Human impact on Kashmir Himalayan bird populations

Summary The rapid depletion in the variety and abundance of the bird faunas of Kashmir is cited and related to the reduction in temperate moist forests and lake associated wetlands. These declining areas of habitat are, in turn, thought to reflect the increasing pressures created by both the indigenous population and tourism. Tourism planning is recommended to avert further degradation so that the national heritage may be preserved for future generations.Dr. G. M. Oza is Reader in Botany in the Faculty of Science at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He is also General Secretary of the Indian Society of Naturalists (INSONA), and a Member of the Commission on Ecology and Head of the Asian Antelope Sub-Group of the Species Survival Commission of IUCN.