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<p>Butterflies are sensitive indicators of habitat quality and respond rapidly to vegetation change, making them effective sentinels for assessing the ecological consequences of extractive activities. We compared butterfly diversity, richness, and community composition between two active mining sites and two adjacent natural forest reference sites in Bageshwar district, Kumaun Himalaya. Standardized monthly transect surveys (Pollard-style transects and fixed-radius point counts) were conducted from January 2021 to December 2023. We quantified α-diversity (observed richness, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson, Hill numbers), β-diversity partitioning (turnover vs. nestedness), multivariate community differences (NMDS, PERMANOVA), and temporal dynamics (STL decomposition, Mann–Kendall, GAMM). Across all sites, a total of 87 species were recorded. Natural forests supported substantially higher richness (Kausani = 87 spp.; Girechhina = 81 spp.) than mines (Jhiroli = 56 spp.; Dafout = 49 spp.). Effect-size estimates indicated a large decline in within-site diversity associated with mining (Hedges’ <i>g</i> = 1.1 for Shannon; <i>g</i> = 1.29 for richness), and PERMANOVA revealed significant community shifts between mined and natural habitats (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). β-diversity was dominated by turnover (0.68) rather than nestedness (0.21), indicating species replacement of forest specialists by disturbance-tolerant generalists (e.g., <i>Eurema</i>, <i>Catopsilia</i>, <i>Pieris</i>). Time-series analyses showed stable seasonal cycles in natural sites but a declining trajectory in mined sites (Mann-Kendall τ = -1.0, slope = -0.51 species month<sup>− 1</sup>; GAMM Habitat effect = -19.9 species, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). NMDS (stress = 0.20) and clustering corroborated habitat-driven compositional divergence. Collectively, results indicate that active mining in this Himalayan landscape causes substantial loss and simplification of butterfly communities, underscoring the need for biodiversity-informed mine management, targeted restoration, and long-term monitoring. These results add to mounting evidence that extractive industries accelerate insect declines and biotic homogenization in biodiversity-rich montane systems, with implications for Himalayan conservation priorities and impact assessment protocols.</p>

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Impact of mining on butterfly richness and community turnover in Bageshwar District, Kumaun Himalaya

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月13日

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  • Seema,
  • Kartik Omanakuttan,
  • Manoj Kumar Arya

摘要

Butterflies are sensitive indicators of habitat quality and respond rapidly to vegetation change, making them effective sentinels for assessing the ecological consequences of extractive activities. We compared butterfly diversity, richness, and community composition between two active mining sites and two adjacent natural forest reference sites in Bageshwar district, Kumaun Himalaya. Standardized monthly transect surveys (Pollard-style transects and fixed-radius point counts) were conducted from January 2021 to December 2023. We quantified α-diversity (observed richness, Chao1, Shannon, Simpson, Hill numbers), β-diversity partitioning (turnover vs. nestedness), multivariate community differences (NMDS, PERMANOVA), and temporal dynamics (STL decomposition, Mann–Kendall, GAMM). Across all sites, a total of 87 species were recorded. Natural forests supported substantially higher richness (Kausani = 87 spp.; Girechhina = 81 spp.) than mines (Jhiroli = 56 spp.; Dafout = 49 spp.). Effect-size estimates indicated a large decline in within-site diversity associated with mining (Hedges’ g = 1.1 for Shannon; g = 1.29 for richness), and PERMANOVA revealed significant community shifts between mined and natural habitats (p < 0.01). β-diversity was dominated by turnover (0.68) rather than nestedness (0.21), indicating species replacement of forest specialists by disturbance-tolerant generalists (e.g., Eurema, Catopsilia, Pieris). Time-series analyses showed stable seasonal cycles in natural sites but a declining trajectory in mined sites (Mann-Kendall τ = -1.0, slope = -0.51 species month− 1; GAMM Habitat effect = -19.9 species, p < 0.001). NMDS (stress = 0.20) and clustering corroborated habitat-driven compositional divergence. Collectively, results indicate that active mining in this Himalayan landscape causes substantial loss and simplification of butterfly communities, underscoring the need for biodiversity-informed mine management, targeted restoration, and long-term monitoring. These results add to mounting evidence that extractive industries accelerate insect declines and biotic homogenization in biodiversity-rich montane systems, with implications for Himalayan conservation priorities and impact assessment protocols.