perceptions that support their high densities.

Study and Method: The study was conducted at 20 sampling plots, stratified randomly throughout Delhi to cover the urban gradients. Data on kite attacks was collected during nest-checks through 2013–2016. We brought in parity in the dataset for the logistic mixed model in order to make it equal and comparable between the two group visits (attacking vs non-attacking; n=36 each). This was based on our prior assessment, wherein, the breeding stage, nest location, and the sampling dates, have shown to affect the nesting pair’s aggressive behaviour. We tested the hypothesis that individuals more exposed to humans and food subsidies were more likely to attack. Additionally, semi-structured interviews (N=278) were conducted to understand tolerance, coexistence, and the extent and prevalence of attacks.

Result: We found attacks were associated with poor waste management, ritual-feeding, human density, and the presence of a balcony near the nest, suggesting the role of frequent-close exposure to humans. Although our estimate of attacking pairs (~30%) is minor, the local high density of kites over a large area (average density 19.02 ± 7.43 pairs/km2) implies that Delhi could easily hold over 8500 aggressive pairs. This suggests more than 100,000 people could possibly be at risk of attack or injury. However, local inhabitants’ attitudes were strikingly sympathetic towards the birds, likely as a result of biophillia mediated by empathy common to all faiths, and scavenging ecosystem-services of kites.

Discussion and Conclusion: The results highlight the importance of socio-cultural factors, and their role in driving and resolving conflict. The rapid urban sprawl, and its associated food -subsidies, is likely to increase proximity and exposure of predators to humans, and vice versa, leading to heightened worldwide conflicts. We stress that people’s emotions and tolerance will be key to conservation.

Keywords: Conflict, food subsidies, perceptions, urbanization

Project Title : Black Kite Project

Principal Investigator(s) : Prof(s) Y V Jhala, Q Qureshi and Dr. Fabrizio Sergio (External)

Researcher(s) : Nishant Kumar (Senior Research Fellow); Urvi Gupta (Project Biologist)

Funding Agency : Raptor Research and Conservation Foundation; University of Oxford; Microwave Telemetry; CSIC Spain



17


Population Management of Species in Conflict

-Priya Gusain

Aim: This study aims to explore more humane methods of controlling population of species involved in human-

wildlife conflict. Various causes exist which contribute to conflict; thus, it demands multiple approaches and

solutions. Current mitigation strategies such as barriers and translocation are short term measures. In areas

where conflict is caused by locally over abundant populations of species, population control methods like

sterilization and immunocontraception may be applied to investigate their potential. The procedure of surgical

sterilization has permanent impact on reproduction whereas immunocontraception is a reversible process. In this

study we propose and intend to investigate the potential of immunocontraceptives as one of the long-term

mitigation measures of human-wildlife conflict.

Methods: Immunocontraception is a phenomenon based on immune response of an individual towards an

antigen; in this case porcine zona pellucida glycoproteins will work as antigens and antibody generation in

response to PZP vaccine will be assessed and correlated with the reproductive outcome. Before field trials the

vaccine will be tested in captive settings for safety and efficacy. Also, captive studies will allow us to derive

dosages and booster frequency for effective application of vaccine in the field. Pre- and post-vaccination serum

of animals will be tested for generation of anti-PZP antibodies along with monitoring of reproductive hormones

during estrous cycle of females to understand the impact of vaccination on reproductive physiology, if any.

Results & Conclusion: As of now the trials for PZP have not begun as the process of identification of potential

sites, acquiring infrastructure and permissions from authorized bodies are still ongoing. Published evidences of

PZP trials in field support the efficacy and safety of this vaccination. The multispecies applicability of the vaccine

makes it a potential candidate to be tried as a conflict mitigation tool. The only hitch is the limited availability of

PZP vaccine, as it is being produced for research purposes only. Efforts are required for upscaled production of

vaccine in our country which will drastically reduce the application cost.

Key words: Immunocontraception, antigen, antibody, zona pellucida.

Project Title : Population Management of Species involved in Human-Wildlife Conflict

Principal Investigator(s) : Prof. Qamar Qureshi, Dr. Y V Jhala

Researcher(s) : Priya Gusain, Divya Ramesh, Sanath K Muliya (Project Scientists), Uddalak T Bindhani (Project Fellow)

Funding Agency : Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change



18


Tiger conservation initiative in Nandhaur landscape: An update

-Ajaz Hussain

Aim: Capacity building of front-line staff in biological monitoring and enhancing conservation initiative in and around Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Study Area: Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary (NWS) and adjoining landscape in Uttarakhand.

Methods: Fifteen training workshop on biological monitoring and law enforcement were conducted for front-line staff of NWS during 2018-2019. Following standard capture-recapture framework (Camera-trap) we estimated tiger and prey population involving the front-line staff. A total of 10 training workshops on patrol-based monitoring using MSTrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) were conducted. A total of 1,086 long and short-range patrols were carried during January 2018 to April 2019 in NWS. Questionnaire survey were carried out in 2018 for HWC and socio-economic status of communities around NWS.

Results: A total of 74 front-line staff have been trained in setting camera traps and 65 persons in MSTrIPES in NWS. A total of 27 unique individual of tigers were identified in 2018, with a tiger density of 3.26±0.64/100 km2 as against density of 2.9±1.0/100 km2 estimated in 2014, using camera traps. Ungulates density was estimated at 6.88±2.14 per km2 in 2018 and 17±4.06 density per km2 in 2019. Total of nine conflict hotspots have been identified in Nandhaur landscape and 799 incidences of livestock depredation and 274 crop damage were recorded from 45 villages. Twenty early warning system have been deployed which has resulted in 90% decrease in crop depredation by elephants. The fuel wood and fodder consumption from forest were 4.13±0.17 tons and 2.55±0.2 tons per household per year respectively. Fodder production and restoration of degraded village land and well-developed enterprise-led development programme (dairy, apiculture and food processing) driven by local community has been initiated to reduce biotic pressure on NWS.

Conclusion: The tiger monitoring data indicates recovery of tiger and prey in NWS during last five year. The capacity building of the front-line staff for biological monitoring and law enforcement monitoring is institutionalized in this landscape.

Keywords: Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary, Early Warning System, MSTrIPES, Human Wildlife Conflict.

Project Title : Supporting trans-boundary tiger recovery in India and Nepal by extending activities into Nandhaur Wildlife

Sanctuary.

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. G. S. Rawat, Dr. P.K. Malik, Shri. D.V.S. Khati , Dr. Bivash Pandav and Dr. Harish Guleria

Researcher(s) : Mr. Ajaz Hussain, Senior Project Biologist, Mr. Harshvardhan Singh Rathore, Senior Project Biologist and Mr.

Gaurav Sirola, Project Fellow

Funding Agency : Zoological Society of London (ZSL), IUCN, ITHCP and KfW

Project Duration : November 2017-September 2019


19


Factors that shape vegetation in the arid zone of India

- S. Aaranya Gayathri

Aim: In this Anthropocene era, it has become important to make predictions in plant-animal distributions as a function of the predicted changing conditions. Thus, the need to determine what shapes different vegetation structures are recognised, but, the results are often scale specific and rarely single factor determined. We investigate what determines the proportion of growth-forms i.e. grass, tree, shrub etc. and therefore, whether it is a grassland or a savanna.

Location: Thar Desert, North-Western Rajasthan, India.

Methods: We sampled for vegetation in 67 one km2 grids spread across a 12,432 km2 study area capturing heterogeneity in precipitation. We analysed soil samples collected from sampled grids for soil texture, water holding capacity, total organic carbon, rodded and loose bulk densities. We collared three types of livestock (n=28) to determine potential grazing pressure in the sampled grids as one of the determinants. We used redundancy analysis and generalized linear models to determine the determinants of vegetation structure and their species communities.

Results: Our results show that vegetation structure, i.e. proportion of different growth-forms is determined by precipitation, soil compaction and goat grazing pressure (R2=0.15). The species communities within the vegetation structure were determined by precipitation and goat grazing pressure (R2=0.06). Each growth form responds differently to the determining factors, with tree having a positive relationship with precipitation and grass having a negative relationship with goat grazing pressure. A predictive modelling shows the presence of mixed grassland, soft grassland, tree savanna, and tree-shrub savanna in the study area.

Conclusion: Predicted map indicates that 62.7% of the study area is already lost to agriculture/settlement. Enclosures of Desert National Park protects only one vegetation structure type and covers less than 1%. We emphasize the urgent need to delineate conservation areas to preserve the remaining grasslands before a complete wipe-out of vegetation structure types occur.

Keywords: community composition; grassland-savanna transition; livestock grazing; tipping points; vegetation structure

Project Title : Factors that shape vegetation in the arid zone of India

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Malvika Onial, Dr. Navendu Page

Researcher(s) : S. Aaranya Gayathri

Funding Agency : WII Grant-in-Aid

Project Duration : 2017 – 2019


20


See through Sound: Understanding the pattern of habitat use by Gangetic river

dolphin in Kaziranga part of Brahmaputra River

- Abhishek B.

Aim: Assessment of abundance, occurrence pattern, activity and habitat usage of the Gangetic river Dolphin in Kaziranga part of Brahmaputra River.

Location: The present study is focused on a 92km stretch of the Brahmaputra river that flows through Kaziranga National park, Assam. This section of river is less disturbed in terms of anthropogenic activities such as fishing, sand mining, etc. and receives additional protection by the Forest Department. The study was conducted between December 2018 and April 2019.

Methods: Cross-sectional depth and velocity profiling of the river at every 2 Km segment was generated and water discharge at every segment was estimated, followed by the fish sampling using gill and cast nets. Classification and mapping of the river types was carried out to understand habitat features. For estimation of Gangetic river Dolphin abundance, double observer Mark-recapture survey method was adopted. Acoustic recording using CPOD instruments was used for understanding habitat use pattern.

Results: The 43 two km segments in the river was broadly classified under seven different river morphologies. Out of these segments, wide channel was the most frequent river habitat type (17 segments). The average depth and velocity estimated in the lean water period were 4.83±1.28 meters and 0.50 ± 0.14 m/s respectively. In the case of fish availability, forty different fish species (871 individuals) were recorded in the river stretch, in which 1-10 cm size class encountered highest number in terms of species as well as abundance. The abundance of Gangetic Dolphin in the study area was estimated to be 125 ± 24.33(n=3) individuals (including Adult, Sub-adult and Calf) with encounter rate of 0.61/km using double observer mark recapture technique. Total of 3447 hours of acoustic recording in 43 segments showed that Gangetic river Dolphin was active throughout 24 hours. However, the peak activity time period varied across different habitat types. Dolphins were more active in daytime in Confluences, meanders and mid-Channel Islands but in Narrow channels the activity was more during night time.

Conclusion: Based on all estimated parameters, the distribution of Gangetic river dolphin was found to be influenced by river depth, velocity and fish abundance in the river channel. Complex habitat structures like river confluences, meanders and Mid-Channel Islands are found to be important channel units in terms of Dolphin habitat use patterns in lean water period (December-march)

Keywords: Gangetic river Dolphin, Abundance, Activity pattern, Fish size, Habitat use

Project Title : See through Sound: Understanding the pattern of habitat use by Gangetic river dolphin in Kaziranga part of Brahmaputra River

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr.J.A. Johnson and Prof. Qamar Qureshi

Researcher(s) : Abhishek B




21


Investigating the Social Structure of Female Asiatic Lions

- Doli Borah

The natural asymmetries in prevailing competition among individuals of group living animals may result in social dominance hierarchies. Among all the felids, Lion is the only social cat who lives in distinct fission-fusion social groups called prides with a dynamic social system. In this study I investigated the social structure of female Asiatic lions through behavioural observation in Gir Protected Area of Gujarat. The questions I attempt to answer were a) Is there any social hierarchy within lionesses in a pride, b) How are the pride members related to each other (c) If there is dominance hierarchy, then how it is related to age and kinship between pride members.

All occurrences sampling was done for recording interactions among the female pride members. Scat samples of the study groups were collected with the individual’s identity for genetic analysis and a panel of 15 microsatellites was used for genotyping lions and subsequently computing their kinship. I constructed social networks, indices of dominance and correlated these with group sizes and age-category of lionesses. I used David’s score to calculate the ranks of the females of each group. My results indicate a strict linear order of hierarchy in the upper strata of the dominant females while in the lower strata this linearity tapers off into more amorphous dominant-subordinate relationships. Surprisingly I found unrelated lionesses within prides of related individuals. These non-kin lionesses were usually at the lower strata of dominance within a pride.

Dominance was found to be age related with older females mostly being dominant over younger ones. Based on my results I conclude that lionesses within Asiatic lion prides exhibit dominance and subordinate behaviour. There is linearity in the hierarchy in upper strata of dominant individuals and this linearity was reflected in both aggressive and affiliative interaction. The pride was found to be composed of related individuals but surprisingly also had unrelated adult lionesses However, my study opens up more questions than it answers for an in-depth long-term study on kinship related fitness within social prides.

Keywords: Dominance hierarchy, interaction, kinship, age, social network Project Title : Investigating the Social Structure of Female Asiatic Lions Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Vishnupriya Kolipakkam and Dr. Y.V. Jhala

Researcher(s) : Doli Borah




22


Factors influencing small carnivore community structure in Chandoli National

Park, Northern Western Ghats

-Himanshu Lad

Aim and Background: India harbors about 32 species of small carnivores with North-east region and Western Ghats serving as the two hot-spots having higher endemism. With most of our attention focused towards conserving large sized charismatic carnivores, lesser known small carnivores who play an important ecological role in seed dispersal, stabilizing smaller prey population and also acting as prey species for large-sized carnivores remain largely unstudied.

The main objective of the study was to understand drivers of spatial distribution and temporal variations amongst sympatric small carnivores present in the study area.

Location – The current study was conducted in Chandoli National Park (Area 317.67 Km2) of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. It was notified as a national park in 2004. CNP is an integral part of northern Western Ghats acting as a connecting link in Sahyadri wildlife corridor.

Methods – Sign survey and Camera trapping was conducted using grid-based sampling (grid size =0.5 km2, n=72). Habitat parameters collected consisted of canopy cover, fruiting trees, average tree height, undergrowth type, habitat type, trail type, capture probabilities of predators. The detection probability and occupancy probability were calculated using the software PRESENCE. Time-activity patterns were determined using software Oriana and package ‘camtrapR’.

Results – From the sign survey, information was also collected on civet’s diet which resulted in identification of five commonly consumed fruit species in the dry season. Camera trapping resulted in photo-captures of seven species of small carnivores which included endemic species like Striped-necked mongoose and Brown palm civet. Three species of small cats were also recorded from the study area. Temporal activity patterns showed inter-species variation for Brown palm civet and Striped-necked mongoose. There was considerable degree of spatial overlap between all small carnivore species to predator’s presence. Activity overlap showed temporal segregation between small and large carnivores possibly to avoid intra-guild predation.

Conclusion:This study provided information on local distribution, dietary patterns of palm civets and time-activity patterns of small carnivores in Chandoli National Park in the dry season. This would further help in taking suitable management interventions for conserving the northern limit of Brown Palm civet’s habitat.

Keywords: Camera-trapping, species-habitat relationship, occupancy, time-activity patterns, small carnivores

Project Title : Factors influencing small carnivore community structure in Chandoli National Park, Northern Western Ghats Principal Investigator(s) : Dr.Gopi.G.V and Dr. Bilal Habib

Researcher(s) : Himanshu Lad




23


Same or Different? Foraging and nesting habitat of eastern Indian Olive Ridley

sea turtle populations

- Mohit Mudliar

Most studies on Indian olive ridley are clustered along Odisha due to the presence of mass nesting (Arribada) but the knowledge about turtles from other nesting areas with solitary nesting is sparse. This study looked if turtles of two different nesting areas viz., Chennai, Tamil Nadu and Rushikulya, Odisha have difference in foraging and if the habitat of arribada nesting ground differs from that of solitary nesting ground at Rushikulya, Odisha.

To look upon the difference in foraging, stable isotope analysis of carbon was done. Since different habitats are known to have different ratios of heavy and lighter carbon isotopes, the same is reflected in the tissue of organisms feeding in those habitat. This difference can be checked with stable isotope analysis. Stable isotope analysis was done from turtle humerus bone that was collected from Rushikulya (N=58) and Chennai (N=42).

For comparison of arribada and non arribada beaches, four significant nesting habitat characteristics (sand moisture, salinity, sand size and beach slope) were observed from four different beach stretches of Rushikulya rookery. Two of these stretch are known to have arribada while the other two have only solitary nesting. Sand at nesting depth was sampled from 20 points for each study stretch to check the sand characteristics along with beach slope measured at every 100 meters.

Carbon isotope ratios were found to be different for Chennai and Rushikulya samples indicating difference in foraging areas. For sand moisture, sand size and beach slope, only one stretch was found to be significantly different from one or more stretches.

Three different foraging areas are known for turtles from Odisha and the result shows Chennai turtles have difference in forging. This can be due to relative use known foraging areas or new foraging areas altogether. The nesting habitat characteristics showed the beach which had arribada and the beach which never had arribada did not have significant difference in characteristics showing these on-shore characteristics might not be important in beach selection by arribada nesting turtles.

Keyword: Stable isotope, arribada, solitary nesting, nesting habitat, east coast of India

Project Title : Patterns of foraging in olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) population on the east coast of India,

and habitat characteristics of the arribada nesting ground at Rushikulya Principal Investigator(s) : Dr.K. Sivakumar, Dr. Gopi.G.V and Dr. Kartik Shanker (External)

Researcher(s) : Mohit Mudliar




24


Is it time to call the cows home?

-Nisam Mang L

Aim: To assess the impacts of livestock-induced disturbance on the vegetation composition and forest regeneration of the Sikkim Himalayan mid-elevation forests.

Location: The study was conducted in Sikkim’s West district –in the buffer area of Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve and inside Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary.

Field methods: Eight sites were sampled. The boundary of each pasture was digitized and a buffer area around the pasture core was constructed. Sampling points were randomly laid 50m apart throughout both the core and buffer areas. At each sampling point, 100m2 plot was laid for trees, 25m2 for shrubs, seedlings and saplings and 1m2 for herbs.

Analytical methods: ANOSIM was used to check for significant differences between the species composition across the various grazing levels. SIMPER analysis was used to check which species contributed to between-group dissimilarity and similarity. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to check for significant difference of seedling densities across grazing levels. A Generalized Linear Model framework was used to investigate the relationship between vegetation structure, topographical factors and regeneration density.

Results: Plant species composition differed significantly among various livestock grazing levels. Seedling densities were overall lower in actively grazed pastures than in abandoned pastures. Seedling densities for buffer forested areas of the different livestock grazing levels were comparable, apart from the lightly grazed treatment, which had very low densities. Sapling densities was higher in and around lightly grazed pastures, than the other livestock grazing levels. Seedlings and saplings in lightly grazed areas were from the same species pool. Livestock grazing levels, slope value, shrub volume and position of plot (within core or buffer) influenced seedling and sapling densities. Areas with and without active livestock grazing had similar proportions of unpalatable:palatable species.

Conclusion: Successful regeneration occurs across the different livestock grazing levels; however, the composition of regenerating species differs. Restoration of disturbed forests by artificial regeneration may not be required, as it may interfere with natural successional dynamics already in motion.

Keywords: livestock grazing; regeneration; abandoned pasture; temperate forest; eastern Himalayas

Project Title : Is it time to call the cows home? Principal Investigator(s) : Dr.G.S. Rawat, Dr. S. Sathyakumar and Dr. Sandep Tambe

Researcher(s) : Nisam Mang L.




25


Vigilance Architecture and Emergence-Return behavior of Indian Flying Fox

-Pratik Das

Aim: Vigilance is a manifestation of competition in gregarious canopy roosting bats such as Indian Flying fox. Vigilance can vary spatially and temporally. We investigated spatial vigilance architecture in colonies of Pteropus giganteus with respect to its function (environmental and social). We hypothesized that Environmental vigilance will increase from core to periphery while social vigilance will decrease respectively. Daily exodus to forage (emergence) and return to diurnal roosting sites were also investigated in relation to environmental cues.

Location: The study took place in three large permanent colonies of Cachar district in Southern Assam.

Methods: Independent focal behavior samples (approx. 300 s) of core and peripheral bats within a colony were randomly taken. Outermost bats making up the colony surface were designated peripheral while ones positioned inner to it are designated core. On ‘proportions of time spent in each vigilance type’, descriptive statistics and t-tests were used to compare vigilance type between core and peripheral bats. Bats exiting and returning a colony were timed and environmental variables like temperature, humidity, sunrise sunset timings, etc. were recorded. Significant correlations between emergence-return and environmental variables were determined respectively.

Results: Spatial position influenced extent of environmental or social vigilance. A significant increase in environmental vigilance towards periphery of the roosts was evident [Average percentage of vigilance in periphery=5.26 (SE=0.67) and core=0.93 (SE=0.38)]- Edge effect. Also, an unexpected increase in social vigilance towards periphery was observed [Average percentage of vigilance in periphery =1.95 (SE=0.80) and core=0.93 (SE=0.80)] reverse Guard effect. Hence spatial vigilance architecture is prevalent in colonies of Pteropus giganteus. Emergence and return significantly varied between late winter and early summer seasons (t =-9.65, p < 0.01 and t = 6.51, p < 0.01 respectively). Emergence and return times were significantly correlated with sunset (r= 0.96) and sunrise (r=0.98) respectively. However, return maybe earlier on cooler days. Pteropus giganteus displayed quicker initiation of emergence in early summer.

Keywords: Chiroptera, Fruit bat, Colony, Diurnal behavior, Assam

Project Title : Vigilance Architecture and Emergence-Return behavior of Indian Flying Fox Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Salvador Lyngdoh and Dr. S.P. Goyal

Researcher(s) : Pratik Das




26


Resource use and Distribution Patterns of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in sub-Himalayan river systems of Uttarakhand

- Sayanti Basak

Aim: Global extinction of species, as a consequence of the upsurge in anthropogenic pressure on natural ecosystems, is occurring at an exponential pace. With the increasing human population, the growing demand for water resources has jeopardized the resource requirements for otters. This study entails the understanding of patterns of distribution, habitat use and diet of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in areas subjected to different disturbance regimes in the sub-Himalayan river systems of Uttarakhand.

Study area: The study was conducted in rivers – Khoh, Kolhu, Rawasan, Malin, Palain, Mandal and Ganga, encompassing three protected areas – Lansdowne Forest Division, Kalagarh Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park of Uttarakhand.

Methods: Indirect signs with associated habitat covariates were used to assess factors influencing otter habitat use. Habitat availability and utilisation was analysed using non-mapping technique as suggested by Marcum and Loftsgaarden (1980). Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) with binomial error distribution and logit-link function were used to evaluate habitat variables influencing otter occurrence in an area. Frequency of occurrence and score-bulk estimate was used to analyse otter diet from spraints (n=120). Habitat suitability was predicted for the landscape using MaxEnt modelling.

Results: Non-mapping technique indicated that otters prefer deep (3 – 6 m) pools, with muddy and sandy bank substrate and moderate to sparse bank side vegetation. From GLM results it was inferred that pools with muddy substrate show a significant positive association with otters, while riffles with boulders as bank substrate negatively influence otter occurrence. Fishes of small and medium-sized lengths formed the predominant prey of otters. MaxEnt modelling revealed that only 4.9 % of the available area in the region was suitable for the species.

Conclusion: This study highlights that the presence of otters in a region is governed by habitat heterogeneity, diversity of prey species and relatively low disturbance regime. The overarching principle of the study involving resource use for understanding the distribution of L. perspicillata in the landscape will aid in a multi-faceted conservation approach for the species.

Keywords: diet, habitat suitability, MaxEnt, spraints

Project Title : Resource use and Distribution Patterns of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in sub-Himalayan river systems of Uttarakhand

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. S.A. Hussain, Dr. Bivash Pandav, Dr. J.A. Johnson

Researcher(s) : Sayanti Basak




27


Patterns of bird community structure in relation to land-use driven habitat changes in the arid grasslands of Thar Desert

- Varun Kher

Introduction and aim: The Indian Thar desert has seen massive loss of grassland habitat in the last few decades, largely due to change in land-use from pastoralism to agriculture, leading to expansion of cultivated land over grasslands. This expansion, further compounded by simultaneous rise in livestock population has drastically increased grazing pressure on the remaining rangelands. To complicate things further, irrigation schemes (notably the Indira Gandhi Canal) have led to intensification of agriculture in many areas. The sole protected area in the region – the “Desert National Park WLS” – is home to more than 50k people and has also seen substantial habitat loss due to land-use change. In this context, my study looks at the impacts of land-use change on native fauna with bird communities as the model taxon.

Methods: Birds were surveyed on sixty-eight transects that were placed in a ~2000 sq.km area in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. These transects were laid proportionally over four strata which represented a particular management regime – Protected grasslands (Regulated Grazing), rangelands (Intensive grazing), non-irrigated croplands (low-intensity agriculture) & irrigated croplands (high-intensity agriculture). Fieldwork for the study was conducted between December 2018 & April 2019.

Results: At the local scale, rangelands and non-irrigated croplands had bird communities that were similar to protected grasslands in terms of species richness, abundance and community composition. At the landscape scale, rangelands and non-irrigated croplands were together able to sustain all the species found in protected grasslands. On the contrary, local bird communities of irrigated croplands were significantly different from the communities of the other three land-use types. The species richness and overall abundance of these communities in irrigated croplands was significantly higher while the community composition was drastically different from all others land-use types. This change in community structure was primarily driven by presence of originally non-native species that have colonised irrigated croplands, especially along the Indira Gandhi Canal. At the landscape scale, Irrigated croplands did not sustain many species that were observed in protected grasslands and the other two land-use types.

Conservation implication: My results suggest that irrigation driven intensification of agriculture is the primary habitat threat to bird communities of the Indian Thar desert. Extensive agriculture, often perceived to be very detrimental for biodiversity of the region, can in fact provide secondary refugia for many bird species. Similarly, intensively grazed rangelands are also not very detrimental for native bird communities. My findings corroborate with many species-specific studies that have reported low-intensity croplands and rangelands to be important secondary habitats for grassland fauna. Results from this study further support the philosophy of strategically managing human-dominated arid/semi-arid areas as low-intensity agro-grassland mosaics to sustainably reconcile biodiversity conservation with human livelihoods.

Project Title : Patterns of bird community structure in relation to land use driven habitat changes in the dry grasslands of Thar Desert

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr Sutirtha Dutta, Dr Navendu Page and Dr Malvika Onial Researcher(s) : Varun Kher Funding Agency : WII Grant-in-Aid



28


Do dogs finally have their day?

- Subhashini K

Aim: This study aims to understand the effect of anthropogenic subsidies on the density, ranging, and human-derived subsidy usage patterns of free-ranging dogs. Attempts made to quantify the inter-species interactions and potential for dogs to act as disease reservoirs.

Location: Study area of Hanle is located within the Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary, Ladakh.

Methods: 1. Grids were laid for navigating in pathways of 3 Km to photograph dogs and record their locations, to mark them. Mark-resight method was used to arrive at abundance and half-MMDM method for density. 2. Six dogs with VHF transmitters were followed for 576 hours in total to get the home ranges. 95 % MCP’s were calculated and correlated with subsidy points and random points in the study area to understand the effect of subsidies. 3. Continuous focal animal sampling of 576 hours gave time spent in feeding and interactions. Also, the frequency of interactions were derived. 4. Seven blood samples and 18 fresh scat samples were tested to look for presence of Canine Parvo and Canine Distemper viruses.

Results: 1. Density of 0.9 dogs/Km2 with a detection probability of 0.6. Detection corrected encounter rates showed effect of subsidies were significant but only explained 28% of variation across the study area. 2. Mean home range of 1.43 ±0.51 Km2 and a maximum home range of 4.98 Km2 was obtained. The dog range points were clearly concentrated around areas with source of food subsidies rather than spread over the entire study area. 3. In January maximum feeding time was spent by scavenging as opposed to March where maximum feeding time was spent by feeding on direct human food. 4. 0.2 % of the total interaction time was spent on interacting (barking,chasing,injuring,killing) with wildlife and a maximum frequency of six interactions happened with Red foxes. 5. The diseases analysis of CPV and CDV turned out negative results.

Conclusion:1. Encounter rates to a lesser extent and ranging to a larger extent were dependent on the human subsidies. 2. Interaction with wildlife though of limited occurrence was mostly hostile. High dog densities translate this small negative interaction to indicate a certain degree of ill-effects on wildlife when robustly quantified.

Keywords: Free-Ranging Dogs, Trans-Himalaya, Wildlife Interactions, Human-derived Subsidy

Project Title : Do dogs finally have their day? Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Lallianpuii Kawlni, Dr. Y.V. Jhala and Dr. Suthirtha Dutta Researcher(s) : Subhashini K. Funding Agency : WII Grant-in-Aid



29


It’s all about the journey: Dispersing tigers in human dominated landscapes

-Zehidul Hussain

Dispersal is a fundamental, ecological and behavioural process affecting individual fitness as well as demography, genetic structure, and species distributions. One of the key tasks in studying dispersal is describing the processes associated during the event. This study aims to understand how dispersing sub-adult tigers explore fragmented habitat in a human dominated landscapes.

The study was carried out in the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape (EVL) of Maharashtra which includes Protected Areas (PAs) such as Bor Tiger Reserve, Chaprala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Tippeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Umred-Karhandla Wildlife Sanctuary and; forested areas outside PAs.

We fitted 21 tigers with GPS Plus Vectronics collars during 2015-2019. Out of 21 collared tigers, five sub-adult males and one female dispersed and established their own territory away from their natal areas. We studied movement metrics, net squared displacement (NSD) and space use during the dispersal process. We characterize space use patterns and assessed the landuse types using the linear time density model (LTD). We also examined how landscape variables and anthropogenic features influence movement by step selection function (SSF).

The average displacement of males (n=5) was 780.64 ±35.61 m while the female average displacement was 960.66 m. Males maximum NSD during dispersal was found to be 73.37 km and for female it was 80.28 km. The sum of the segments making up the trajectory path for males ranged between 65-983 km whereas the female path was 620 km before the establishment of the territory. Linear time density model showed that tigers used a matrix of forested areas for movement and resting, followed by agricultural fields. Difference in habitat selection were observed during dispersal and was positively associated with deciduous forest and agriculture while movement was negatively influenced by population density (p<0.05).

Understanding the movement and behaviour of tigers is important to determine anthropogenic barriers in movement path during dispersal. Our study highlights that seemingly fragmented forest patches or movement corridors across the landscape are indeed important in the dispersal process. Therefore, conserving fragmented patches beyond PAs is critical for long term conservation of tigers.

Keywords: Corridor, fragment, movement, space use, step selection function

Project Title : Studying the dispersal of tigers across the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape (EVL), Maharashtra, India

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib, Dr. Parag Nigam, APCCF (East) Nagpur

Researcher(s) : Zehidul Hussain (Senior Project Biologist), Pallavi Ghaskadbi (Senior Project Biologist)

Funding Agency : Maharashtra State Forest Department



30


Dear enemies vs Nasty Neighbours: Inter-pack interactions in Asiatic wild dogs (Cuon alpinus) in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India

-Pallavi Ghaskadbi

The function of holding territories is primarily to have access to resources like food and mates. However, it is costly in terms of energy and time investment. Solitary-living, territorial species have shown to reduce these costs by being more aggressive towards unfamiliar strangers and less aggressive towards their neighbours. However, in social territorial species, neighbours can impose a greater threat than strangers. We tested whether the highly social Asiatic wild dogs demonstrate the ‘nasty neighbour’ hypothesis showing more aggression towards neighbours than stranger packs.

The study was carried out in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in the Eastern Vidarbha Landscape, Maharashtra, India. TATR is one of the few remaining strongholds for the endangered dholes in this region.

We conducted scat translocation experiments wherein each dhole group was presented with fresh scats collected from different donour groups. Scats from groups viz. neighbours, strangers, and own group (control) were presented. Experiments were conducted in two different locations: the core and border of the radio-collared, experimental group’s territory. The following response variables were evaluated duration and number of i) individuals emitting worry calls; (ii) individuals counter-marking; and (iii) inspection bouts in 3 groups: dominant male, dominant female and others. We analyzed the experiments by running Generalized Linear Models and used Two-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tuckey’s test to understand individual level differences within packs.

In contrast to our hypothesis, the Asiatic wild dogs displayed more aggression towards stranger packs i.e. demonstrated the ‘dear enemy effect’. The best fit model (AIC=1136) included alpha female, stranger and neighbours as predictor variables to cumulative response duration. Dholes reacted aggressively to both neighbours and strangers but strangers elicited a stronger response (Est. 16.66, p<0.001). Pack size and location of experiment (core/border) did not have a significant role in Neighbour-Stranger Discrimination (NSD) and were dropped form the final model. Alpha females showed relatively greater response than alpha males and other individuals (diff -2.11, p=0.017).

Differences found between categories of dhole scent marks establish the importance of chemical communication among packs. Our results suggest that the scats are investigated on the basis of familiarity and the threat they may pose.

Project Title : Long term monitoring of tigers, co-predators and prey in Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra, India Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib, Dr. Parag Nigam Researcher(s) : Pallavi Ghaskadbi (Senior Project Biologist), Lynette Gomes (Junior Research Fellow) Funding Agency : Maharashtra Forest Department, NTCA Project Duration : 5 years


31


To howl or not to howl: Factors affecting the howling response in Indian grey wolf (Canis lupus pallipes)

-Sougata Sadhukhan

Howls are a part of vocal repertoire of a wolf (Canis lupus) used for territorial advertisement, pack cohesion and social interactions over long distances. By howling wolves also advertise their presence in a particular area. Traditionally, these functions have had a positive effect on the survival of the species. With the increasing human footprint especially in a country like India, howling by wolves may expose the pack members to various risks associated with the human presence. In this context we hypothesize that the response of wolf packs towards playback howls may vary with respect to utilization distribution (intensity of use of different parts of home range) within home range.

The study was conducted across semi-arid areas of Deccan, Maharashtra, India. Three wolf packs with radio collared individuals were selected to elicit howling response towards playback howls played using solo and chorus howls. We conducted 66 playback surveys across three wolf packs. Radio telemetry was used to track the packs with respect to home range utilization distribution. Once the presence of the pack was confirmed, howls were played solicit a response. Multiple regression analysis was performed to assess the effects of factors influencing howling response- season, howl Stimulus type, sunset, Utilisation distribution, Euclidean distance from settlement and number of playbacks. The utilisation zone consists of core and buffer zone. Within core area of the collared wolf packs, the forests extent is 41 % which decreases to 24% in the buffer area of the same pack. The agriculture and settlements contribute 59% and 76% in the core area and homerange of the collared packs respectively.

Wolves in their core home range (n=48, p=0.65) responded more often as compared to the buffer of their home range (n=18, p=0.33). The response rate was higher for chorus howls (p=0.61) compared to solo wolf howls (p=0.25). Additionally, the response also varied with respect to time of the day and season.

The rate of response was almost double in core home range than the buffer. Our results suggest that the rate of response decreases with increasing human footprint within wolf territories. This may be a survival strategy by the wolves to survive and exploit human dominated landscape to foster co-existence.

Keywords: Communication, playback, anthropocene, howl response

Project Title : Ecology of wolves with emphasis on dispersal in a human-dominated landscape, Maharashtra, India Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib (Scientist-E), Mr. Salvador Lyngdoh (Scientist-C) Researcher(s) : Sougata Sadhukhan, Junior Research Fellow Funding Agency : Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India Project Duration : 3 years


32


Interaction of carnivore communities in Kanha Tiger Reserve

-Jayanta Kumar Bora

Aim: Apex carnivores affect ecosystem functioning by top down regulation, which operates through interactions across trophic levels. Among carnivores, interactions often occur in the form of interference competition or direct killing. Subdominant species may reduce the risk of aggressive interaction through spatial, temporal and diet segregation. The impact of large carnivores on the prey population is well studied but intra-guild interactions are poorly known in tropical systems. These may be the key drivers of carnivore community structure. Herein, we examine the interaction among mammalian carnivores in Kanha Tiger Reserve, India.

Location: Kanha Tiger Reserve is located on the Satpura-Maikal hill ranges in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Kanha harbors a mosaic of vegetation types including meadows and woodlands in the valleys, extensive grasslands on the plateaus and dense forests in the hilly tracts. A spectrum of carnivores with a wide range size in Kanha provides good opportunity to study their interactions.

Methods: Here we report results on interactions between tiger, leopard, sloth bear, dhole, jungle cat, and golden jackal. We study the habitat utilization of carnivores through high-resolution camera trapping and using photo captures in a Kernel density utilization distribution. We analyze photo captures to understand temporal activity pattern. We subsequently model utilization distribution as a function of higher trophic carnivore usage, habitat and prey covariates. We estimated carnivores’ co-occurrence probabilities in a Bayesian framework.

Results: Best scale of understanding responses was found to be at 5 km2 resolution due to good sample size coverage and response of large carnivores at home-range scales. High tiger density depressed density of the next trophic level of carnivores (leopard and dhole) while not having any impact on sloth bears. Temporally there was substantial avoidance of tiger peak activity by dhole while leopards and sloth bear had the same activity periods as tigers.

Conclusion: We could not detect the release of meso-carnivores in our study due to depression of leopard and dhole by tigers.

Keywords- Intra-guild interaction, subdominant species, utilization distribution, co-occurrence.

Project Title : Intensive monitoring and study of tiger dispersal in Kanha Tiger Reserve Principal Investigator(s) : Y.V. Jhala, Qamar Qureshi Researcher(s) : Jayanta Kumar Bora (JPF), Shravana Goswami (JPF), Neha Awasthi (SRF) Funding Agency : National Tiger Consevation Authority Project Duration : 5 years


33


Conserving Asiatic lion in the human dominated landscape of Saurashtra

-Keshab Gogoi

Aim: Conservation of Asiatic lion in Saurashtra has been looked upon as exemplary in terms of large carnivore human coexistence. However, in light of increasing lion population, increasing development in the region, limited protected areas and increasing conflict, policy and management needs to be evolving to ensure coexistence.

Location: Study was carried out in the Greater Gir Landscape of Saurashtra. Spreading across 29 talukas of 5 districts in the Saurashtra peninsula of Gujarat state, falls in the semiarid biogeographic zone of Gujarat Rajputana Biotic province 4B. The study landscape includes the protected areas of Gir (Gir PA, Girnar Sanctuary, Pania Sanctuary and Mitiyala Sanctuary), vidis (protected grasslands), coastal forests and multi-used human dominated agro pastoral landscapes.

Methods: We used data on lion demography, habitat use, movement, conflict, economics and human perception collected from our long-term research to evaluate current and futuristic scenarios of lion conservation in Saurashtra. In particular, we evaluate habitat linkages crucial for maintaining satellite lion populations. Crucial areas essential for long-term lion survival in the landscape are identified and evaluated in terms of human-lion conflict and infrastructure development.

Results: Crucial habitat patches that sustain breeding lion population and their connecting corridors along with threats to these from infrastructure were mapped. Human-lion conflict in the vicinity of these patches were high and requires targeted management inputs and investments. Economic profits from lions were a major aspect that fostered coexistence. Paradigm shift in our conservation models are required to include local economic profits for promoting large carnivore and human community coexistence.

Keywords: conflict, coexistence, corridor, economics

Project Title : Reconciling development with conservation: Delineating habitat patches and corridors for Gir lions Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Y.V. Jhala Researcher(s) : Keshab Gogoi, JRF Funding Agency : Gujarat Forest department, WII Grant-in-Aid and National Geographic Society Project Duration : 2 years


34


e-Bird technology for tiger conservation: New frontier in protection and conflict management

-Dr. K. Ramesh

Aim: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or Drones is emerging as the key technology to support wildlife research and management. In India WII and NTCA have initiated a project to integrate UAV technology specially to support protection and conflict management across tiger reserves in the country.

Study area: The project covers all the tiger reserves in India, but initial efforts are made in representative reserves in all tiger landscapes which include Panna, Sathyamangalam, Kaziranga, Dudhwa and Rajaji Tiger Reserves. Technical support was also provided in the impact assessment survey in Abhor WLS and survey of sea grass/sea debris/coral in Gulf of Mannar NP.

Methods: We customize and procured UAV’s for the project so as to enhance the application potential and cost-effectiveness. The specially established Technology Laboratory at WII, the project engineers have customised Quad-copter, Fixed-wing and Delta-wing model UAV’s. These have been field tested and deployed in field. Development of a Hybrid Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL) model and a Hexa-copter are under development. We have also utilized commercially available drones (DJI Phantom Pro and Mavic Pro) for demonstration, training and basic data collection. Meanwhile, need and feasibility assessment has been done based on questionnaire survey and spatial prioritization is also being worked out.

Results: Aerial survey based on ground control and auto-pilot resulted in high-resolution mapping of target sites including habitat and water holes, count of wild animals and repeated surveillance of potential poaching, fire and conflict sites. Through series of capacity building activities including presentations and hands-on training supported by a technical manual have been imparted over 100 professionals. Technology transfer has been made in Panna and Dudhwa Tiger Reserves, based on which the local team is able to monitor rhino and prevent fire incidents respectively.

Conclusion: UAV development has proved to be significant value addition to the wildlife management and there is increasing demand to support various other management problems. The project aims to expand the scope and operational strategies in due course, while seeking specific exemption from Director General of Civil Aviation.

Keywords: Technology, conflict management, aerial survey, mapping, monitoring

Project Title : E-Bird Technology for Tiger Conservation: Development and Integration of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles as a Surveillance and Monitoring Tool for Protection of Tiger and Capacity Building of Frontline Staff

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. K. Ramesh, Dr. Vaibhav C. Mathur, Dr. A. Christy Williams, Shri Nishant Verma Researcher(s) : Krishna Kumar T (Project Engineer), Shashank Sawan (Project Engineer), Balsher Singh (Project Engineer),

Tamali Mondal (Project Biologist), Ritwika Ghosh (Project Biologist) Funding Agency : National Tiger Conservation Authority Project Duration : 2017-2020


35


Complex situations, pensive consequences: Fine-grain analysis of human casualties due to human-elephant conflict in Chhattisgarh

-Dr. Bivash Pandav

Aim: Human deaths due to elephants are considered as the most acute form of human–elephant conflict. However, significant gaps exist in our understanding regarding the circumstances leading to attacks. Our aim is to characterize human death sites and assess temporal trends in attacks, to assess circumstances in which attacks took place and to discuss site-specific challenges for management.

Location: Surguja and Bilaspur Forest Circles in northern Chhattisgarh

Methods: Upon receiving the information on human casualties, we visited the site (in most cases within 24hrs) and recorded site characteristics, victim details (age, gender, physical condition and activity the victim was engaged in), and elephant details (group type and size). We used descriptive statistics to tabulate and infer differences between groups.

Results: Elephants range extensively in northern Chhattisgarh where forests and human-use areas highly overlap. Containing human deaths continues to be a challenge. During the period August 2017 to May 2019, we field-collected details for 46 human death cases, which is about 60% of all cases reported in the landscape. Of the victims, 46% (n=37) were elderly (>50 years). Human deaths due to elephants occurred all through the year. There were more deaths during dusk (24%, n=11) and night hours (50%, n=23). Human deaths mostly occurred in the vicinity of houses (30%, n=14), agricultural fields (30%, n=14) and forests (28%, n=13). Male elephants were responsible for over 60% (n=27) of human deaths. In northern Chhattisgarh, elephants breaking houses is a serious challenge. Here, houses in rural areas are predominantly mud-walled and thus, house breaking creates pandemonium. Fearing elephants might break houses during night, villagers sometimes try to drive them from forests during day, which leads to fatalities as well. Around 20% of deaths occurred in roads and trails in forests. There is a potential to engage with villagers to reduce this. Around 30% of deaths occurred in crop fields. Better crop guarding techniques and timely compensation could improve the situation. Young males dispersing from natal areas pose a challenge, as they are more excitable and their movement is difficult to track.

Keywords: Natal males, human deaths, house breaking, crop guarding

Project Title : Conservation management of elephants in Chhattisgarh: capacity building initiative on the dispersal and ranging patterns of elephants for effective management of human–elephant interactions

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bivash Pandav and Dr. Parag Nigam Researcher(s) : N. Lakshminarayanan, Ankit Kumar and Jayjit Das Funding Agency : Chhattisgarh FD Project Duration : 2017-2020


36


Troubling mammals: Conflict with humans in a diverse assemblage of large mammals in the Indian Himalayan Region

-Dr. Dipanjan Naha

Aim: Large mammals face severe threats worldwide through a combination of increase in human population, habitat loss and fragmentation which lead to increasing attacks on humans, crop, property damage and livestock depredation. Such attacks in turn lead to retaliation by local communities and reduced support for conservation.

Method: We investigated 107 attacks on humans by leopards, 205 attacks by elephants on humans and 857 attacks on livestock in North Bengal in 2000–2018. We also investigated 187 attacks on livestock in Pauri Garhwal and 127 attacks by Asiatic black bear in North Sikkim in 2015-2018.

Results: Leopard attacks on humans and livestock were diurnal and occurred mostly in the winter and summer months in North Bengal, whereas attacks on livestock in Pauri Garhwal were also diurnal and peaked in the monsoon, winter months. Elephant attacks on humans were nocturnal and occurred in the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Bear attacks on livestock was nocturnal and were recorded mostly in post-monsoon and early winters. The results of our spatial analysis suggests that the probability of conflicts with leopards was highest within 1.5 km surrounding of protected areas in North Bengal whereas for elephants, conflict probabilities were highest in sites with human density of more than 59 persons per km and a share of agricultural area of at least 16%. Tea estate workers and farmers were the primary victims of large mammal attacks. Sites with previous recorded attacks on humans, elevation, human density, night light, distance from protected areas, area of tea plantation, area of dry sand bed, presence of moderate and dense forest, length of road were significant variables for leopard attacks on livestock in North Bengal and Pauri Garhwal. For black bears certain landscape and anthropogenic variables were significant ecological drivers of livestock predation risk and crop damage.

Conclusion: This study provides important information to develop effective mitigation measures in space and time to decrease attacks and maintain support for the conservation of these species within multi-use landscapes of South Asia.

Keywords: Attacks, bear, conservation, leopard, elephant, landscape

Project Title : Human-Wildlife Conflict Resolution Mechanism in the Indian Himalayan Region: Risk assessment, prediction and management through research and community engagement

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. G. S. Rawat & Dr. S. Sathyakumar Researcher(s) : Dipanjan Naha-Project Associate Funding Agency : MoEF&CC & GBPNIHESD Project Duration : 2016-2020


37


Road effect zones of major prey species in roaded landscapes in India

-Akanksha Saxena

The road effect zone is the spatial extent of significant ecological effects from the edge of a road, and is an important indicator of the impacts of roads on wildlife. The aim of the present study was to determine the road effect zone for major prey species in India.

The study was carried out on forest areas intersected by different road types - NH44 (Pench Tiger Reserve), SH26 (Kanha Tiger Reserve), NH930 (Tadoba Tiger Reserve) and SH 33 (Nagarhole TR).

The presence and activity of major prey species was surveyed through pellet plots and camera traps placed in forest habitats at increasing distances from major roads (0 – 2000m). Regression models were used to determine the relative effect of major roads on the presence probability of animals. Interpolation techniques were used to map presence probabilities of species under different road conditions to deduce the spatial extent of road effects.

Presence probability did not vary near narrow roads with low traffic volume. Across all road types and traffic volumes, wild pig presence did not show any significant reduction because of proximity to roads. Presence probability of sambar decreased by 3% for every 100m increase in distance to major highway with high traffic volume. However, this probability, resolved at the temporal scale revealed no significant reduction in use of roadside habitat by chital, while sambar showed reduced daytime use up to 477m from high traffic road. In road sections with traffic restrictions, significant but low difference in habitat use was observed for sambar, while no significant impact was observed for chital, wild pig and elephant.

The road-effect zone is a function of road, forest and species characteristics. While a reduction of potential habitat available for use (18.8% for sambar) may reinforce the barrier effect, habituation to road-related disturbance by some animals (like wild pig and chital) makes them more vulnerable to road-related mortality. Installation of mitigation measures on high traffic roads may reduce the extent of road-effect zone as well as roadkill vulnerability for multiple species.

Keywords: Road ecology, barrier effect, habitat loss, avoidance

Project Title : Ecological impact assessment of existing and proposed road infrastructure in important wildlife corridors in India for strategic planning of smart green infrastructure

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib Researcher(s) : Akanksha Saxena (SRF), Mahima (JRF), Bhanupriya Rabha (JRF) Funding Agency : National Tiger Conservation Authority , New Delhi Project Duration : 3 years


38


Samruddhi: Where economic and wildlife corridors coalesce for a prosperous tomorrow

-Indranil Mondal

The aim of this study is to provide suggestions to the Government of Maharashtra for mitigating the negative impacts of the proposed Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Highway on wildlife habitats and to uphold ecological concerns at the earliest stage of highway planning, even beyond PA network.

The study area is along the proposed alignment (701 km) of Nagpur-Mumbai expressway, Maharashtra, India.

We identified and prioritized Wildlife Focus Areas (WFA) based on literature review, reconnaissance survey and exploratory geospatial analysis. Site visits were made to proposed structures even outside WFAs to investigate whether they could be made wildlife friendly after modifications. Sign surveys for mammals were conducted within 10 km buffer area on either side of the road within the WFAs. We generated intensity maps of animal presence to identify the critical locations along the alignment where mitigation measures are required. Sites of proposed structures within WFAs were also surveyed for their suitability as wildlife passages.

We identified discrete stretches adding up to 117.73 km along the proposed alignment as WFAs. In addition, we surveyed 28 structures outside WFAs, where appropriate modifications in dimensions of proposed structures were suggested wherever required. We recorded a total of 2,941 signs (direct and indirect) of 25 different wildlife species after walking 564.25 km. Nilgai (Boelaphus tragocamelus), Chinkara (Gazella bennettii), Jungle cat (Felis chaus), Wild boar (Sus scrofa), Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), Golden jackal (Canis aureus) and Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) were commonly encountered species. We recommend expansion of 34 box culverts, specific modifications for 26 other structures and five additional wildlife overpasses within WFAs.

Conclusion: The construction agency has planned the entire highway to be completely access controlled. Although the proposed alignment doesn’t traverse any existing protected areas, it requires mitigation measures to ensure landscape level habitat connectivity for wildlife. This study, having been carried out in advance of construction, exhibits the potential for reducing the impact of linear infrastructure on biodiversity. Inclusion of wildlife friendly measures with development at the planning stage is imperative for smart green infrastructure.

Keywords: Road ecology, Development, Mitigation, Green infrastructure, Maharashtra

Project Title : Assessment of impacts of the proposed Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway, Maharashtra, Samruddhi Corridor on wildlife values and measures recommended mitigating negative impacts

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib Researcher(s) : Samruddhi research team Funding Agency : Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited Project Duration : July 2018 - June 2021


39


Signatory urban adaptiveness: Resident and migratory populations of an urban

raptor respond contextually to breeding and wintering constraints

-Nishant Kumar

Anthropogenic impacts have altered the dispersion of resources for non-human species in myriad ways. Despite rapid urbanization, a recognized threat to biodiversity, the behavioural and life history mechanisms of some animal species allows them to cope with frequent proximity to humans. Synurbic animals’ aspects of behavioural state (breeding vs. non-breeding) mediates their urban distribution and coexistence. Additionally, human socio-cultural factors are recognized as fundamental drivers of urban ecological processes, but their effect on wildlife is still poorly known.

Using nest density data from 28 plots of 1 km2 in Delhi, sampled through 2013-18, and incorporating linear mixed models, we report how the population levels of Black Kites Milvus migrans depended on spatial variation in ritual-subsidies. We expected profoundly different niches for urban wildlife following clear impacts of the distinctive human cultures within the urban settings of the poorly studied cities of the tropics. To examine the manifestation of individual preferences to population-level effects, we employed regression of ‘sustained monitoring of plot based nest densities’ on landscape scale estimates for previously reported variables pertaining breeding habitat preferences for nesting kite pairs. This tight connection with human culture in the Indian-subcontinent, which generated the largest resident breeding concentration of this facultative scavenger-raptor in the world, was modulated further by breeding-site availability. The latter constrained the level of resource-tracking by these birds.

Alongside, through satellite telemetry (n = 19), we demonstrated the enormous bird flocks feeding on landfills in Delhi mainly consist of thousands of Black-eared Kites, the migratory lineatus subspecies that winter in Indian-subcontinent. We found that they migrate to Delhi from their breeding quarters of Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Mongolia through a migration of up to 4700 km in which they regularly cross the Himalayan range at elevations of up to 6000 m a.s.l., an aspect hitherto unknown.

Similar ties between animal densities, key anthropogenic resources and human beliefs may occur in thousands of cities and may fit poorly with our current understanding of urban ecosystem functioning. For many urban animals, key resources are inextricably linked with human culture, an aspect that has been largely overlooked. Considering the characteristic poor solid waste management in developing megacities, which affords plenty of organic refuse to opportunistic animals, management of breeding or roosting sites could further aid in optimizing the scavenging ecosystem-services and mitigating conflicts.

Project Title : Black Kite Project

Principal Investigator(s) : Prof(s) Y V Jhala and Q Qureshi

Researcher(s) : Nishant Kumar (Senior Research Fellow); Urvi Gupta (Project Biologist)

Funding Agency : Raptor Research and Conservation Foundation; University of Oxford; Microwave Telemetry; CSIC Spain



40


An update on the achievements of Wildlife Forensic and

Conservation Genetics Cell

-Dr. S. K. Gupta

The Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics (WFCG) Cell was established to strengthen the enforcement of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 of India. The main functions of the Cell include identification of species from variety of wildlife parts and products for forensic investigation, along with expanding an already available repository of wildlife reference samples and R&D on newer forensic tools. It is now a recognized laboratory for conducting the wildlife forensic research and casework for supporting the judiciary process. Besides these, the WFCG Cell plays a role in sensitizing enforcement agencies in crime scene examination and proper collection of evidence through regular training and workshops. During 2018-19, the cell has received a total of 285 wildlife offence cases from enforcement agencies across the country, of which 03 from CBI, 39 were from honorable Courts, 12 from Customs, 189 from Forest Department, 35 from the police, 02 from MoEF&CC and 05 were from Hospital. An assortment of biological products was received for species identification and of these, 206 cases contained tissue samples requiring DNA based techniques, 68 cases requiring morphometric technique and 11 cases requiring both DNA and morphometric techniques for species identification. We provided reports on species identification for 346 cases and a further 69 summons were received from various honorable courts for appearances as an expert scientific witness during this period.

Apart from training officers of the Diploma and Certificate courses, and trainees of IGNFA and NACIN; WFCG Cell has also conducted one-week compulsory refresher course for the Officers of Indian Forest Service in Port Blair on “Illegal Trade in wildlife and role of wildlife forensics in dealing with wildlife crime”.

WFCG Cell has discovered one of the rare subspecies of hog deer (Axis porcinus annamiticus) from India, which was known to occur eastward of the middle Thailand from the Keibul Lamjao National Park (KLNP), Manipur. WFCG Cell conducted a study to understand the distribution of this little studied species. It confirmed the existence of a small population of hog deer in Manipur that genetically resembles with A. p. annamiticus. It indicated that the western limit of A. p. annamiticus is Manipur and not the central Thailand as reported earlier. Therefore, on the basis of the study of WFCG Cell, the hog deer found in Manipur is ecologically important as it is a rare subspecies of the A. porcinus. Since the hog deer has lost ground in other countries, and KLNP holds about 100 adult individuals, this genetically distinct and evolutionarily significant population becomes important for the conservation.

Project Title : Wildlife Forensic and Conservation Genetics Cell

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Y.V. Jhala; Dr. S.K. Gupta; Dr. Samrat Mondal; Dr. K. Vishnupriya

Researcher(s) : Sh. C. P. Sharma, STO; Sh. A. Madnaraj, Technician; Dr. Gagandeep Singh, Forensic Biologist; Bhim Singh,

Forensic Researcher (FR); Kumudani Bala Gautam, FR; Preeti Singh, FR


Project Duration : Institute long-term activity


41


Individual identification to dispersal dynamics: Insights from dhole genetics in

Eastern Vidarbha Landscape, Maharashtra, India

-Shrushti Modi

Asiatic wild dog is an elusive, monophyletic, forest dwelling social canid ranging across south and South East Asia. With a global population of about 949-2215 mature individuals, is under ‘Endangered’ category. Their cryptic nature and absence of individual-specific patterns make it difficult to generate information at individual and population level. In this study we used non-invasive techniques to overcome the challenges for studying different population parameters for dholes.

We collected samples from five protected areas namely Melghat Tiger Reserve (MTR), Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Nawegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve (NNTR), Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Umred-Karandhla Wildlife Sanctuary (UKWLS) in the state of Maharashtra, India having varying degree of habitat connectivity.

We standardized and validated microsatellite markers to identify dholes individually. We evaluated genetic differentiation in dhole population across the five protected areas using Bayesian clustering method. We also determined dispersal pattern in TATR and NNTR dhole population using biparentally inherited markers for inferring the relatedness, Fis, Fst and assignment index values.

We identified a total of 251 unique dhole genotypes with a cumulative PID sibs and PID unbiased values of 1.5 x 10 -4 and 4.2 x 10 -10, respectively, indicating a statistically strong significance. The population structure analysis indicated four different clusters for MTR, NNTR, PTR and TATR while UKWLS has signatures from PTR and TATR. Bayesian analysis conducted to understand the genetic structure of male and female in NNTR and TATR suggests strong structure in TATR males as compared to TATR females while in case of NNTR both male and female show admixture with no structure. The mean value for assignment index shows r>0 for males and r<0 for females in TATR. The Fis value for male is lower than that of female in both the tiger reserves. While the relatedness test showed more related males as compared to females in TATR.

Population parameters shows population differentiation among the four different parks. The assignment and relatedness test suggest a female biased dispersal pattern in TATR.

keywords: Asiatic wild dog, landscape genetics, sex-biased dispersal, non-invasive tools

Project Title : Developing genetic database to understand metapopulation dynamics and connectivity of tigers and other

large predators across tiger landscape of Maharashtra, India

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Bilal Habib & Dr. Samrat Mondol

Researcher(s) : Shrushti Modi (Senior Research Fellows)

Funding Agency : Maharashtra State Forest Department and CSIR

Project Duration : 3 years


42


DNA Detective: Population assignment of seized rhino horns back to its origin

-Tista Ghosh

The current population of ~2968 individuals in India, greater one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros

unicornis) is facing severe pressures of poaching. From 2001-2016 we have lost 239 rhinos from India

due to poaching. The Rhino DNA Indexing System (RhODIS) is a rhino conservation program where the

aim is to build a DNA database of the existing rhino population to aid convictions in rhino-crime cases

and also help in population management plans. Through this program, we developed a forensic protocol

where the genetic data can be used as scientific evidence in court prosecutions by matching the seized

horn with a rhino carcass. Our approach can also trace back any orphan seized horn to its potential

source population and identify the poaching hotspots.

Study was conducted in seven rhino bearing protected areas of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam.

We standardized a panel of 14 microsatellite markers to generate forensic quality data using reference

tissue samples provided by forest departments. To generate allele frequency map (AFM) for population

assignment, dung sampling was conducted in five areas (except Orang NP). In addition we received 79

tissue samples from forest department of Kaziranga NP. The individual genotype data was used to

assess genetic differentiation among populations and accuracy of population assignment was checked.

Out of 582 collected dung samples, we have processed 461 and identified 287 individuals using 14 loci

with PIDsibs values of 1X10-4. Genetic analyses indicate 5 genetic clusters among six populations. Based

on park wise individual data, AFM was made and accuracy of population assignment was found to be

100%. The genotyping matching as well as population assignment approach has helped in solving 9

rhino poaching cases from Assam and West Bengal.

This study is the first to have such exhaustive genetic database from each rhino parks which can be used

for population monitoring and crime solving. This approach was used in rhino census of Dudhwa NP,

Uttar Pradesh as well as accepted in court prosecutions for 9 rhino poaching cases. Systematic

continuation of such data generation will be critical in long-term rhino conservation and population

management.

Keywords: One-horned rhinoceros, Microsatellite markers, Wildlife forensics, Allele frequency map

Project Title : Implementing rhino DNA indexing system (RhoDIS) to counter poaching threat and aid population management in India

Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Samrat Mondol Researcher(s) : Tista Ghosh, Junior research fellow Funding Agency : WWF-India Project Duration : April 2017-April 2020


43


Corridor connectivity drives tiger meta-population dynamics in the Terai-Arc landscape, India

-Suvankar Biswas

The Terai-Arc landscape (TAL), where 22% of the Indian tiger population resides inside ~15000 km2 of potential habitat, is under significant threat of habitat fragmentation. This fragmented landscape has 13 identified tiger dispersal corridors. We are using a combination of field survey, non-invasive genetic tools and circuit theory to assess functionality of these corridors between various protected areas (PAs).

This study was conducted at the Indian part of TAL, across all the 11 PAs, 10 forest divisions and three social forestry divisions spanning over 13000 km2.

During 2014-2018, 1608 large carnivore faeces were collected and species-specific assays were used to ascertain tiger distribution and habitat use in this landscape. Further, we identified unique individuals using 13 microsatellite loci and used the genetic data to assess population structure and estimated direction and magnitude of gene flow as measured of functional connectivity across the corridors. Additionally, we created corridor connectivity map using the genetically identified tiger occurrence points and other variables such as forest cover, distance to PA, water body, road and human settlements, which have high influence in tiger dispersal to identify critical corridors across the TAL.

We identified 219 unique individuals (34% of the population) from 743 tiger faeces across TAL. Subsequent genetic analyses revealed that western, central and eastern parts of TAL form three genetic subpopulations and four out of 13 existing corridors are not currently functional. Results also identified six additional functional corridors of tiger dispersal. Corridor connectivity analysis confirmed 12 critical corridors, where any further interruptions could affect future tiger dispersals. Results identified forest cover and distance to human settlements has positive relationship of tiger occurrence in this landscape.

This study confirms eastern population is genetically isolated and majority of tiger corridors in the other two populations are functional. These critical functional corridors that play primary role in maintaining connectivity are also present outside PAs, and therefore venerable to further degradation. The future of tiger conservation in this landscape will depend on careful management of these corridors and maintaining them as meta-populations.

Keywords: Panthera tigris, functional connectivity, dispersal, critical corridor, non-invasive genetics.

Project Title : Meta-population dynamics of tigers in the Terai-Arc landscape, India Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Samrat Mondol , Dr. Bivash Pandav & Dr. Gautam Talukdar Researcher(s) : Suvankar Biswas, PhD. scholar Funding Agency : Wildlife Conservation Trust-Panthera Global Cat Alliance Grants and DST, Government of India Project Duration : 2015-2019


44


Grasslands on the wane: Assessing swamp deer habitat dynamics over last three decades along upper Gangetic plains

-Shrutarshi Paul

Recent grassland surveys in the human-dominated upper Gangetic plains revealed fine-scale swamp deer presence than earlier known along river Ganga. Radio telemetry studies confirmed the importance of these grasslands as critical refuge, breeding and fawning grounds. Given the declining trends of these grasslands, it is important to understand their historical and current dynamics in this landscape. Here we assessed the dynamics of grassland habitats along upper Gangetic plains between 1985-2015 using field survey, remote sensing and GIS tools.

The study area includes mosaic of protected and non-protected areas between Haridwar and Garhmukhteshwar (3,173 km2) along Ganga covering the states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

During survey, random points (656) covering different Land Use Land Cover (LULC) types was collected. Landsat image of 2015 was downloaded and visually classified based on size, pattern, tone, texture and collected ground data. Random ground validation was done to assess accuracy of visual classification. Subsequently LULC maps were generated from Landsat images of years 1985, 1995 and 2005, using 2015 classification as reference. Area calculation and interclass changes over years were quantified on GIS domain.

The Landsat image of 2015 was classified into 6 classes (accuracy=91%) and it was found cropland cover 76% of the study area while grasslands occupy only 6%. From 1985 to 2015, the grassland habitats show a net reduction of 57%. Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary, created to protect swamp deer, showed a net reduction of 192 km2 of grassland compared to 47 km2 in non-protected areas. About 70% of grassland loss is contributed by cropland in 3 decades. However, instances of increase in grasslands and decrease in croplands especially from 2005-2015 due to change in river dynamics were also found in certain areas. Evidences of swamp deer presence in these patches further strengthen the urgent need for their management.

Though agricultural expansion continues to encroach remaining grasslands, a combination of river course changes, new grassland formations and swamp deer mobility seems to be sustaining swamp deer population at the moment. However, if the fragmented grassland patches along Ganga disappear, it can have catastrophic effect on the swamp deer of the Gangetic plains.

Keywords: Grassland, cropland, habitat loss, river dynamics

Project Title : Movement pattern and inbreeding status of swamp deer at Uttarakhand, India Principal Investigator(s) : Dr. Samrat Mondol, Dr. Bivash Pandav, Dr. Bilal Habib, Dr. Parag Nigam and Dr. Dhananjai Mohan Researcher(s) : Shrutarshi Paul, DST-INSPIRE SRF Funding Agency : Uttarakhand Forest Department and Department of Science & Technology, Government of India Project Duration : 2016-2019

Post Box No. 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun - 248001, Uttarakhand, INDIAPhone : +91-135-2640114-115; 2646100 Fax : +91-135-2640117Email : [email protected] Website : www.wii.gov.in

Cover: Indian wolf (Watercolor on paper), painting by Ms. Poonam Pal. She is working as Project Assistant in NMCG.

Online SubmissionSh. Dinesh Singh Pundir

Report Formatting & DesignSh. Virendra Sharma

Cover DesignDr. Bilal Habib

Documents

33ANNUAL rd ARS 2019 RESEARCH SEMINAR · 2019-08-26 · presentation at the 33rd Annual Research Seminar, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, August 23, 2019, Pp. 1. Programme