From October 2000 to December 2001, a survey on distribution of Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichii was conducted in Pauri and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand, India. Twenty-six sites in thirteen areas were identified to hold Cheer, between altitudes of 950-2,250 m in the chir pine and pine mixed forest. At all the sites, except Adwani Reserve Forest of Pauri Division, the density of Pheasant was found quite less (

Decisions that affect how people use land are among the most fraught that any enlightened society has to grapple with. Two claims that typically come out on the short end of the land-use debate are the claims of indigenous people and claims for non-human species.

The unique and beautiful Tibetan antelope, or chiru, is in imminent danger of extinction from illegal hunting. At current rates of hunting, the species may be extinct in the wild within two years. The chiru is hunted for its underfur, which is used to make a very fine wool called "shahtoosh." The problem is international: Chiru are hunted in China and their fur is smuggled to India and other countries, where it is made in shahtoosh and resold throughout the world.

The Western Ghats of India, in which Kudremukh Reserve is a part, is assessed to be one of the 25 hotspots identified for bio-diversity conservation in the world. Kudremukh is also the largest protected wildlife reserve of a wet evergreen shola type

The almost two decade civil conflict in Sri Lanka has radically altered the economic and social conditions of the people in the north, with profound impacts on the environment, biological diversity and natural resources. Habitat destruction and the accompanying loss of wildlife are among the most common and far-reaching impacts of armed conflicts on the environment.

Sri Lanka is identified as one of the biodiversity hotspots in Asia. Although many of the endemic species are found in the hill country, the low country dry zone is home to some of the most seriously threatened species of wildlife. Following the protracted armed conflict, it appears that defaunation rather than deforestation poses a greater immediate threat to wildlife in Sri Lanka.

With tigers gone in Sariska, and unchecked poaching threatening tiger populations in many other reserves, is the Indian tiger finally destined for extinction? Hopefully, with a flurry of activity at the highest levels, the tiger might just get another chance at survival.

1975: Rasheed Jamshed becomes the first markhor trophy hunter

1983: A trophy hunting scheme is formally launched. Foreign hunters invited

1990: Germany and the UK move a case at CITES to ban export of markhor trophy to prevent its poaching and extinction. Pakistan says the fears are unfounded. CITES puts markhor in Appendex-1. Trophy hunting halts

1992: NWFP government prepares conservation plan with communities

Effect of anthropogenic disturbance on habitat occupancy by tiger prey species was studied in Panna National Park (PNP), Madhya Pradesh. The study was conducted between November 1998 and April 1999. Line-transect method and pellet-count technique were used to estimate prey species abundance. Abundance estimates were used as a measure for intensity of habitat use by the species.

Models of Plio-Pleistocene hominid behavioral ecology often emphasize competition with large carnivores. This paper describes competition between modern humans and large carnivores in rural Uganda, including active, confrontational scavenging of carnivore kills by humans and carnivore attacks on humans.

Pages