AMU faculty receives research grant for Himalayan Tahr conservation

ALIGARH  : Prof Orus Ilyas, Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University has been awarded a significant research grant under the SERB-Core Research Grant of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), Government of India. The grant, amounting to approximately Rs. 67 lakhs, has been allocated for the project titled “Assessing the Population Ecology of Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragusjemlahicus) for Conservation Planning”, spanning the regions of the Himalayas from Kashmir to Uttarakhand. Prof Khursheed Ahmed, Head, Division of Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-Kashmir, is the Co-Principal Investigator of the project.

Prof Orus Ilyas said that the Himalayan Tahr goat antelope is a most under research and unique species found in a narrow zone around the timberline on the southern side of the Himalayas, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Sikkim. Due to a population decline of more than 30%, this species has been placed as Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

She said that the study, to be conducted in Uttarakhand, aims to understand the ecology and coexistence of the Himalayan Tahr with other species in its distributional range. The findings will not only contribute to the preservation of this critical species but also enhance the overall biodiversity and ecological balance in the region.