PhD Research- Behavioural Ecology of the Central Himalayan Langur (Semnopithecus schistaceus) in the Human dominated landscape: Multi-species interactions and conservation implications 

 Key questions 
Habitats dominated by humans and the concomitant fragmentation and conversion of primate habitats are the driving forces behind human-primate conflict interactions, posing one of the greatest threats to primate survival. I investigated the behavioral and ecological adaptability of Central Himalayan Langurs (CHL) (Semnopithecus schistaceus) living in a high-altitude small-scale subsistence farming village landscape with fragments of oak patches in the Indian Himalayas. Understanding the social organization of CHL and how this may influenced by interactions with humans and predators is important for understanding langurs’ adaptation to their environment. I conducted a long-term field study on a fully habituated, individually identified group of langurs to help elucidate four main questions: 1) How do social grooming networks help to maximize individual fitness; 2) What is the source of conflict between CHL and people in a human-modified landscape; 3) What kinds of interactions occur between CHL and their potential predators in an environment not affected by humans 4) What are the behavioral strategies of CHL in response to predation by dogs in the agricultural fields.  
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INDEPENDENT PROJECT- LIVESTOCK AND CENTRAL HIMALAYAN LANGUR INTERACTIONS IN THE HIGH-ALTITUDE MEADOWS OF THE GARHWAL HIMALAYAS, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA. FUNDED BY RUFFORD FOUNDATION (2016-2017)

Read full report here 
      Key outcomes 
  • ​​We found that 67% of the herbs consumed by the langurs were damaged by livestock which had an impact of plant growth and their availability to langurs. 
  • We also found three major groups (nematode, protozoa and trematodes) of gastrointestinal parasites in the livestock and langur populations.  It is most likely that the source of this infection is the meadows, and the high number of infected livestock foraging and defecating in the meadows could be responsible for the spill over of infections into langurs
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Independent Project-  Prescription for coping with a changing world climate: Medicinal diet of the virtually unknown Central Himalayan langurs in the high-altitude regions of the Garhwal Himalayas, India​. Funded by National Geographic Society. (2016-2017)

Key outcome 
  • This project reported first information about diet of langurs in the alpine meadows.
  • High percent of the herb in diet shows importance of these herbs in langurs diet which they might be consuming for the medicinal value.  
  • We found few medicinal plants species in langur diet which was reported by local people for potential medicinal use. These all findings gives basic data about the potential use of medicinal plants by langurs in the higher Himalayas and more detail study need to pursue for further confirmation of medicinal plant use by langurs. 
ngs_final_report_2018_himani_nautiyal.pdf
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 Independent Project: Ecology and Conservation Status of the Virtually Unknown Central Himalayan
Langur in the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Northern India. ​Funded by Rufford Foundation  (2015-2016)

Key outcome 
  • Central Himalayan langur troops at different altitudes exhibited significant differences in the time spent on major behavioural activities
  • Conserving Carpinus viminea trees, the most important winter food resource for Central Himalayan langur.
  • Planting of more fodder crops in the forests near villages may thus reduce the pressure on agricultural fields and reduce the problem of langur-human conflict in these areas. 
Report of this project can be downloaded from here : Report Link 
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himani_nautiyal_2015_msc_thesis.pdf
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Location of the fieldsite