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The Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL) is one of the six TBL in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region, sharing boundary among Nepal, India and Bhutan 9. Prioritizing species conservation across TBL is challenging due to differences in the national interest, policies, local communities, funds allocation and political will 8. This phenomenon may induce multifaceted challenges in small populations inhabiting in trans-boundary landscapes (TBL). This restricted movement may lead to genetic consequences including disruption of gene flow, inflation of inbreeding and loss of rare alleles supporting local adaptation and genetic fitness 6, 7. Further, heterogeneity and rapid changes imposed in the landscape often accelerate restriction in the species movement between suitable patches 4, 5. Landscape connectivity demonstrates feasibility for wildlife to move through fragmented habitats and therefore maintaining corridors in fragmented landscapes are vital to ensure natural gene flow and the long-term survival of the species 1, 3. Habitat mapping and modelling corridors across species distribution are cardinal for prioritization of conservation strategies 1, 2. We also seek for cooperation in Nepal, Bhutan and China to aid in preparing for a comprehensive monitoring plan for the long-term conservation and management of red panda in trans-boundary landscapes. We demonstrate the structural-operational connectivity of corridors in KL-India that facilitated red panda movement in the past. In concurrence to the habitat suitability and landscape connectivity models, gene flow results supported a contemporary asymmetric movement of red panda by connecting KL-India in a crescent arc. The spatially explicit and non-explicit Bayesian clustering algorithms evident to exhibit population structuring and supported red panda populations to exist in meta-population frame work.
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We identified 24 unique individuals from 234 feces collected at nine microsatellite loci. The study found about 1,309.54 km 2 area suitable for red panda in KL-India, of which 62.21% area fell under the Protected Area network. The present study demonstrates fine-scale spatial patterns of genetic variation and contemporary gene flow of red panda ( Ailurus fulgens) populations with respect to landscape connectivity in Kangchenjunga Landscape (KL), India. Wildlife management in rapid changing landscapes requires critical planning through cross cutting networks, and understanding of landscape features, often affected by the anthropogenic activities.