Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary (18168)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2004
National site name: Shikari Devi Wildlife Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 31.5228, Longitude: 77.1753
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1800 to 3359
Area of KBA (km2): 69.40177
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This high altitude Sanctuary is named after the goddess Shikari Devi, to whom a temple is dedicated and the place is considered sacred by Hindus. An area of 7,200 ha surrounding the temple was declared a sanctuary in 1962. Nearly 40 villages are present inside the Sanctuary, and many more in the surrounding areas. However, there are still good habitats for wild animals. Even the Snow Leopard Uncia uncia has been reported from this site in winter but it needs confirmation. Owing to great variation in altitude, Shikari Devi Sanctuary has seven forest types, according to the classification by Champion and Seth (1968): Alpine Pasture, Sub-alpine Forest, Moist Temperate Deciduous Forest, West Himalayan Upper Oak/Fir forest, Kharsu Oak Forest, Western Mixed Coniferous Forest, and Ban Oak Forest (Singh et al. 1990). This Sanctuary covers the middle altitudinal range from 1,800 to 3,400 m of the Himalayas, showing transition from pine through oak to alpine meadow (Rodgers and Panwar 1988). Information on percentage of different forest types and their ecological condition is not available. However, there are some good patches of temperate forest that have representative bird fauna of the Western Himalayas.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Not much information is available about bird life of this site, except that the globally threatened Cheer Pheasant Catreus wallichii is found, probably in good numbers. Himalayan or Impeyan Monal Lophophorus impejanus, Koklass Pheasant Pucrasia macrolopha, Kaleej Lophura leucomelana and Western Tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus are also found. The last species needs confirmation from this site. This IBA lies in the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA). It also has biome-restricted species of Eurasian High Montane (Biome-5) and Sino-Himalayan Temperate Forest (Biome-7). BirdLife International (undated) has listed 48 species in Biome-5. From the preliminary list that we have, we could find only five species, most of them quite common and of no conservation concern. Similarly, in Biome-7, 112 species are listed but we could find published evidence of only four species. This indicates the paucity of information and not paucity of bird life of this IBA. If more detailed studies are conducted on birds, perhaps more biome and globally threatened species would be found. OTHER KEY FAUNA: Shikari Devi WLS has several high altitude mammals such as Asiatic Black Bear Ursus thibetanus and Goral Nemorhaedus goral. There are unconfirmed reports of Snow Leopard. At temperate forest level, Leopard Panthera pardus, Barking Deer Muntiacus muntjak, Langur Semnopithecus entellus and Rhesus Macaque Macaca mulatta are reported. The Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista petaurista albiventer, Kashmir Flying Squirrel Hylopetes fimbriatus, Stone Marten Martes foina, and Himalayan Weasel Mustela sibirica are also found here. There is no information on the reptile fauna.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 50 | |
| Forest | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Grazing; Human habitation; Collection of fuelwood and other forest produce; Poaching. Despite its sacred status, the Sanctuary is under tremendous human pressure from fuelwood collection, grazing (both local and nomadic), collection of minor forest produce, medicinal plants and grass. During the annual religious fair in May-June, thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine and also bring pressure on the scarce resources. Charaching of Musk Deer for musk pod is still a problem. Pheasants and smaller animals are trapped for the pot. Rodgers and Panwar (1988) have suggested increasing the Sanctuary area to 31,400 ha by incorporating surrounding forest land, to allow development of a core disturbance-free area. The western ridge with alpine pasture should be included. This will protect important habitat for many high altitude mammals and birds.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: BirdLife International (undated) Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Asia: Project briefing book. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K., unpublished. Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968) A revised survey of the forest types of India, Govt. of India, Delhi. Pp. 403. Rodgers, W. A. and Panwar, H. S. (1988) Planning a Protected Area Network in India. 2 vol. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Singh, S., Kothari, A. and Pande, P. (Eds) (1990) Directory of national parks and sanctuaries in Himachal Pradesh: management status and profiles. Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi. Pp 164.