The NMSHE-phase II has been initiated in April 2022 representing a necessitated and logical progression from Phase I, i.e., to apply, and expand the research conducted along all the project’s core themes. The Phase II aims to conduct action-oriented research to strengthen the knowledge of climate implications on the wildlife of Himalaya. The project is organized into two procedural frameworks: 1. Long term monitoring of climate change impacts on micro flora, fauna and their habitats in the selected and proposed high-altitude river basins; and 2. Development of predictive models based on primary as well as secondary data for aquatic and terrestrial taxa at IHR scale.

During the Phase I of the project, methodology was established, and baseline data was generated for assessment of climate change impacts on wildlife and habitats in three river basins in the IHR. In Phase II, the efforts will be continued in the three river basins and replicated in an additional river basin to represent longitudinal and elevational gradients of IHR. The models developed so far for some key species require further testing and ground validation to avoid uncertainties and errors. The Phase II will enhance the occurrence data and develop robust scenarios for other terrestrial and aquatic species susceptible to climate change in the IHR. The Phase II also aims to continue the long-term experiments in order to better understand the spatial and temporal trends in activity of the soil microbial community and diversity and community structure of soil microfaunal communities.

The expected deliverables from this project shall be: (i) scientific documentation in the form of publications on observed climate driven response of species’ phenological patterns, distribution, abundance and environment associations, (ii) development of correlative species distribution models to predict impacts of climate change under various scenarios on key wild populations, (iii) conservation plans for vulnerable key species particularly, climate refugia and corridors, (iv) development of fine scale temperature and precipitation data and models to address the mechanisms by which climate may act on species distributions/physiological /community change, (v) establishment of permanent monitoring sites for implementing long-term monitoring programme by local stakeholders, (vi) database on flow of different ecosystem services and its role in climate change vulnerability; (vii) establishment of Spatial Database Infrastructure (SDI) capable of storing large robust dataset and Web based Decision support system (Wb-DSS) for visualization, strategic knowledge and climate change adaptation policy, (viii) stakeholder sensitization for Wildlife-climate adaptation through booklets, manuals, citizen science initiatives and web-based products, (ix) enhancement in research capacities through national and international collaborations, and (x) formulation of policy briefs.