WILDLIFE CONSERVATION AND LAND-USE CHANGES IN THE TRANSHIMALAYAN REGION OF LADAKH, INDIA

Changes in economy and land use are under way in die Indian Transhimal ayan region of Ladakh, creating both negative and positive prospects f or wildlife conservation in this sparsely populated and previously rem ote area. New livestock breeds, irrigation developments, farming pract ices, foreign tourists, and a large military presence are changing the way people view and use die mountainous land that surrounds them. Wit h only 0.3% of the land currently arable, changes in wildlife and natu ral resource conservation are most apparent on Ladakh's extensive rang elands which are apparently undergoing a redistribution of use associa ted with social changes and recently introduced animal husbandry and f arming practices. Internationally endangered species such as the snow leopard, several wild ungulates, and the black-necked crane provide sp ecial incentive for conservation efforts in what are some of the best remaining natural areas in the mountainous regions to the north of the Himalayan crest. The success of newly created protected areas for wil dlife conservation in Ladakh rests on an understanding of the effects of various development directions, a commitment to environmentally sen sitive development amid the many competing demands on Ladakh's natural resources, conservation laws appropriate to human needs, and a clear recognition that solutions can be neither directly adaptable from othe r mountainous areas nor even widely applicable across the Himalayan re gion.