Phurba Lhendup
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Outreach Research Division, Department Member
<p>The location of the 18 recovery sites that have been delineated across 10 TRCs overlaid on the species range map [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0207114#pone.0207114.ref003"... more
<p>The location of the 18 recovery sites that have been delineated across 10 TRCs overlaid on the species range map [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0207114#pone.0207114.ref003" target="_blank">3</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0207114#pone.0207114.ref067" target="_blank">67</a>]. Also depicted are the estimates of current and potential tiger population size for each site. Refer to <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0207114#pone.0207114.s001" target="_blank">S1 Fig</a> to see the component parts of each of the 18 recovery systems.</p
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<p>Component parts of a recovery system.</p
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With less than 3200 wild tigers in 2010, the heads of 13 tiger-range countries committed to doubling the global population of wild tigers by 2022. This goal represents the highest level of ambition and commitment required to turn the tide... more
With less than 3200 wild tigers in 2010, the heads of 13 tiger-range countries committed to doubling the global population of wild tigers by 2022. This goal represents the highest level of ambition and commitment required to turn the tide for tigers in the wild. Yet, ensuring efficient and targeted implementation of conservation actions alongside systematic monitoring of progress towards this goal requires that we set site-specific recovery targets and timelines that are ecologically realistic. In this study, we assess the recovery potential of 18 sites identified under WWF's Tigers Alive Initiative. We delineated recovery systems comprising a source, recovery site, and support region, which need to be managed synergistically to meet these targets. By using the best available data on tiger and prey numbers, and adapting existing species recovery frameworks, we show that these sites, which currently support 165 (118-277) tigers, have the potential to harbour 585 (454-739) individ...
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Medicinal plants used by a 73-year-old professional male healer in Shershong village, Trashi Yangtshe, Bhutan, were studied in August 2008 based on semi-structured informal interviews. The leaves, roots, whole plants, fruits and latex of... more
Medicinal plants used by a 73-year-old professional male healer in Shershong village, Trashi Yangtshe, Bhutan, were studied in August 2008 based on semi-structured informal interviews. The leaves, roots, whole plants, fruits and latex of Pogostemon spp., ...
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Many cranes across the world are threatened with extinction. Among these, one of the least known is the Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis, which is currently classified as Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2009). In the Himalayan... more
Many cranes across the world are threatened with extinction. Among these, one of the least known is the Black-necked Crane Grus nigricollis, which is currently classified as Vulnerable (BirdLife International 2009). In the Himalayan country of Bhutan, Black-necked Cranes visit several wintering grounds, arriving from China’s Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau from early November to mid-December, and remaining until mid-February. Since this species is well-known among the people of Bhutan, the annual migration of Black-necked Cranes to Bhutan is an event of both biological and cultural importance. Many conservationists believe that there may have been a historical decline in Black-necked Crane numbers due to human activities (Bishop 1996, Meine and Archibald 1996, BirdLife International 2001) although more recent work suggests that numbers in China may be increasing (Bishop et al. 2007). In Bhutan, trends in crane numbers are unclear (Lhendup 2007). However, casual observations and monitoring d...
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Abstract The insect-pathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (better known as Cordyceps sinensis) is harvested over much of the Himalayan plateau as a highly prized remedy in traditional Oriental medicine. Over the past 10 years its... more
Abstract The insect-pathogenic fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis (better known as Cordyceps sinensis) is harvested over much of the Himalayan plateau as a highly prized remedy in traditional Oriental medicine. Over the past 10 years its financial value has increased dramatically, ...