In the Himalayas, land-use change is driving the loss of forest birds
A new study suggests that forest species are largely not able to survive in cultivation areas. Rufous sibia, a forest specialist species, is under threat due to oak forest degradation. | Jagdish Negi / Mongabay
Land-use changes in the western Himalayan forests, a global biodiversity hotspot with huge numbers of endemic species, have resulted in a massive decline in forest birds in the region, new research shows.
Scientists from the Centre for Ecology, Development and Research, Dehra Dun and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, studied the effects of land-use change on forest bird species and “guilds” (any group of species that exploit the same resources, or that exploit different resources in related ways) in areas in the western Himalayas.