Quantitative ethnobotanical assessment of woody species in a representative watershed of west Himalaya, India

Abstract

The study attempts quantitative assessment of the use value of traditionally used woody species in a representative mid-Himalayan watershed of west Himalaya. Ethnobotanical surveys were conducted in the fringe villages of altitudinally diverse forested area of the watershed covering different age group respondents. A total of 34 woody species (27 trees and 7 shrubs) belonging to 25 families were identified as useful in the watershed, and their availability varied considerably across the altitudes. The relative frequency citation and use value for each identified species were analysed. Further, vegetation surveys were conducted in nearby forests to assess the availability of identified useful species. Outcomes of this study can be used to develop an effective augmentation plan for the community forests within the watershed and other Himalayan forests.

Keywords

Use value / Woody species / Species availability / Conservation implications

References

[1] Ahmed J, Sharma S, Kumar D. Quantitative ethno botanical approach to analyze local importance of tree species in North Western Himalaya: a case study of Ponda Watershed, J&K. Proc Natl Acad Sci India Sect B Biol Sci, 2016, 1: 1

[2] Albuquerque UP, Araujo TAS, Ramos MA, do Nascimento VT, de Lucena RFP, Monteiro JM How ethnobotany can aid biodiversity conservation: reflections on investigations in the semi-arid region of NE Brazil. Biodivers Conserv, 2009, 18: 127-150

[3] Albuquerque UP, Soldati GT, Sieber SS, Medeiros PM, Caetano de Sa J, de Souza LC. Rapid ethnobotanical diagnosis of the Fulni-ô Indigenous lands (NE Brazil): floristic survey and local conservation priorities for medicinal plants. Environ Dev Sustain, 2011, 13: 277-292

[4] Aldieri L, Vinci CP. The role of technology spillovers in the process of water pollution abatement for large international firms. Sustainability, 2017, 9(5): 868

[5] Amjad MS, Arshad M. Ethnobotanical inventory and medicinal uses of some important woody plant species of Kotli, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed, 2014, 4(12): 952-958

[6] Arshad M, Ahmad M, Ahmed E, Saboor A, Abbas A, Sadiq S. An ethnobiological study in Kala Chitta hills of Pothwar region, Pakistan: multinomial logit specification. J Ethnobiol, 2014, 10(1): 13

[7] Bhatt D, Chandra Sekar K, Rawal RS, Nandi SK, Dhyani PP. Tree diversity of Western Himalaya, 2016 Almora G.B Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development

[8] Bhattarai KR, Acharya SK. Documentation of ethnobotanical knowledge of Tharu people on the utilization of plant resources in Gadariya and Phulwari VDCs of Kailali district, West Nepal. Bull Dept Pl Res, 2015, 37: 41-50

[9] Bisht AK, Bhatt A, Rawal RS, Dar U. Prioritization and conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: angelica glauca Edgew. as a case study. Ethnobot Res Appl, 2006, 4: 11-23

[10] Dhar U, Rawal RS, Upreti J. Setting priorities for conservation of medicinal plants—a case study in the Indian Himalaya. Biol Conserv, 2000, 95: 57-65

[11] Hájek P, Stejskal J. R&D cooperation and knowledge spillover effects for sustainable business innovation in the chemical industry. Sustainability, 2018, 10(4): 1064

[12] Janni KD, Bastien JW. Establishing ethnobotanical conservation priorities: a case study of the Kallawaya pharmacopoeia. SIDA, 2000, 19: 387-398

[13] Kala CP, Farooquee NA, Dhar U. Prioritization of medicinal plants on the basis of available knowledge, existing practices and use value status in Uttaranchal, India. Biodivers Conserv, 2004, 13(2): 453-469

[14] Misra R. Ecological work book, 1968 Calcutta Oxford & IBH Publishing Company 242

[15] Muller-Dombois D, Ellenberg H. Aims and methods of vegetation ecology, 1974 New York Wiley 547

[16] Negi VS, Pathak R, Sekar KC, Rawal RS, Bhatt ID, Nandi SK, Dhyani PP. Traditional knowledge and biodiversity conservation: a case study from Byans Valley in Kailash Sacred Landscape, India. J Environ Plann Man, 2017, 1: 1

[17] Oliveira RLC, Lins Neto EMF, Araujo EL, Albuquerque UP. Conservation priorities and population structure of woody medicinal plants in an area of Caatinga vegetation (Pernambuco state, NE Brazil). Environ Monit Assess, 2007, 132: 189-206

[18] Pandey A, Sekar KC, Joshi B, Rawal RS. Threat assessment of high-value medicinal plants of cold desert areas in Johar valley, Kailash Sacred Landscape, India. Plant Biosyst, 2018, 153: 1-9

[19] Pangtey YPS, Samant SS, Rawat GS. Contribution to the flora of Pithoragarh District (Kumaun Himalaya). Himal Res Dev, 1988, 7: 24-46

[20] Phillips O, Gentry AH, Reynel C, Wilkin P, Galvez Durand B. Quantitative ethnobotany and Amazonian conservation. Conserv Biol, 1994, 8(1): 225-248

[21] Purohit K, Samant SS. Fodder trees and shrubs of Central Himalaya, 1995 Nainital Gyanodaya Prakashan

[22] Rashid S, Ahmad M, Zafar M, Sultana S, Ayub M, Khan MA, Yaseen G. Ethnobotanical survey of medicinally important shrubs and trees of Himalayan region of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. J Ethnopharmacol, 2015, 166: 340-351

[23] Rawal RS, Bhatt ID, Sekar KC, Nandi SK. The Himalayan biodiversity: richness, representativeness, uniqueness, and life-support values, 2013 Almora Uttarakhnd G.B Pant Institite of Himalaya Environment and Development (GBPIHED)

[24] Samant SS (1998) Diversity, distribution and conservation of fodder resource of west Himalaya, India. In: Proceedings of the 3rd temperate pasture and fodder network (TAPAFON), Pokhra, Nepal, sponsored by FAO Rome, pp 109–128

[25] Samant SS, Dhar U. Diversity, endemism and economic potential of wild edible plants of Indian Himalaya. Int J Sust Dev World, 1997, 4(3): 179-191

[26] Samant SS, Pant S. Diversity, distribution pattern and traditional knowledge of sacred plants in Indian Himalayan Region. Indian J For, 2003, 26(3): 222-234

[27] Samant SS, Dhar U, Palni LMS. Medicinal plants of Indian Himalaya, 1998 Nainital Gyanodaya Prakashan

[28] Singh SP. Himalayan forest ecosystem services: incorporating in national accounting, 2007 Nainital Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA)

[29] Sop TK, Oldeland J, Bognounou F, Schmiedel U, Thiombiano A. Ethnobotanical knowledge and valuation of woody plants species: a comparative analysis of three ethnic groups from the sub-Sahel of Burkina Faso. Environ Dev Sustain, 2012, 14(5): 627-649

[30] Stoffle RW, Halmo DB, Evans MJ, Olmsted JE. Calculating the cultural significance of American Indian plants: paiuteand Shoshone Ethnobotany at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Am Anthropol, 1990, 92: 416-432

[31] Tardio J, Pardo-de-Santayana M. Cultural importance indices: a comparative analysis based on the useful wild plants of Southern Cantabria (Northern Spain). Econ Bot, 2008, 62: 24-39

[32] Van Andel TR, Croft S, van Loon EE, Quiroz D, Towns AM, Raes N. Prioritizing West African medicinal plants for conservation and sustainable extraction studies based on market surveys and species distribution models. Biol Cons, 2015, 181: 173-181

[33] Vijayakumar S, Yabesh JEM, Prabhu S, Manikandan R, Muralidharan B. Quantitative ethnomedicinal study of plants used in the Nelliyampathy hills of Kerala, India. J Ethnopharmacol, 2014, 161: 238-254

[34] Vitalini S, Iriti M, Puricelli C, Ciuchi D, Segale A, Fico G. Traditional knowledge on medicinal and food plants used in Val San Giacomo (Sondrio, Italy)—an alpine ethno-botanical study. J Ethnopharmacol, 2013, 145(2): 517-529

[35] Wezel A, Lykke AM. Woody vegetation change in Sahelian West Africa: evidence from local knowledge. Environ Dev Sustain, 2006, 8(4): 553-567

[36] Yaoitcha AS, Houehanou TD, Fandohan AB, Houinato MRB. Prioritization of useful medicinal tree species for conservation in Wari-Maro Forest Reserve in Benin: a multivariate analysis approach. Forest Policy Econ, 2015, 61: 135-146

Funding

In House Project 7