The morphometric analysis of the watersheds is essential for the conservation of natural resources, including soil, water, and vegetation. The Morphometric analysis defines the linear, areal and relief aspects of the watershed. It involves the comprehensive analysis of various factors such as drainage network, surface water flow, and other topographical features. The aim of this study is to develop a sustainable watershed management strategy for the Nayar watershed based on morphometry and Land Use Land Cover (LULC) change dynamics. The Nayar watershed has a total area of 1956.33 km². The multispectral satellite imagery, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, and Survey of India (SOI) Toposheets were used for understanding the topographical and morphological characteristics along with the LULC change dynamics. The findings of this research conclude that the Nayar watershed has parallel and dendritic drainage patterns with high relief. According to the LULC change dynamics, the Nayar watershed's area change comprising 57.60 km² and 57.15 km², are from Agricultural Land to Wasteland and from Forest Cover to Wasteland, respectively. This shift in the hilly region will increase the risks of landslides and erosion. Furthermore, the change of 110.03 km² area of Forest Cover to Agricultural Land raises further challenges due to loss of natural vegetation in long run. In summary the change in LULC of Nayar watershed is vulnerable to risk of natural calamities like landslide, erosion. This work would be helpful to many experts and decision-makers for sustainable watershed management and natural resource management.

The natural distribution and the species ecology of the lesser-known nocturnal endemic brown palm civet in the Western Ghats are definite. We used camera trap data from the Western Ghats to predict the suitable niche, coat colour pattern, and diel activity. The environmental variables like rainfall, elevation, isothermaility, tree density, and tree height profoundly influence the brown palm civet’s habitat suitability. We determined that the most suitable habitat area in the entire Western Ghats is 21,853 km², in four well-defined isolated blocks. The brown palm civet distribution is more towards the south, ranging from Kakkad to Anamalai. The distribution on the north side is in the Nilgiris, Bhadra, and the Sahyadri. The diel activity pattern indicates that the species is nocturnal, with activity peak in the early night and ending in the early morning, and is nearly identical in different landscapes. The species has a variety of coat patterns, which we believe is due to phenotypic plasticity. The species is not a true high altitude montane shola-dependent species, unlike the other endemic species of the Western Ghats. The destruction of rainforests resulting from excessive anthropogenic pressure results in habitat fragmentation, posing a significant threat to the brown palm civet habitats.

Large mammals are susceptible to land use and climate change, unless they are safeguarded within large, protected areas. It is crucial to comprehend the effects of these changes on mammals to develop a conservation plan. We identified ecological hotspots that can sustain an ecosystem for the endangered Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), an umbrella species. We developed three distinct ensemble species distribution models (SDMs) for the Bengal tiger in the Indian East Himalayan Region (IEHR). The first model served as the baseline and considered habitat type, climate, land cover, and anthropogenic threats. The second model focused on climate, land use, and anthropogenic threats, the third model focused on climate variables. We projected the second and third models onto two future climate scenarios: RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. We evaluated the threats possess to protected areas within eco‐sensitive zone based on the potential tiger habitat. Finally, we compared the potential habitat with the IUCN tiger range. Our study revealed that the Brahmaputra valley will serve as the primary habitat for tigers in the future. However, considering the projected severe climate scenarios, it is anticipated that tigers will undergo a range shift towards the north and east, especially in high‐altitude regions. Very high conservation priority areas, which make up 3.4% of the total area, are predominantly located in the riverine corridor of Assam. High conservation priority areas, which make up 5.5% of total area are located in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is important to note that conservation priority areas outside of protected areas pose a greater threat to tigers. We recommend reassessing the IUCN Red List's assigned range map for tigers in the IEHR, as it is over‐predicted. Our study has led us to conclude both land use and climate change possess threats to the future habitat of tigers. The outcomes of our study will provide crucial information on identifying habitat hotspots and facilitate appropriate conservation planning efforts.

Changes in fluvial characteristics, water flow regimes, and anthropogenic pressure have severely impacted the middle Ganga River, leading to resource scarcity for aquatic biodiversity. Despite the importance of habitat assessment in managing these ecosystems, gaps remain in understanding the process to fluvial stress factor, maintenance of minimum water to sustain Environmental flow (E-flow) and delineating potential riverine habitats for biodiversity. This study aims to identify clusters of riverine habitats. We used Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) to undergo Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) analysis. Weights assigned to variables based on their ecological significance, achieving a favourable consistency ratio of 0.0276 in model validation. The resulting potential habitat areas are categorized into four classes i.e., high, moderate, and low potential area along with restoration area. Key findings indicate that Ganga River from Sirsa to Kaithi has high potential habitat for aquatic biodiversity. Stretch between Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve to Bijnor and Narora to Kannauj need more conservation effort for aquatic biodiversity. Particularly, stretches downstream of tributary confluences possess high potentiality for supporting species, such as the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica), whereas, sand bars and islands are important habitat for Smooth coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), Turtles and birds. River sections between barrages, particularly those lacking tributary input, are critical for species survival. This study underscores the need for effective management strategies to address fluvial stressors and enhance habitat conservation for aquatic biodiversity in the Ganga River system.