|
Habibi, K. (2004). Mammals of Afghanistan.
|
|
Schaller, G. (1977). Mountain Mammals. University of Chicago Press.
|
Ahmad, A. (1993). Environmental impact assessment in the Himalayas: An ecosystem approach (Vol. 22).
Abstract: The impact of human activities on the Himalayan bio-geophysical, socioeconomic and cultural environments has been analyzed. The main man-induced activities which threaten the equilibrium of Himalayan Mountain ecosystems are unplanned land use, cultivation on steep slopes, overgrazing, major engineering activities, overexploitation of village or community forests, shifting cultivation, unplanned tourism and urbanization. Cold desert conditions prevail in 41 692 square kilometers of the northwestern Himalayas. The geomorphological conditions and arrested succession, checking the climax formation, are major causes of landslides. Sedimentation, changes in surface and groundwater hydrology and clearfelling of broadleaved plant species have caused eutrophication, drying up of natural springs and receding of glaciers. Wild fauna like Musk deer (Moschus mischiferus) and Snow Leopard (Panthera uncial) are now under threat due to changes in their habitats. Population pressure, migration and settlements are major causes of poverty and agglomeration. And jeopardize the Himalayan environment. Based on detailed environmental impact assessment, an ecosystem approach has been proposed for resources conservation and environmentally sustainable development of the Himalayas.
|
|
Blomqvist, L. (2003). The Global Studbook Report 2002 for Snow Leopards: Decline of a Pedigree Species. Helsinki.
|
Fox, J., Nurbu, C., Bhatt, S., & Chandola, A. (1994). Wildlife conservation and land-use changes in the Transhimalayan region of Ladakh, India (Vol. 14).
Abstract: Changes in economy and land use are under way in the Indian Transhimalayan region of Ladakh, creating both negative and positive prospects for wildlife conservation in this sparsely populations and previously remote area. New livestock breeds, irrigation developments, farming practices, foreign tourists, and a large military presence are changing the way people view and use the mountainous land that surrounds them. With only 0.3% of the land currently arable, changes in wildlife and natural resource conservation are most apparent on Ladakh's extensive rangelands which are apparently undergoing a redistribution of use associated with social changes and recently introduced animal husbandry and farming practices. International endangered species such as the snow leopard, several wild ungulates, and the black-necked crane provide special incentive for conservation efforts in what are some of the best remaining natural areas in the mountainous regions to the north of the Himalayan crest. The success of newly created protected areas for wildlife conservation in Ladakh rests on an understanding of the effects of various development directions, a commitment to environmentally sensitive development amid the many competing demands on Ladakh's natural resources, conservation laws appropriate to human needs, and a clear recognition that solutions can be neither directly adaptable from other mountainous areas nor even widely applicable across the Himalayan region.
|
|
O'Gara, B. W. (1988). Snow leopards and sport hunting in the Mongolian People's Republic. (pp. 215–225). India: International Snow Leopard Trust and The Wildlife Institute of India.
|
|
Joslin, J. O., Garner, M., Collins, D., Kamaka, E., Sinabaldi, K., Meleo, K., et al. (2000). Viral papilloma and squamous cell carcinomas in snow leopards (Uncia uncia). In 2000 Proceedings AAZV & IAAAM Joint Conference (pp. 155–158). AAZV & IAAAM Joint Conference.
|
|
Meszaros, M. (1998). Einsam im Land des Dschingis Khan. Universum, , 68–76.
|
Shrestha, R., Wegge, P., & Koirala, R. A. (2005). Summer diets of wild and domestic ungulates in Nepal Himalaya. Journal of Zoology, 266, 111–119.
Abstract: The selection of summer forage by three sympatric ungulates in the Damodar Kunda region of upper Mustang in
north Nepal was studied to assess the extent of food overlap between them. To compare their diets, a microhistological technique of faecal analysis was used, adjusted for inherent biases by comparing it with bite-count data obtained in domestic goats. Tibetan argali Ovis ammon hodgsoni, naur (blue sheep or bharal) Pseudois nayaur and domestic goat Capra hircus consumed mostly forbs, graminoids and browse, respectively. The proportions of food items in their diets were significantly different both at the plant species (P<0.02) and at the forage category level (P<0.001). Except for sharing three common plants (Agrostis sp., Stipa sp. and Potentilla fruticosa), dietary overlap at the species level was quite low. At the forage category level, naur and domestic goat overlapped more than the other ungulate pairs. Although all three species were opportunistic, mixed feeders, argali was a more selective forb specialist grazer than the other two ungulates. Owing to some spatial separation and little dietary overlap, interspecific competition for summer forage was low. If animal densities increase, however, goats are expected to compete more with naur than with argali because of their more similar diets. Owing to differences in forage selection by argali and naur throughout their large geographical ranges, reflecting adaptations to local ecological conditions, inferences regarding forage competition between domestic livestock and these two wild caprins need to be made from local, site-specific studies, rather than from general diet comparisons.
|
Shrestha, R., & Wegge, P. (2006). Determining the composition of herbivore diets in the Trans-Himalayan rangelands: A comparison of field methods. Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management, 59(5), 512–518.
Abstract: In late summer, in a semi-arid mountain range in Nepal, we compared 3 field methods for determining the botanical composition of herbivore diets. Data were collected from the same animals belonging to 1 herd of domestic yak (Bos grunniens) and 2 herds of mixed smallstock, consisting of domestic goats (Capra hircus) and sheep (Ovis aries). Bite count, feeding site examination, and microhistological analysis of feces gave different estimates of forage categories and plant species in both animal groups. Because yaks grazed in other vegetation communities when not observed for bite-counts and feeding signs, the results from the latter methods could not be compared directly with that from fecal analysis. In smallstock, feeding site examination gave higher estimates of graminoids and lower estimates of shrubs than the other 2 methods, probably because all feeding signs on shrubs were not detected. Bite-counts and fecal analysis gave comparable results, except that forbs were underestimated by fecal analysis, presumably due to their more complete digestion. Owing to the difficulty in collecting samples that are representative of the entire grazing period and the problem of recording feeding signs correctly, both feeding site examination and bite-counts are unsuitable methods for studying the food habits of free ranging domestic and wild herbivores. Microhistological analysis of feces appears to be the most appropriate method, but correction factors are needed to adjust for differential digestion. The systematic use of photomicrographs improves the speed and accuracy of the fecal analysis.
|
