Integrating geospatial tools and species for conservation planning in a data-poor region of the Far Eastern Himalayas

Abstract

The Hindu Kush Himalayan region (HKH) is an important biodiversity repository with more than 488 protected areas covering 39% of the region's geographical coverage. However, a majority of them are small and isolated and are not large enough to address conservation challenges. About 20% of the protected areas are transboundary in nature. Conservation landscape planning based on habitat suitability is an essential step for landscape management, but there are limited data available from the Landscape Initiative for Far Eastern Himalayas (HI-LIFE). To rationalize the need for regional cooperation, this study used remote sensing (RS) data and a geographic information system (GIS) to estimate the habitat suitability for four globally significant speciesconsidering available but limited secondary information. The results showed variation in habitat suitability at an individual species level, but the combined map showed about 43% of the total area as a suitable habitat. Substantial amounts of suitable habitat also recorded from outside the existing protected areas. The results also highlighted the fact that 75.40% of the existing forest within the landscape is intact, the majority of which is outside the existing protected areas. Thus, there is a strong rationale and opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation to safeguard irreplaceable and unique biodiversity resources of this wilderness landscape.

Horizon Scan of Transboundary Concerns Impacting Snow Leopard Landscapes in Asia

“…Regional cooperation is further limited in the snow leopard landscape due to territorial disputes and other historical conflicts [150]. The cross-boundary nature of the snow leopard landscape provides an opportunity for transboundary cooperation among the range countries to achieve long-term conservation [151].…”

Systematic review of fungi, their diversity and role in ecosystem services from the Far Eastern Himalayan Landscape (FHL)

“…The conservation value of the Himalayan region and the need for regional collaboration picked up momentum when the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and its partners designated the six (Kailash, Kangchenjunga, Far-Eastern Himalaya, Hindu Kush Karakoram Pamir, Everest, and Cherrapunjee-Chittagong) transboundary landscape across the Hindu Kush Himalayan region [ [24] , [25] , [26] ]. The Far-Eastern Himalayan Landscape ( Fig.…”

Habitat suitability modeling of Himalayan Monal and Koklass Pheasant in Western Himalayas and Hindukush, Pakistan

“…The mountain ecosystems of the eastern Himalayas are poorly explored due to tough terrains and harsh climatic conditions. The climatic factor directly effecting the Himalayan endemic bird species influenced on dynamic, shifting and shrinkage of the habitats [4].…”