Anthropogenic stressors in the Indian Himalayan biodiversity hotspot over recent decades have taken a toll on otter populations. Low public awareness and a lack of routine monitoring data hamper conservation strategies. Social media has... more
Anthropogenic stressors in the Indian Himalayan biodiversity hotspot over recent decades have taken a toll on otter populations. Low public awareness and a lack of routine monitoring data hamper conservation strategies. Social media has the potential to generate both positive and negative perceptions about otter species among target stakeholder groups. This approach can serve as a tool to generate vital conservation information and promote public knowledge and interest. This paper examines the role of social media as a tool to reinforce contemporary conservation initiatives, advocating its stronger utilisation for the potential protection of otterspecies in the Indian Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The proposed approach is also maintained through a case study from the region
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The dispersed wetlands in the Darbhanga District of northern Bihar, India, provide a diversity of niches supporting substantial floral and faunal richness. The aquatic macrophytes of a representative range of perennial water bodies were... more
The dispersed wetlands in the Darbhanga District of northern Bihar, India, provide a diversity of niches supporting substantial floral and faunal richness. The aquatic macrophytes of a representative range of perennial water bodies were surveyed fortnightly from June to September 2019, supported by a market survey undertaken with local stakeholders. A total of 61 species of vascular macrophytes was recorded, the majority of them Angiosperms (33 species of Dicotyledons from 21 families, and 26 Monocotyledons from 13 families) and two were Pteridophytes. This paper highlights the distribution pattern and potential commercial and medicinal values of aquatic macrophytes found in different wetland systems in northern Bihar. It further stresses their importance for subsistence, medicinal and economic purposes supporting the livelihoods of local people. Current trends and risks contributing to the degradation and loss of this diverse flora and its supporting habitats are considered. W...
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ABSTRACT Native fish species provide significant ecosystem services, including as food (provisioning services), as organisms with specific cultural and spiritual importance (cultural services), and contributions to supporting and... more
ABSTRACT Native fish species provide significant ecosystem services, including as food (provisioning services), as organisms with specific cultural and spiritual importance (cultural services), and contributions to supporting and regulatory services across the Indian Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. Fisheries in the Himalayan midhills and foothills, including in the Shivalik Hills and parts of the Terai (between the lower Himalayan foothills and the plains), provide livelihood security and cultural values for millions of people. Multiple anthropogenic stressors compounded by climate change have significantly depleted native fish populations over recent decades. Literature survey, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews reveal that the decrease in native fish species undermines freshwater-dependent livelihood security in the region with ‘knock-on’ impacts on downstream ecosystem functions and services. Better understanding of the current distribution, habitat requirement and dispersal of native fish species important from a local perspective is essential to manage the growing threats to livelihoods in the Indian Himalayan region.
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The Hindu Kush Himalaya is a biodiversity hotspot subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors, including hydropower plants, pollution, deforestation and wildlife poaching, in addition to changing climate. Bird photography tourism, as a... more
The Hindu Kush Himalaya is a biodiversity hotspot subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors, including hydropower plants, pollution, deforestation and wildlife poaching, in addition to changing climate. Bird photography tourism, as a locally important element of avitourism, has the potential to integrate sustainable development and wildlife conservation. We conducted field surveys around the reaches of four Indian Himalayan rivers—the Kosi, western Ramganga, Khoh, and Song—outside of protected national parks (the Corbett and Rajaji tiger reserves) to ascertain the distribution of bird species along river corridors that could be sites of avitourism. Species richness along the surveyed reaches were: Kosi (79), western Ramganga (91), Khoh (52), and Song (79). This study contributes critical data to the existing baseline information on the avifaunal species of Uttarakhand. It further discusses the possibility of developing avitourism for knowledge generation on species distribution...
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There are increasing concerns that monetary valuation of ecosystem services using survey-based methods does not fully capture the value that people attach to the natural environment. For example, people have values in relation to nature... more
There are increasing concerns that monetary valuation of ecosystem services using survey-based methods does not fully capture the value that people attach to the natural environment. For example, people have values in relation to nature that are not instrumental, but relate to rights, duties and virtues, which are difficult to translate into preferences and willingness-to-pay. Also, the notions of ecosystem ‘services’ and ‘benefits’ do not fully reflect the intricate relation between people and nature, particularly in relation to cultural ecosystem services. This relationship, established through practices and experiences, includes meanings, identities and narratives. These meanings and values are not necessarily individualistic and given, but are often implicit, shared and shaped through social processes of information sharing, moralisation and politicisation. This work, a central component of the second phase of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment, develops a theoretical framewor...
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ABSTRACT 1. The UK's new River Habitat Survey (RHS) is founded upon the assumption that species depend upon habitats and that higher habitat heterogeneity supports higher biodiversity in river channels, riparian zones and... more
ABSTRACT 1. The UK's new River Habitat Survey (RHS) is founded upon the assumption that species depend upon habitats and that higher habitat heterogeneity supports higher biodiversity in river channels, riparian zones and floodplains. 2. The paper reviews the evidence for ...