Climate change (CC), loss of forests, habitat destruction, biodiversity extinction, and man-animal conflict. These events are tearing apart our planet’s ecosystem and dimming our hopes of survival. As much as humans are suffering, the animal kingdom is too. Talking about the Himalayan region Asia is blessed with, CC has damaged multiple micro-ecosystems nestled in this famed third pole. One such affected species is the “Himalayan Black Bear”.
With climate change altering weather patterns and the duration of snow and summer, the hibernation period of the black bear has taken a hard hit over time. Constant conflicts with the neighbouring human population due to loss of habitat and insufficient hibernation have impacted the species drastically.
This commentary focuses on the Moon bear, another name for the Himalayan Black Bear, settled in Dachigam National Park. It quotes park officials, forest guards, and the local population surrounding the National Park and tries to gather as much information as possible on the “Gardener of the forests”.
The Himalayan black bear − also called Moon bear or Asiatic black bear − is responsible for tending to the Himalayan forest ecosystem. However, its population is on an unfortunate decline due to climate change. Also, Global warming is threatening the bear population by reducing snowfall and melting high-mountain glaciers. Snowfall in the Himalayas is now spread out over more months, but it is scanty. At the same time, climate change is affecting food availability. For example, berries that would flower in May are flowering early, leaving bears with less food for winter.
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology – Ministry Of Earth Sciences (IITM-MoES) in its study in 2020 found out that several areas in the Hindukush Himalayas have exhibited declining trends in snowfall and retreating glaciers during the recent decades. As a result of this, the Hibernation period of the Himalayan bears has been drastically reduced, forcing them to survive longer and longer with less food. Wildlife scientists learnt that the hibernation period of Himalayan bears has decreased from four to five months to two months.
“The average hibernation period (three to five winter months) of Asiatic black bears is now down to 54 days. We found that one radio-collared bear hibernated for just 32 days,” said Lalit Kumar Sharma, a wildlife expert with the Zoological Survey of India in Kolkata. He also asserted that the reproductive cycle of the said species may be affected due to the changes in their hibernation period.
Experts also warn that the changing hibernation patterns may influence the animal’s behaviour, making it more aggressive and leading to increased bear attacks.
S. Choudhury, who is affiliated with the Wildlife Trust of India, conducted a study on human-wildlife conflict in 2008 in Kashmir valley. He writes in his paper: “Almost 90 per cent of the attacks occur in daylight hours, with the majority happening in agricultural areas (including orchards). Most of the bear attacks occur during the time coinciding with the fruit harvesting season and ripening of corn.”
In 2008-2009, 25 people were killed and 342 injured by bears in Kashmir. By 2011-12, this number reached 40 and 562 respectively, according to the Jammu and Kashmir Department of Wildlife. These events of man-animal conflict have thrown the black bear population out of balance. Approximately 25 per cent of forest divisions in the state of Jammu and Kashmir have reported bear-human conflict, reported Down To Earth magazine.
Popularly and locally known as Maali (gardener) of forests, the Himalayan black bear has great significance in the wild. Nazir Malik, a forest guard in Dachigam, said that the bear helps propagate the forest by excreting and distributing seeds. “The black bear excretes about 85% of the food material consumed, scattering undigested seeds all over the forest floor,” Malik said.
Malik says that when the bear searches for food, it forages for fruits and berries towards the top of the trees. “Though it may seem the black bear is destroying trees, actually it is quite the opposite. Because in doing so, it creates a pathway for sunlight to reach the lower growth such as herbs, shrubs, or other smaller vegetation.”
The Himalayan black bear also acts as a scavenger. Abdul Rehman, a wildlife guard and mountain trekking veteran, who has had his fair share of run-ins with the Himalayan black bear, threw some light on its eating habits. “It eats diseased animals to maintain balance in the forest ecosystem. One of the reasons the black bear does so is due to its strong immune system. It also searches under fallen, partially decomposed logs for grubs, insects, and other organisms,” Rehman said.
Reduction in the number of black bears is affecting forest cover. And with climate change now, the combined effect continues to cause a decline in vulnerable endemic floral species in the Himalayan forests.
Dachigam National Park, located amidst the Zabarwan hills of the Himalayan mountain system that stretches out in Kashmir valley, is witnessing a decline in the black bear population. Although the census conducted in April 2021 did not include the Himalayan black bear, park officials claim its population has decreased owing to human-wildlife conflict and improper rehabilitation of the animal. The current population rests between mere 50-70 black bears. Despite a ban on killing wild animals, unofficial reports have suggested that at least 10 black bears are killed on average every year.
Former director of the State Forest Research Institute for Jammu and Kashmir, OP Sharma, explains in an interview with The Third Pole that construction of roads, pollution and stress on habitat contribute to the destruction of many endemic plant species in the Valley. “Some species can grow under a particular climate. When there is an increase in temperature, these plants shift upwards and also disturb ecosystems there.”
Excessive urban sprawl has also increased along peripheries of forests, where the black bears reside. According to a report published in Down to Earth on land use around the Himalayan black bear habitats in Kashmir, about 30% of forest divisions, where bears reside are under heavy to very heavy use by humans. Livestock use in about 35% of forest divisions is increasing as well. State-of-the-art farms and orchards, laden with fresh fruits, are a welcome treat for the black bears dislocated from their home, making the human population susceptible to attacks.
Kashmir’s orchards have almost doubled in size from 70,364 hectares in the 1990s to 127,759 hectares today as farmers have shifted from paddy to apple cultivation. Apples provide enough sustenance to keep black bears active during the winter.
Nazir Ahmad, a wildlife photographer working in Dachigam National Park, expressed his concern about a load of urban development on forest cover and wildlife. “Construction of urban jungles and horticulture farms leads to hostile interactions. What people don’t realize is that encroaching upon the forest land, where a variety of species already exist and thrive, will eventually lead to conflict,” Ahmad said.
Abdul Hameed, a local trekker, said that awareness is insufficient regarding the human-bear conflict in the region. “Although hostile interactions with the Himalayan black bear have substantially reduced in our area, compared to a decade or two ago, yet awareness amongst masses is insufficient to see a further drop in the conflict graph,” Hameed said.
Faroosha Firdous, a Masters in Environment student from S.P. College, Srinagar, spoke about the importance of this statement in the context of the black bear. Ms Firdous is a climate change activist and advocates environment protection through inter-college debates and seminars. “The Himalayan black bear is a unique species, protecting and preserving the ecosystem. But negatively modifying its habitat, which affects breeding patterns and population, is irresponsible behaviour,” she said.
- The author is Visiting Fellow at Jammu and Kashmir Policy Institute
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