Executive Summary : | Anthropogenic impacts, such as habitat fragmentation, land use changes, livestock resource depletion, and hunting, can alter the spatial and demographic structure of natural populations, leading to the extinction of approximately 60% of large herbivores. One such species, the Himalayan tahr (HT), is endemic to the Himalayan Mountain ranges of India, Nepal, and China. HT, which inhabits subalpine scrubland, open grassland, and rugged slopes, faces threats of degradation, habitat loss, hunting, and resource competition with livestock. In India, fragmentation of natural habitats restricts tahr populations in disjunct and isolated pockets, while in some areas, populations are close to local extirpation. HT is listed as 'Near threatened' under the IUCN red list and protected as a 'Schedule I' species under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. In the Indian Himalayan region, ~750 HT are distributed in forested slopes of southern Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and northern Uttarakhand. HT populations in these areas are threatened due to habitat degradation, ill-planned developmental activity, livestock grazing, and hunting/poaching for meat. However, evaluation of anthropogenic pressure and its effect on distribution pattern, movement between population, and demographic history is still lacking. A recent study by Joshi et al. identified loss of genetic diversity and population subdivision in HT populations in Uttarkashi and Lahul, suggesting the need for fine-scale assessment of population genetic structure. |