Epidemiological study of snakebite cases in Sikkim: Risk modeling with regard to the habitat suitability of common venomous snakes.

Background: Snakebite envenoming is listed as category 'A' Neglected Tropical Disease. To achieve the target of WHO (World Health Organization) 2019, it becomes necessary to understand various attributes associated with snakebite including community awareness, improvisation of medical facilities and to map the potential distribution of venomous snakes responsible for the bite. Hence this study is conducted in Sikkim, India to understand the epidemiology of snakebite in Sikkim.

Rich yet undocumented ethnozoological practices of socio-culturally diverse indigenous communities of Sikkim Himalaya, India.

Aim Of The Study: The indigenous people of Sikkim Himalaya possess indispensable traditional knowledge including the use of flora and fauna due to their close association with nature. The present study aims to explore the rich and undocumented ethnozoological practices of different indigenous communities of the Sikkim Himalaya.

Materials And Methods: Data was collected using semi-structured questionnaire interviews among the traditional healers and indigenous communities of Sikkim.

Elevational gradients in bird diversity in the Eastern Himalaya: an evaluation of distribution patterns and their underlying mechanisms.

Background: Understanding diversity patterns and the mechanisms underlying those patterns along elevational gradients is critically important for conservation efforts in montane ecosystems, especially those that are biodiversity hotspots. Despite recent advances, consensus on the underlying causes, or even the relative influence of a suite of factors on elevational diversity patterns has remained elusive.

Methods And Principal Findings: We examined patterns of species richness, density and range size distribution of birds, and the suite of biotic and abiotic factors (primary productivity, habitat variables, climatic factors and geometric constraints) that governs diversity along a 4500-m elevational gradient in the Eastern Himalayan region, a biodiversity hotspot within the world's tallest mountains.