India, Oct. 10 -- Uttarakhand's state bird, the Himalayan Monal, and other high-altitude species are in peril. A changing climate and over tourism are reducing the state's alpine meadows (known locally as bugyals) and forests where these animals live. A recent visit to the Tungnath temple, India's highest Shiva temple in Rudraprayag district, revealed a dismal state of affairs.

Instead of spotting a Himalayan Monal or a Tahr, plastic litter, a foul stench emanating from the temporary toilets built for tourists, plastic wrappers littered all over, and grey water leaching down the slopes of the meadow was all that was seen by Down To Earth (DTE).

Locals and the temple priests spoke a fear of losing the natural biodiversity, birds, and an...