Research Projects

India has key initiatives for conserving iconic carnivores, such as Project Tiger and Project Snow Leopard, and a rich history of predator re-introduction programs, most recently the Cheetah project. Globally, large carnivores are predicted to be redistributed this century as animals track their thermal niches and move to newer locations. This redistribution is expected to be most dramatic in the high mountain regions experiencing rapid warming. The Indian Himalaya, a biodiversity hotspot, is home to species like the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), which are under threat from climate change. As land-use patterns rapidly evolve in India’s developing economy, there is a need to understand the risks associated with the redistribution of large carnivores in areas where they coexist with humans. Our study proposes to examine the factors shaping species range limits, i.e., the area where a species is distributed, in three carnivore species. Past work suggests that species ranges are limited by an interplay of abiotic factors (temperature) and biotic factors (competition). This body of work summarised under RLT (Range Limit Theory) and iRLT (Interactive Range Limit Theory) only considers competition as an important interaction shaping ranges. However positive facilitative interactions occur between carnivore populations through providing carrion subsidies. For example, red foxes expand their range by scavenging from snow leopard kills, while carnivores like Himalayan brown bears can benefit from food subsidies, such as crops provided by human presence in the landscape. The impact of these positive interactions on species range distributions remains untested and we propose a novel theoretical framework to include facilitative interactions in the RLT and iRLT. We propose to study Brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus), snow leopard (Panthera uncia), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) ranges along a gradient of human presence. We aim to address three key questions: 1) How do positive and negative interactions influence the range distribution of carnivores? 2) How do carnivores perceive human presence in the landscape? 3) What is the mechanism of human-carnivore facilitation? The research will take place in the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Himachal Pradesh, an ideal location for comparing areas of high (ecodevelopment zone) and low human presence (core area). To address the first question, we will conduct camera-trapping surveys to quantify spatio-temporal overlap among species in the Sainj, Tirthan, and Jewa valleys. For the second question, call playback experiments and automated behaviour recorders will be used to analyze carnivore responses to humans. The third question will be investigated through a carrion provisioning experiment, where behaviour will be recorded. This study will provide valuable insights into Himalayan carnivores, a poorly understood group, and their range distribution patterns.