Zeitschrift für Geographie und Naturkatastrophen
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Conservation ecology of red panda in Himalayas

Saroj Panthi

Red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is listed as endangered in IUCN red data list, protected for Nepal and distributed in Himalaya region of Nepal, and is commonly known as "Habre" in Nepalese language. The species is distributed in different protected areas of Nepal, however the detailed information on ecological, biological and conservation aspect are still lacking. The study was conducted in Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve (DHR), Nepal to investigate diet, habitat preference and distribution of red panda. Micro histological fecal analysis methods were used to investigate feeding species on red pandas’ diet. The habitat preference of red panda was analyzed by using Ivelve’s electivity index. A total of 120 plots were laid out for sampling the vegetation (trees, shrubs, and herbs respectively) and habitat features. Red panda preferred gully with forest area and tree species Acer caesium (IV=1). Most important forest species in the habitat of red panda were Abies spectablis (IVI=66.22) and Betulautilis (IVI=17.15) with ground cover of Arundinaria spp. Red panda preferred 3000-4000 m elevation range, 26-50% slope, 51-75% crown cover and 26-50% ground cover. Arundinaria spp. was found as a major (81.7%) diet of red panda. For protecting this species human consumption of the Arundinaria spp. should be discouraged.