Rapid and non-destructive differentiation of Shahtoosh from Pashmina/Cashmere wool using ATR FT-IR spectroscopy.

Shahtoosh, the most expensive and sought-after wool in the illegal wildlife trade is obtained from the underfur of a critically endangered species-the Tibetan Antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii). It is often adulterated or mixed with the wool of Pashmina goat (Capra aegagrus hircus) for making shawls, scarves and other woolen articles to maximize the profit. The comparable fineness, color and texture, makes it a challenging task in wildlife forensics to differentiate them.

Unraveling the mystery of confiscated "jackal horns" in India using wildlife forensic tools.

Internationally, illegal wildlife trade involves highly prized and charismatic species and their derivatives. At the same time, common or less known species and their parts are also encountered but receive less attention than charismatic species. Given the increasing demand for wildlife products in many parts of the world, profit, and short supply, many fake articles derived from domestic or wild animals are frequently encountered in the wildlife trade.

Equilibrium in soil respiration across a climosequence indicates its resilience to climate change in a glaciated valley, western Himalaya.

Soil respiration (SR), a natural phenomenon, emits ten times more CO from land than anthropogenic sources. It is predicted that climate warming would increase SR in most ecosystems and give rise to positive feedback. However, there are uncertainties associated with this prediction primarily due to variability in the relationship of SR with its two significant drivers, soil temperature and moisture.

Ageratina adenophora and Lantana camara in Kailash Sacred Landscape, India: Current distribution and future climatic scenarios through modeling.

The Himalayan region is one of the global biodiversity hotspots. However, its biodiversity and ecosystems are threatened due to abiotic and biotic drivers. One of the major biotic threats to biodiversity in this region is the rapid spread of Invasive Alien Species (IAS).

Experimental warming increases ecosystem respiration by increasing above-ground respiration in alpine meadows of Western Himalaya.

Alpine ecosystems in the Himalaya, despite low primary productivity, store considerable amount of organic carbon. However, these ecosystems are highly vulnerable to climate warming which may stimulate ecosystem carbon efflux leading to carbon-loss and positive feedback. We used open-top chambers to understand warming responses of ecosystem respiration (ER) and soil respiration (SR) in two types of alpine meadows viz.

Methane emissions respond to soil temperature in convergent patterns but divergent sensitivities across wetlands along altitude.

Among the global coordinated patterns in soil temperature and methane emission from wetlands, a declining trend of optimal soil temperature for methane emissions from low to high latitudes has been witnessed, while the corresponding trend along the altitudinal gradient has not yet been investigated. We therefore selected two natural wetlands located at contrasting climatic zones from foothill and mountainside of Nepal Himalayas, to test: (1) whether the optimal temperature for methane emissions decreases from low to high altitude, and (2) whether there is a difference in temperature sensitivity of methane emissions from those wetlands. We found significant spatial and temporal variation of methane emissions between the two wetlands and seasons.

Blue Sheep Resource Selection in Alpine Grasslands of a Western Himalayan Landscape - A Point Process Approach.

In-depth knowledge of distribution and factors influencing it is important for species conservation and management. Many forms of such data have led to the development of new analytical techniques for better interpretation. For mountainous terrains with certain limitations, species data are obtained in the presence-only form.

Landscape predictors of human-leopard conflicts within multi-use areas of the Himalayan region.

Conflict with humans is a significant source of mortality for large carnivores globally. With rapid loss of forest cover and anthropogenic impacts on their habitats, large carnivores are forced to occupy multi-use landscapes outside protected areas. We investigated 857 attacks on livestock in eastern Himalaya and 375 attacks in western Himalaya by leopards between 2015 and 2018.