<b>An annotated checklist of the birds of the upper Siang region, Arunachal Pradesh, India</b>

We present the most comprehensive list of birds for the upper Siang region based on surveys and opportunistic observations from 2010 to 2016.  Of the 252 species recorded for this region, we report 66 for the first time, including six globally threatened species.  The presence of migratory waterfowl indicates the importance of the Siang Valley as a migratory route.  We also emphasise the importance of mixed-use shifting cultivation landscapes outside protected areas in sustaining bird diversity.  Further focused surveys in remote parts of this landscape are required to fully understand the biodiversity significance of this region in the face of emerging large-scale threats. 

Shifting to settled cultivation: Changing practices among the Adis in Central Arunachal Pradesh, north-east India

In the hilly tropics, although shifting cultivation is a widespread practice, government policies have attempted to replace it with other land uses. However, several factors determine whether farming communities can make the shift. We tried understanding the factors that facilitate or impede the shift to settled cultivation through interviews with the Adi tribe in north-east India. Although settled cultivation was initiated in the 60s, about 90 % of the families still practise shifting cultivation, observing 13 festivals associated with the annual agricultural calendar. Our results indicate that the economic status of a household determined whether a family undertook settled cultivation, while labour availability was important for shifting cultivation. Often, these nuances are ignored in the Government policies. We conclude that future policies should be mindful of cultural and socio-economic factors that affect the community and of the social-ecological resilience of the landscapes and not use a one-size-fits-all strategy.