Western tragopan  (Tragopan melanocephalus)

The small remaining western tragopan population is declining and becoming increasingly fragmented in the face of deforestation throughout its restricted range and ongoing hunting pressure (2). Habitat loss and degradation pose the greatest threats to this bird, as a result of commercial timber extraction, tree-felling for conversion to agriculture, browsing of understorey shrubs by livestock, tree-lopping for animal fodder and fuel-wood collection (2) (4). Additionally, disturbance by farmers and their herds of goats, and by humans collecting edible fungi and medicinal plants, may seriously interfere with nesting of this shy species during the breeding season (2) (4). This stunning bird is also hunted for its meat and decorative plumage (2).

The western tragopan is legally protected in both India and Pakistan, and is found in several protected areas, including three national parks and ten wildlife sanctuaries (2) (4). The fairly recent discovery of a large population at Palas Valley, Pakistan, prompted a major conservation initiative in the region, the Himalayan Jungle Project, with this bird featuring as a flagship species (2) (4). The project, which was a cooperative initiative involving BirdLife International/WWF/WPA and the Government of Pakistan, promoted local participation in conservation by developing sustainable uses of the forest as alternatives to disruptive uses such as logging (4). This pheasant has also been the subject of several surveys since the early 1980s (4), and is currently the focus of a large conservation breeding programme in Himachal Pradesh, India (2). The Pakistan National Wildlife Council has also set up facilities for raising nestlings from eggs taken from the wild for later re-release (6).