Aditya Pradhan

Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment | ATREE · Regional office, EH - NE India

Squamate reptiles are among the most underappreciated taxa due to their unappealing esthetics and numerous myths and misconceptions associated with them, depriving them of much needed conservation-related attention. This study was undertaken in a human-modified ecosystem of Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya, by integrating ecological and social methods...

The process of incorporating the priorities of local communities in developing countries is important in the formulation of effective policies for environmental and natural resource conservation. With this outlook, this study was conducted to assess community priorities and socio-cultural values associated with ecosystem services provided by the so...

The availability of information on the distribution and occurrence of diferent species in a landscape is crucial to developing an informed conservation and management plan, however such information in the Himalaya is often limited. Citizen science, which builds on the knowledge and interest of community to contribute to science, can be a solution...

In the socio-ecological landscapes of tropical mountains, including the highly diverse Eastern Himalaya, fragments of natural forests have been traditionally managed as part of different agriculture systems. Recent studies have recognized their role as important biodiversity repositories outside protected areas. However, basic information on forest...

Human-wildlife interactions can range from reverence to extreme conflict. Conservationists have come to the realization that humans and wildlife have always coexisted together in shared landscapes across the globe. Thus, understanding and acting upon the prospects of human-wildlife coexistence (HWCo) is now a crucial component of biodiversity conse...

A daytime observation of two adult and four juvenile Masked Palm Civets Paguma larvata on a Castanopsis tribuloides tree was made in a village in Darjeeling, India, on 29 November 2017. Masked Palm Civets are generally reported to be nocturnal, solitary and territorial in nature, and are rarely encountered in groups, let alone during the day. This...

A Spotted Linsang Prionodon pardicolor was sighted and photographed at an elevation of 533 m asl along the Namdapha River in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. This is the first verifiable record of the species utilising an open space along riverine habitat for diurnal resting.

Indian hare Lepus nigricollis have a vast distribution in southern Asia with several subspecies. Even though it is distributed in a large area, the species lacks regional assessment and has been understudied for taxonomy, ecology, and demography. The species is stated to be absent from the high reaches of the Himalayas; however, several records rev...

A Yellow-bellied Weasel Mustela kathiah was observed catching and killing a rat Niviventer inside a house in Darjeeling, India, at an elevation of 1600 m asl. Photographs and details of the observation are provided. The diet of Yellow-bellied Weasel is poorly known and this report adds to the limited literature on the species.

An individual of Assam Leaf Turtle Cyclemys gemeli was sighted at an elevation of 580m above sea level in Darjeeling. This is the first record of the species from Darjeeling-Sikkim Himalaya, India. Photographs and locality record of the sighting are provided in the present communication.

The study was undertaken from March–May 2019 to explore the butterflies in the human-modified tea dominated landscape of Darjeeling Hills and understanding the diversity, community structure, habitat specialization, and conservation status of butterflies in an organic tea estate. Sampling was done in the two representative ecosystems of tea plantat...

Lissemys punctata andersoni was discovered, identified and photographically recorded with the help of the local community in Darjeeling Hills, West Bengal for the first time at an elevation of 1440 m in a small village (27.032377°N-88.355111°E) in Takdah Cantonment located in Kurseong Subdivision of District Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. This sub...

A survey was carried out to document the amphibian diversity at Takdah Cantonment (27°02'N-88°21'E) in Kurseong Subdivision of District Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, an integral part of the Eastern Himalayas. Time constrained visual encounter survey (VES) method was used for sampling amphibians from all possible habitats of the study area. A tota...