Flora and Fauna of Uttarakhand”
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Vol.-9 Issue-2 Oct-Dec., 2013 Diversity of “Flora and Fauna of Uttarakhand” ENVIS Centre, UEPPCB, Dehra Dun Website: www.utrenvis.nic.in Uttarakhand is the state located at the foothills of the snow clad Himalayas with lush green vegetation. There is a diverse range of flora and fauna habitated in Uttarakhand. The State has rich and diverse floral, faunal and microbial wealth including rare and threatened species of plants and animals. Traditionally, the mountains in the lower regions of Uttarakhand were covered with moist deciduous forest. Between elevations of 1,500-3,000m, the major natural vegetation entails of Pine, Oak, Rhododendron, Walnut and Larch. Below the snow line, the vegetation consists of forests of Spruce, Fir, Cypress, Juniper and Birch, while above the snow line (in the higher altitude of the State) is Alpine vegetation which includes Mosses, Lichen and a diversity of wildflowers such as Blue Poppies and Edelweiss. As a result of deforestation, much of the original fauna of the Himalayas are restricted to protected areas and sanctuaries. Major fauna in the region are Himalayan Bear, Musk Deer, the wild Goat Ghoral, Bharal or Blue Goat, Wolves, Snow Leopards and varieties of deer such as Barking Deer. Avifauna in the region is regarded as one of the richest in the sub-continent, with over 500 species of birds. Well Known famous Jim Corbett National Park is one of the major habitation of the flora and fauna in the state. The Royal Bengal Tigers are also found here. The Rajaji National Park which is a rainforest area is known for its Elephants and the Valley of Flowers National Park which is an alpine forest and has a number of herbs, shrubs, roses and a variety of Rhododendrons. Apart from these National Parks in state are the Nanda Devi National Park, Govind National Park and Gangotri National Park. Such parks are habitat of variety of wild animals like Tigers, Leopards, Langurs and different species of Deers. A number of birds are also found here, many of which are migratory birds. Floral Diversity In Floral diversity point of view, Uttarakhand falls under the West Himalayan Biogeographic zone, situated in the lap of the Himalaya ther region is rich in forest wealth that ranges from subtropical to Alpine types.The flora and vegetation of the state ranges from tropical deciduous to alpine vegetation; broadly catagorised into three mazor types : 1. Sub-Tropical Zone of Uttarakhand The sub-tropical zone has pure as well as mixed forests of Shore Robusta (Sa I), the others being Lannea coromandelica (Jhingan), Buchanania lanzan, Dalbergia disso (Shisham), Haldina cordifolia (Haldu), Syzygium cumini (Jamun), Mallotus philippinensis (Rohini), Mitragyna parvifolia, Terminalia spp. (Myrobalans), Ficus spp. (Figs), Macaranga pustulata, Callicarpa arborea, Diopoknema butyracea (Chyura), Bauhinia variegate (Kachnar), Bomb ax cobia (Semal), Lydia claying (Pula), Schleicher oleos (Kokum), Holoptelea integrities (Karanj), Cassia fistula (Amaltas), Nyctanthes arbor-tristis (Parijat), Anogeissus latifolia (Bakli, Dhaura), etc. The shrubby vegetation is represented by Murraya koenigii, Carissa opaca, Clerodendrum viscous, Adhatoda vasica, Jasminum multiflorum, Solanum erianthum, Cal/icarpa macrophylla, Eranthemum nervosum, Phlogacanthus thyrsiformis, Jatropha curcas, Rhus parviflora, Dodonaea viscosa, Woodfordia fruticosa and many others. 2. Temperate Zone of Uttarakhand The Temperate zone is marked by the presence of Quercus leucotrichophora (Banj oak), Rhododendron arboretum (Burans), Myrica esculent a (Kaphal), Leonia ovalifolia (Aynor), Ibex dipyrena, Quercus semecarpifolia (Kharsu Oak), Q. dilatata (Moru Oak), etc. The coniferous forests in this zone are unique. Pure stands of Pinus roxburghii (Chir Pine) and Cadres deodar (Deodar, Cedar), Abides windrow (Raga), Pinus wal/ichiana (Kail), Taxus wal/ichiana (Thuner, Himalayan Yew) at places give a pristine look to the slopes. The slopes in temperate zone also have insectivorous plants like Drosera peltata and species of Utricularia. Another such species is Pinguicula alpina seen in Martoli Bugyal, Kumaon. The Saprophytes and Parasites are also well represented by Monotropa unit/ora, Dendrophthoe falcata (Banda), Balanophora in volucrata, and species of Viscum, Korthalsella, Arceuthobium, Scurrula, etc. The zone has a variety of useful plants, some of them well known for centuries. These include Cedrus deodar a, Pinus spp., Abies pindrow, Quercus spp., Aconitum heterophyllum, Paeonia emodi, Swertia chirayita, Bergenia ciliata, Dioscorea deltoidea, Angelica glauca (Choru), etc. 3. Sub-Alpine and Alpine Zones of Uttarakhand The altitude above 3,000 metres is generally considered a zone of sub-alpine and alpine vegetation. The tree species are represented by Pinus wallichiana, Abies pindrow, Prunus cornuta, Acer caesium, Betula utilis (Bhoj Patra) and Salix sp. Species of the genera Cotoneaster, Rosa, Berberis, Ribes, Junipers, Rhododendron anthropogenic, Rhododendron campanulas are the shrubby components of the zone. The herbaceous vegetation is represented by a number of species of genera Po ten till, Primula, Aster, Saxifrage, Achaean, Delphinium, Polygonal,Corydalis, Pleurospermum, Meconopsis, Pedicularis, Saussurea, Rheum, Silene, etc. The Bugyals of this zone are well known for a rich and diversified flora. Plant species like Nardostachys grand flora (Jatamansi), Podophyllum hexandrum (Himalayan May-Apple, Papri), Picrorhiza kurrooa (Kutaki), Gentian burro, Armenia benthonic (Bal char), Rheum moorcroftianum (Dole), Ephedra gerardiana, Dactylorhiza hatagirea (Hatthajari), etc., common in this zone, are of immense medicinal value. The rich floral diversity of the state comprises 5096 species of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms.Uttarakhand is a home for many species species of birds, mammals and reptiles. A total of 4907 faunal species including mammals, birds, reptiles, etc have been reports from the state. (Table 1.1). Table : 1.1 Status of Flora and Fauna Group Number of Group Number of Species Species Floral Diversity Faunal Diversity Algae 346 Thysanura 4 Bryophytes 478 Odonata 163 Lichens 539 Plecoptera 20 Pteridophytes 365 Orhoptera 116 Gymnosperms 35 Dermaptera 43 Monocotyledons including 1250 Isoptera 52 Orchids (Angiosperms) Orchids 235 Hemiptera 479 Dicotyledons 3811 Coleoptera 422 Faunal Diversity Lepidoptera 567 Trematodes 48 Trichoptera 60 Cestodes 36 Hymenoptera 235 (excluding Ichneumonidae) Plants and soil Nematodes 196 Ichneumonidae 302 (Hymenoptera) Mollusca 129 Diptera 676 Annelida 69 Fishes 142 Crustacea 20 Amphibia 20 Chilopoda: Scolopendromorpha 32 Reptiles 75 (Centipedes) Arachnida 249 Aves 622 Collembola 31 Mammals 100 Sources: Bioresources of Uttarakhand: Their Conservation & management. Faunal Diversity A total of 4907 faunal species have been reported which include 3948 invetrebrate fauna and 959 vetrebrate fauna.Ther fauna exhibits an admixture of Oriental, Palaerectic and Indo- Malayan elements. It is home to many endemic and threatened species of both vertebrates and invertberates Table : 1.2 Fauna BIRDS SNO SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME IMAGES 1- Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus 2- Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica 3- Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 4- Great Hornbil Buceros bicornis 5- Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus 6- Himalayan Monal Lophophorus impejanu 7- Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus 8- Indian Grey-Hornbill Ocyceros birostris 9- Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis 10- Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis 11- Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus 12- Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis 13- Parakeet Psittacula krameri manillensis 14- Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus 15- Blue-capped Rock Thrush Monticola cinclorhynchus ANIMALS SNO SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME Images 1- Elephant Elephas maximus 2- barking deer Muntiacus 3- Bharal Pseudois nayaur 4- black bear Euarctos americanus 5- Ghoral Nemorhaedus goral 6- musk deer Moschus leucogaster 7- serow Capricornis sumatraensis 8- Leopard Panthera pardus 9- Sambar Rusa unicolor 10- Snow leopard Panthera uncia 11- Spotted deer Axis axis 12- Swamp Deer Rucervus duvaucelii 13- Tiger Panthera tigris The sub-alpine zones of Almora and outskirts are a natural sanctuary for leopard, Langur, Himalayan black bear, kakar, goral etc. Whereas the high altitude zones abound musk deer, popularly called Kastura Mrig, snow leopard, blue sheep, thar etc. The entire zone is rich in a remarkable variety of birds possessing plumage of magnificent design and colours like peacock, which include grey quail, Kala Titar, Whistling thrush, Chakor, monal pheasant cheer pheasant, koklas pheasant etc. Ethnomedicinal Plants in Uttarakhand Himalayan Region, India The Himalayas have a great wealth of medicinal plants and traditional medicinal knowledge. The Indian Himalayan region alone supports about 18,440 species of plants (Angiosperms: 8000 spp., Gymnosperm: 44 spp., Pteridophytes: 600 spp., Bryophytes: 1736 spp., Lichens: 1159 spp. and Fungi: 6900 spp.) of which about 45% are having medicinal properties. Uttarakhand is a storehouse of a rich variety herbs and medicinal and aromatic plant species Table1.3 includes the medicinal plants that have been widely used as veterinary ethno- medicine in Uttarakhand region. Such aromatic plants which occur locally in the Uttarakhand himalaya and their medicinal importance. Table 1.3 : Prominent Medicinal Plants. S. No. Botanical Name Local Parts Used Uses Name 1 Capsella bursa-pastoris, Moench. Torighash Whole plant For Sikka Rog 2 Cardamine impatiens, Linn. - Whole plant For Tantrka in calf