658 R. Pal et al.
FIG. 1 (a) Location of the Bhagirathi basin in Uttarakhand state, Western Himalaya, India. (b) Camera-trap locations and permanent human settlements along an elevation gradient in the Bhagirathi basin. (c) Location of some of the new records of species reported in this study.
forest products and collection of fuelwood, activities that have been conducted for centuries (Awasthi et al., 2003; Rana et al., 2007). Additionally, tourism, mountaineering, and pilgrimage attract numerous visitors during April– November. As the northern boundary of the Bhagirathi basin also forms the international border with the Tibet region of China, patrol camps and small settlements of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police and other security agencies are present in the area. Recurrent deliberate burning of hill slopes to stimulate regrowth of grasses has altered the vegetation structure and composition of the Bhagirathi basin (Mehta, 1996; Gurumni, 2000). The conservation importance of the Bhagirathi land-
scape, and that of its mammals in particular, has been described in an environmental impact assessment of hydropower projects (Rajvanshi et al., 2012) and several short-term surveys (Uniyal & Ramesh, 2004; Bhardwaj & Uniyal, 2009). These studies are based on observations of species or evidence encountered during trail and ridge walks. However, the distribution of mammals in this area has not yet been assessed with robust scientific methods such as camera trapping and genetic sampling. Here, we describe (1) the occurrence of mammal species in the Bhagirathi basin, (2) the occurrence of threatened
mammals in relation to human activities, and (3) conserva- tion prospects for threatened mammals under the existing protection measures in the Bhagirathi landscape.
Study area
The 7,586 km2 Bhagirathi basin in Uttarakhand State, India, is drained by the Bhagirathi river (c. 217 km) and its tribu- taries. The study area encompasses altitudes of 500–5,200m (Fig. 1). The major habitat types of the basin are (1) subtrop- ical deciduous forest (500–2,000 m) characterized by broad- leaved and needle-leaved species such as Pinus roxburghii, (2) temperate forest (2,000–3,500 m) with montane broad- leaved and conifer species such as Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus floribunda, Abies pindrow, Cedrus deodara, and Pinus wallichiana,(3) high altitude alpine and subalpine vegetation (3,500–5,000 m) with Rhododendron spp., Betula utilis and alpine herb and forb species, and (4)Trans- Himalayan landscape (3,500–5,200 m) with alpine dessert steppe plants such as Eurotia sp., Caragana sp., Lonicera sp. and Rhamnus sp. Summer (or monsoon, April–September) and winter (November–February) are more pronounced than the short autumn (October) and spring (March–April)
Oryx, 2021, 55(5), 657–667 © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605319001352
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