Research Projects

The Sclater's Monal (SM) is a bird found in India, China, and Myanmar, with its local population being difficult to study due to its remote and rugged mountain terrain. Previous publications on SM have focused on the locality of occurrence, leaving the local limit of range unknown. Most habitats fall outside protected areas, making it necessary to assess threats to the bird and its habitat. The current proposal aims to evaluate the local spatial range limit, population status, and threats of SM, along with education of the local community. SM is a data deficient bird, as only reports on locality of occurrence describe its morphology, habit, and habitat. There is no specific research focus on SM, so further research is needed. The scientific objectives of the study include determining SM's population range, size, status, and threats, as well as educating the local community about the bird through an awareness program. The hypothesis is that SM's population is decreasing and its range is shrinking due to various threats to the bird and their habitat across Arunachal Pradesh. Data on population status will be collected using Point count method (PCS), GPS coordinates of occurrence points, and QGIS Kernel Density Estimation Method. Threats to SM and their habitat will be recorded simultaneously, along with occurrence recording in a datasheet and interviews with the local community using questionnaire methods. The study of SM's population status and range is significant for understanding local population size gradients, identifying threats to the bird and their habitat, and addressing population declines.

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