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Stream water plays an important role in the development of habitats. It is one of the important sources of water used for drinking and irrigation in the region. Before using, it is necessary to test the quality of all types of surface water available for various use. A geochemical study of stream water has been conducted in parts of Pratapgarh, Raebareli, and Allahabad districts of Uttar Pradesh to assess its suitability for domestic purposes and establish the baseline concentration of major ions, trace and REEs. 20 samples of stream water from different locations of 1st or 2nd order streams were collected during post-monsoon period, from 18th to 31st October 2021. Different hydrochemical parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, dissolved oxygen (DO), salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS), major cations and anions were analysed. In order to obtain maximum quality and purity of water, the stream water samples were analyzed by ICP-MS analytical method in the chemical lab for 47 trace elements including REEs contents. The obtained values of each parameter have been compared with the standard values recommended by BIS and WHO. The value of each element except uranium has been found to be within the desirable and permissible limits prescribed by BIS (2012) and WHO (2006). Selenium and arsenic have been found to be marginally exceed the permissible limits. The pH values of all stream waters in the study area range from 7.14 to 8.86 with an average value of 7.86 indicating an alkaline nature of stream water. The concentration of uranium in stream water varied from 1.5 ppb to 48.67 ppb with a mean value of 7.9 ppb. It is observed that wherever concentration of uranium in the samples increased, the pH as well as the bicarbonate level increased accordingly. Correlation coefficient revealed that uranium is strongly correlated with bicarbonate (r=0.67), moderately with sodium (r=6.1), and low positively correlated with the concentration of pH (r=0.34), EC (r=0.52), and salinity (r=0.52), indicates the same origin. Water quality index (WQI) of water was determined for suitability of drinking purpose, revealed that 65% water samples fall in excellent category and 30% water samples fall in good category while only 5% water sample are in poor category. Trilinear plot of sample shows that most of the stream water samples are Ca-Mg-HCO3 type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a realization that managed forests and other natural areas in the landscape matrix can and must make significant contributions to biodiversity conservation. Often, however, there are no consistent baseline vegetation or wildlife data for assessing the status of biodiversity elements across protected and managed areas for conservation planning, nor is there a rapid and efficient means to acquire those data. We used a unified vegetation classification and simple animal sampling design to describe the patterns of abundance of selected mammals as indicator, or characteristic, species in different vegetation types and protected areas vs. managed forest units in the Terai Conservation Area (TCA) in northern Uttar Pradesh state, India. We quantified the relative abundance of 15 mammals of conservation concern from dung counts in vegetation sampling plots within 122 sample patches in 13 vegetation types and 4 management units. Assemblages of species differed both among vegetation types and among management units. Species assemblages in the two protected areas differed strongly from those in two managed forests. Grasslands in protected areas were the most species diverse among vegetation types and had several indicator species. Protected forests were dominated by chital ( Axis axis) and nilgai ( Boselaphus tragocamelus) in a second species group. A third species group in open grasslands and savannas in managed forests was characterized by cattle ( Bos taurus) and Indian hare ( Lepus nigricollis). Protected areas clearly are the core conservation area of the TCA for their relatively high habitat value and species diversity, and their protected status minimizes human disturbance. Impacts of human use are high in managed forests, indicating their compromised value for biodiversity conservation. Our simple assessment methodology gives managers a simple way to assess the status of important mammals across landscape conservation units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the first photographic record of the four-horned Antelope Tetracerus quadricornis or chousingha from the Pilibhit Forest Division in Uttar Pradesh, India. It states that the image was captured by a camera trap during the population estimation exercises of tiger Panthera tigris from May 22 and June 30, 2010. Furthermore, it mentions that the chousingha was differentiated in terms of size and height from other species which include nilgai, muntjac and hog deer.