Securing habitats vital for Hangul & Red Deer: Swiss Environmentalist
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By Shafat Malik
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10 Sep 2025
Srinagar, Sept 10: Swiss environmentalist Claude Fischer on Wednesday emphasised the importance of securing habitats and wildlife corridors to ensure the survival of threatened species such as the Hangul and red deer.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Second International Conference on Hangul and Other Threatened Ungulate Conservation at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST), Kashmir, Fischer highlighted the growing threats posed to wildlife due to increasing urbanisation and human encroachment into natural habitats.
“It’s really important to consider living together with wildlife, to give them space and ensure they have enough resources,” Fischer said.
He noted that the population of red deer in Kashmir, a species endemic to the region, had increased to 332 individuals this year. However, he stressed that maintaining genetic diversity and resilience required not just population growth but also connected habitats that allow for gene flow between groups.
Fischer also drew on his experience in Switzerland, where he has studied the presence of red deer in urban areas and the challenges of human-wildlife coexistence.
“It’s a significant management issue. Authorities must make consistent efforts to enable humans and wildlife, especially species like the red deer, to live side by side,” he said.
Addressing the issue of poaching, Fischer acknowledged that while it still existed in Switzerland, it was effectively controlled through a combination of ranger enforcement and public awareness campaigns. Educating people about wildlife behaviour and dispelling the perception of animals as threats, he said, was key to fostering coexistence.
When asked about his impression of biodiversity in Kashmir, Fischer said it was his first visit to the region and that he had limited knowledge of the local ecological conditions. “I think there are beautiful landscapes and probably a lot of wild areas,” he observed, adding that roads cutting through valleys and expanding human activity could pose serious disturbances to wildlife.
Fischer expressed a keen interest in exploring Kashmir’s protected areas during his visit. “It would be very interesting,” he said.
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