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A recent study on the Himalayan Brown Bear massive habitat decline by year 2050 due to climate change
Key findings of the study
- The study carried out in the western Himalayas by scientists of the Zoological Survey of India, predicted a massive decline of about 73% of the bear’s habitat by the year 2050.
- A publication titled ‘Adaptive spatial planning of protected area network for conserving the Himalayan brown bear’ with the details of the study has recently been published in an international science journal
- According to this study, these losses in habitat will also result in loss of habitat from 13 protected areas (PAs), and eight of them will become completely uninhabitable by the year 2050, followed by loss of connectivity in the majority of PAs
- It recommends that the suitable habitats were mapped outside the PAs and are closely placed to PAs; such areas may be prioritized to bring them into the PA network or enhanced protection
About Himalayan Brown bear
- It is one of the largest carnivores in the highlands of the Himalayas.
- It occupies the higher reaches of the Himalayas in remote, mountainous areas of China, Nepal, Pakistan and India, in small and isolated populations, and is extremely rare in many of its ranges.
- It is the largest mammal in the region, males reaching up to 2.2 m (7 ft) long while females are a little smaller.
- Himalayan brown bears exhibit sexual dimorphism
- IUCN status: While the brown bear as a species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, this subspecies is highly endangered and populations are dwindling. It is Endangered in the Himalayas and Critically Endangered in Hindu Kush.
Source: The Hindu
