Conservation Prospects of the Kashmir Red Deer ( Cervus hanglu hanglu ) beyond Dachigam National Park, in Jammu and Kashmir, India

India’s only extant red deer species, the Kashmir red deer, or hangul (Cervus hanglu hanglu) is restricted today to the confines of the 141 sq. km Dachigam National Park (NP) in Jammu and Kashmir, with about 200 surviving individuals. A continual population decline of hangul has necessitated the identification of relict populations and suitable habitats outside Dachigam NP, so that a meta-population approach to its conservation may be employed. Extensive surveys in 2008–2012 across the Kashmir valley, helped identify three distinct areas, where the presence of the red deer was confirmed year-round. Ecological Niche Factor Analysis results indicated that hangul exhibits high global marginality (1.24) and low global tolerance (0.28). Habitat suitability modelling predicted 610.75 sq. km area of conifer and temperate broadleaved forests as highly (61–100%) suitable and 980.25 sq. km as moderately (31–60%) suitable, primarily in two distinct areas of Wanghat Naranag and Chandaji, which also showed presence of the hangul year-round. This suggests that apart from Dachigam NP, suitable habitats bearing hangul populations still exist in Kashmir valley (935.46 sq. km), emphasizing the need to urgently direct protection and conservation focus to these areas to conserve hangul successfully in this landscape.