Fish migrating upstream in Himalayas: ZSI

Fish in the Indian Himalayan landscape are migrating upstream due to the melting of glaciers, a study by the Zoological Survey of India has revealed.

The findings of the data collected during the first year of the three-year-long biodiversity assessment project in the Indian Himalayan landscape show a change in distribution of fauna in the last 100 years across the mountain range.

"We have the information on fauna of last 100 years. We have compared the data over the last century with the fresh data and we have found that due to the melting of the glaciers... those species which were present at 3,000 metres above sea level... they have moved up. Some of the examples are stream fish," ZSI Director Kailash Chandra told IANS.

"Similarly for Apollo butterflies, we have observed a shift to other areas because of change in landscape," he said.

The ZSI is executing the 'Biodiversity Assessment through Long-term Monitoring plots in the Indian Himalayan Landscape' programme and the project on 'Lepidtoptera (insect) as potential indicator-taxa for tracking climate change' in the Indian Himalayan landscape.

"Under the biodiversity assessment, we are studying the Himalayas from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh and it revolves around six national parks. The aim is to ascertain whether the species are still present there. This will be the model for assessments in the future," he added.

--IANS

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