Cause progress
Synopsis
The Western Tragopan (Tragopan melanocephalus) has now been categorized as Vulnerable (BirdLife International, 2011) and Jammu & Kashmir harbors its viable populations in some pockets both protected or otherwise that are widely distributed across the North West Himalaya in the biomes of Kashmir and Northern Jammu. In view of its significant population, the state has an important role to play in its conservation both at global and national level.
In late last century, a beginning was made to confirm its presence in a potential site and evaluate the population status. In continuation of the previous efforts the proposed project aims to establish the current status and distribution of Western tragopan in Jammu & Kashmir using the call count technique, coupled with assessment of various threats through a questionnaire survey.
Data will be collected on established survey plots which could be used as a purpose of long term monitoring of this important species. Based on the findings of the research, conservation recommendation will be made for the concerned authorities for the long term protection and management of this threatened species.
Wildlife Conservation Fund has undertaken the Western Tragopan Conservation Project, in Kashmir to monitor the status in the state.