Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
+91-9412056031, +91-0135-2646128
adhikaribs [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in
About
After completing my post-graduate degree in Botany in 1988 and my Ph.D. in Forest Ecology in 1992 from Kumaun University, Nainital and joined WII as Faculty in 1999. My research career that spans over 35 years has been focused on producing scientific data on biodiversity of Himalayan region and utilised in decision-making for the region's sustainable development. The majority of my research focuses on understanding the dynamics of Himalayan forest ecosystems, high-value medicinal and aromatic plant conservation and development, habitat characterisation, the effects of climate change on the Himalayan forest ecosystems and the effects of snow water melt on herbaceous plant species in the alpine region. The timberline ecotone is the most important area of my research because both biodiversity and cultural influence (such as traditional ways of life, NTFP collection, fuel wood, grazing, and religious and temporary settlements) are significantly impacted by changes in the timberline. Therefore, knowing the effects of past changes and current constraints helps to predict how timberline forest ecosystems will respond in the future.
I have a strong desire to support the long-term sustainability and upkeep of this sensitive ecosystem as well as the advancement of the local community, since I am passionate about the Himalayan ecosystems, cultural diversity, and natural resources.
M. Sc. (Botany) 1988 - Kumaun University, Nainital
Ph. D. (Botany: Forest Ecology) 1992 - Kumaun University, Nainital
Research Interest
Vegetation ecology
Habitat ecology
Trans-Himalayan rangeland ecology
Forest dynamics
Climate change
Conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants
Publications
Singh SP, BS Adhikari & DB Zobel (1994). Biomass, productivity, leaf longevity and forest structure along an altitudinal gradient in the Central Himalaya. Ecological Monographs 64 (4): 401-421.
Adhikari BS, YS Rawat& SP Singh (1995). Structure and function of high altitude forests in Central Himalaya. I. Dry Matter Dynamics. Annals of Botany 75: 237-248.
Rawat GS & BS Adhikari (2005). Floristics and Distribution of Plant CommunitiesAcross Moisture and Topographic Gradients in Tso Kar Basin, Changthang Plateau, Eastern Ladakh. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 37(2): 539–544.
Adhikari BS, MM Babu, PL Saklani & GS Rawat (2010). Medicinal plants diversity and their conservation status in Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Campus, Dehradun. Ethnobotanical Leaflets 14: 46-83.
Bhattacharyya S, NA Mungi, T Kawamichi, GS Rawat, BS Adhikari & JL Wilkening (2019). Insights from present distribution of an alpine mammal Royle’s pika (Ochotona roylei) to predict future climate change impacts in the Himalaya. Regional Environmental Change. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-019-01556-x
Chaudhary A, MS Sarkar, BS Adhikari & GS Rawat (2021). Ageratina adenophora and Lantana camara in Kailash Sacred Landscape, India: Current distribution and future climatic scenarios through modeling. PLoS ONE 16(5):e0239690. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239690
Kumar V, A Sharief, R Dutta, T Mukherjee, BD Joshi, K Chandra, M Thakur, BS Adhikari & L Sharma (2022). Living with a large predator: Assessing the root causes of Human-Brown bear Conflict and their spatial patterns in Lahaul valley, Himachal Pradesh. Ecology and Evolution 12:e9120. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.9120
Kumar R & BS Adhikari (2023). Snowmelt infuence on phenological events of herbaceous plants in alpine region of West Himalaya. Brazilian Journal of Botany 46:1041-1054. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-023-00939-z
Chatterjee D & BS Adhikari (2024). Unravelling vulnerabilities: mapping key hazards in the Gori Ganga watershed of Kumaon Himalaya for communication, conservation and management. Discover Environment 2:30.
Sarneel JM, MM Hefting, T Sandén, J van den Hoogen, D Routh, BS Adhikari et al. (2024) Reading tea leaves worldwide: Decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass-loss rate and stabilization. Ecology Letters, 27, e14415.
Dr. Bhupendra Singh Adhikari
Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.
+91-9412056031, +91-0135-2646128
adhikaribs [at] wii [dot] gov [dot] in