Dehradun, Sept. 22 -- Wildlife Institute of India (WII) director Dr GS Bhardwaj on Monday said that habitat shrinkage and more instances of human-wildlife conflict were among key prevailing challenges facing wildlife conservation in the country. Addressing the 37th Annual Research Seminar of WII in Dehradun, Bhardwaj said the institute was working across different the country on largely field-oriented research to help address conservation challenges on the ground. The two-day seminar, which began on Monday, has brought together researchers, wildlife professionals, scientists, academicians and conservation practitioners to discuss emerging challenges and research in wildlife science and biodiversity conservation. Bhardwaj said the seminar showcased the institute's "diverse efforts towards conserving the country's biodiversity and provided researchers and faculty members an opportunity to present their work and receive feedback from experts and professionals from different fields". He added that the collective insights and perspectives emerging from such engagements could help take WII's research initiatives in new directions. The inaugural session was addressed by Dr SP Yadav, Director General, International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), while Dr Ruchi Badola, Dean, faculty of Wildlife Sciences, WII, presented an overview of the institute's research activities and achievements over the past year. Badola said WII scientists had reported two new species, including the fan-throated lizard, 13 new species of bush frogs and the first mud-nesting frog species from India during the year. The institute is also working on preparing the Wildlife Vision Plan for "Viksit Bharat -2047", she said. Five publications on subjects including river learning methods, experimental learning, tiger beetles of the Ramganga catchment, the status of the clouded leopard in select sites of northeastern India and the Nicobar megapode were released during the inaugural session. It also featured technical sessions on wildlife recovery and reintroduction, species and habitats, landscape change and connectivity, population estimation, biodiversity , and human-wildlife coexistence as well as conflict....