Blyth's tragopan  (Tragopan blythii)

Ongoing habitat loss through deforestation and conversion of land for agriculture is threatening this colourful species throughout its range, along with large-scale hunting and snaring of pheasants and partridges by local people for food (7). Forest clearance is a significant threat in north-east India, primarily as a result of shifting cultivation, which together with logging and fuelwood collection, is rapidly fragmenting remaining habitat, even within protected areas. High levels of grazing and slash-and-burn agriculture in Bhutan are also significant concerns. As a result of these threats, the population of Blyth's tragopan is believed to be declining, and small subpopulations are becoming increasingly scattered within a severely fragmented range (5).

Blyth's tragopan is legally protected throughout its range, and occurs in several protected areas. However, enforcement of regulations within some of these protected areas is evidently lacking or impossible, and they cannot therefore be considered totally safe from the human-imposed threats that exist elsewhere. As well as stricter enforcement, there is an urgent need for conservation awareness programmes within local communities, highlighting the effects of over-exploitation (5).