Habitat Risk Assessment of Himalayan Salamander Breeding Sites in the Darjeeling Hills

Himalayan salamander (H.S.) Tylototriton himalayanus, one of the two salamander species found in India, is a vulnerable species. However, there is a lack of studies in recent years to assess the threats faced by H.S. due to habitat degradation, and other anthropogenic pressure including road kill. This study analyzes habitat change based on previous studies on about 37 salamander breeding sites in Darjeeling Hills. Land use land cover (LULC) thematic layers for the multitemporal periods 2018 and 2023 were created to observe changes in factors such as rangeland, build area, tree cover and change in water bodies over the years. Climate thematic layers of the watershed were created to see the variation in average annual temperature and rainfall. The results showed significant decrease in range land and water bodies along with decrease in annual rainfall and increasing annual temperature. The LULC predictions for the year 2028 were created using ANN and Logistic models to predict the changes in rangeland and water bodies respectively. The Road network analysis shows that there is an urgent need to strategically place road signs to avoid Salamander road kill especially on National Highway NH 55 and State Highway 12, which pass through several salamander habitats. Our study reveals about 13 key habitat sites that require immediate attention to save the already depleting natural terrain of Himalayan salamanders.