Article

Bijoy Chhetri, PhD, former Researcher of G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim Regional Centre (737102, India, Gangtok, Pangthang); Assistant Professor of School of Basic Sciences of Shri Ramasamy Memorial University (737101, India, Sikkim, Gangtok, Tadong, 5^th Mile); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9391-5477; e-mail: chhetribijoy@yahoo.in
Hemant Kumar Badola, PhD, former Advisor to the Chief Minister of Sikkim on Biodiversity, Climate Change and Green Think Tank Facilitator (737101, India, Gangtok, Govt. of Sikkim, C.M. Office, Samman Bhawan); former Scientist G & Head, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Sikkim Regional Centre (737102, India, Sikkim, Gangtok, Pangthang); presently: a Freelance Expert Advisor of Biodiversity and Climate Change (248001, India, Dehradun, GMS Road, Sailok Phase 2, Aditya Doonshire Apartments); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4570-4290; e-mail: hkbadola@gmail.com
Sudip K. Barat, PhD, former Professor of Zoology of University of North Bengal (734013, India, West Bengal, Darjeeling); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2344-0976; e-mail: sudipbarat@rediffmail.com

Chhetri B., Badola H.K., Barat S. 2021. How people perceive resilience of Himalayan pheasants, Phasianidae, in relation to climate warming in Eastern Himalaya. Nature Conservation Research 6(3): 87–96. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2021.040

Electronic Supplement. The selected Himalayan pheasant species and their potential habitats in the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, with short commentaries (Link).

Conceptual frameworks of climate change impact on the Himalayan biodiversity have given high emphasis to understand the linkages between indigenous people and their environment. Existing literature lacks climate change ramification on Himalayan biodiversity due to a deficit of long-term data. Therefore, perception tools are used to illuminate climate change impacts on Himalayan biodiversity by the local people's knowledge regarding their environment. We used a snowball technique to understand the indigenous knowledge, responses, and their perception of Himalayan pheasants (Ithaginis cruentus, Lophophorus impejanus, Lophura leucomelanos, and Tragopan satyra) with climate change in Eastern Himalaya. We carried out a case study by taking people's perception in and around the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. The results indicated that climate warming is more pronounced in the local premise of Himalaya, which has significantly affected the Himalayan pheasants. The questionnaire reliability was tested with Cronbach's alpha. The value was quite high despite the small number (three variables) of items. Having established the scale reliability and validity of the data, linear regression analysis found appropriate to judge the range shift of pheasants. The regression demonstrated the goodness of fit was quite acceptable considering the F value; climate warming significantly influenced the overall pheasant range shift as revealed by the data obtained from the respondents (p < 0.001). This study will be an insight into the climate change impacts on Himalayan biodiversity and will give more focus to the threatened and narrow ranged endemic species of the Himalayas before they go to the verge of extinction.

climate change, conservation, Galliformes, endemic species, indigenous knowledge, restricted range

Received: 04.12.2020. Revised: 18.06.2021. Accepted: 21.06.2021.

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