Y.P. Adhikari andOur A. Nature Fischer (2010) / Our 8:122-130 Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130

Trend Analysis and Purpose of Use of Some Important Plant and Animal Species of VDC,

Y.P. Adhikari* and A. Fischer

Geobotany, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technische Universität München, Hans-Carl- von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, D-85354 Freising, Germany *E-mail: [email protected]

Received: 07.09.2010, Accepted: 15.11.2010

Abstract Ghandruk is one of the famous tourism VDC of Conservation Areas (ACA). Trend analysis and propose of use of plants and animal species of Ghandruk Village Development Committee of , western part of Nepal was carried out. A total of 54 plant species and 18 animal species with high local economic value were documented from structured questionnaire, interviews, key informants interviews, and focused group discussion with representatives and ACAP staffs. Trend analysis shows that most of the species increased during the past 20 years. All species are equally important for their purpose of uses. Michelia champaca, Schima wallichii, Castanopsis indica are very important trees for timber production. Quercus lamelossa, Q. semicarpifolia and Ficus roxburghii are very good fodder species. Alnus nepalensis colonizes landslides and degraded sites very successfully. Leaf extract of Ageratum conyzoides and fur of Lepus nigricollis is used to control bleeding from cuts and wounds. Medicinal plants, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia chebula, Acorus calamus and Curcuma langa are used to control cough and bronchitis. The litter of plants is used to make compost fertilizer. Some animals were found the important medicinal purposes, some other used for control mouse populations. Some animals like Canis aureus and Martes flavigula , however, were found to be pests for domestic animals.

Key words : Medicine, timber, fodder, resource, sustainable , Ghandruk, Nepal

Introduction Analysis of observed temperature and are very limited. Most of the meteorological precipitation records in Nepal shows that stations are located at lower elevation temperature in Nepal is increasing at a high (<2000 m), therefore time series analysis of rate in comparison to other mountains of the recorded climate data for the assessment of world (Shrestha et al., 1999). The warming climate change at higher altitude is not seems to be consistent and continuous after possible. We need to identify alternative the mid-1970s and found to be more way to study climate. One of such pronounced at high altitude. Therefore, the alternative could be dendrochronology, and studies of climate change are urgently dendroclimatology. needed in order to better understanding the Nepal, a small Himalayan kingdom linkage between changing climatic pattern, with an area covering 147,181 km 2, increasing natural hazards and its effects on representing 0.03% and 0.3% of the total livelihood. But the climatic records in Nepal land of the world and of Asia, respectively,

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Y.P. Adhikari and A. Fischer / Our Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130 is endowed with rich biodiversity. Over are complementary concepts and considered 7,000 species of plants, 175 species of that social development without biodiversity mammals and 861 species of birds are conservation and biodiversity conservation recorded in Nepal (BCDP, 1994).Vegetation without social development are is an important carrier of biodiversity inappropriate processes. Jackson and Ingles (Hellier et al. , 1999). In addition, forests (1995) discussed several factors that limit provide a wide variety of ecological Nepal’s efforts to increase the welfare of services, which should be maintained. rural people and manage natural resources Social sustainability requires that natural in sustainable manner. resource use meets human needs without Ghandruk is one of villages, with disrupting environment and social harmony social harmonies, cultural sharing and beyond capacity of social structure to community work participating. There is an tolerate such change (Wollenberg, 1995). outstanding indigenous knowledge of plant The forest biomass (timber, wood) is an and animal species with high economic important source of fuel, fodder, or building value. Trend analysis and documentation of material. The value of forest as an energy plant and animal species with their resource is very important, providing 75% economic value is helpful to preserve the of total energy needs in Nepal (MOPE, record of diversified utilization of the flora 1998). and fauna in the study area. This study examines the allocation of Ghandruk VDC lies in Kaski district natural resources in Ghandruk village. (28.49°N- 83.84°E) of , Forest resource management in Ghandruk western Nepal. It is on the route to has been documented by several authors Annapurna Base Camp with 30,000 trekker (Rayamajhi, 1994; Jones, 1996; Banskota visits annually (BCDP, 1994). It is situated and Sharma, 1997). Rayamajhi (1994) at an elevation of 1,975 m asl on the west emphasized that the management of forest slopes of the Modi watershed. The resources should lie with the people topography is moderately steep with aspects themselves since they have detailed mainly facing south. Monsoonal knowledge of the local ecology and precipitation is relatively high with an environment and know which methods are average of 3000 mm annual precipitation appropriate to the means, organizations, and (BCDP, 1994). Ghandruk in 2008 had a traditions of their community. There is total population of 6,158 people (2,993 male remarkable ethnic and biological diversity and 3,165 female). About 1446 households and wealth of indigenous knowledge of exist with an average household size of 4.25 plants and animals with economic value people (ACAP, 2008). The majority belongs (Tamang, 2003). In absence of alternative to the with occupational modern medicine and belief on the castes and Brahmins intermingled at the traditional medicine, plants will continue to periphery of the main Ghandruk villages. be a major source of medicine in near future The local economy is characterized by for the people living in the agriculture (maize, millet, barley, rice and (Shrestha and Jha, 2009). wheat are the major crops, while potatoes, Jones (1996) stated that community mustard and other vegetables are also development and biodiversity conservation grown) livestock farming, overseas 123

Y.P. Adhikari and A. Fischer / Our Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130 employment and tourist trade. Buffaloes are were made at groups and a total of 15 kept for milk, ox are kept for ploughing, participants were involved for expressing while cows are kept by few Gurungs, their opinions and thoughts. The collected Brahmins and other castes. Sheep and goats specimens were identified with the available are raised for wool and meat. Woollen literature (Shrestha, 1997; Shrestha, 1998; products are essential for making Bakkhu Polunin and Stainton, 1984) and for further (warm woollen cloth) which is used to keep confirmation specimens were taken to off the rain and the mountain chill (BCDP, Godawari herbarium (KATH) and Central 1994). Department of Botany. 52 important species of plants and 18 species of animals were Materials and methods studied. Based on primary and secondary data sources both quantitative and qualitative Results and discussion data have been collected during summer The analysis shows that only few species of 2008. The primary data were collected the study area, important for different during field work through household purposes, increased. The number of plant surveys, interviews of key informants, and animal species, which Ghandruk people informal interviews, focused group use for different purposes either from discussions with user member and officials, traditional knowledge or modified and direct field observations. The secondary knowledge is remarkable (Tabs. 1-2). data were obtained from published and During the survey we also noticed that not unpublished materials such as office only the utilisation increased but also the records, ACAP reports, community forest conservation awareness among local people administration, local government and resulting from environmental education. community, journals and reports. Besides Observations of animal track counts, pellet these, different accessible resource libraries counts and direct observations of selected (TU, TUM, ACAP ) were species such as barking deer ( Muntiacus approached. Stratified random sampling was muntjak ) and Himalayan tahr ( Hemitragus used to select the sample households. jemlahicus ) indicated higher abundances Household surveys were carried out using a within ACA (Bajracharya et al ., 2005). In random sample of 46 respondents, turn people living in and around Ghandruk comprising 22 males and 24 females. The became aware on the importance of natural main respondents were heads of households. resource and the benefits of plant and Other members of households were also animal species, which enhances them for the requested to share knowledge and opinions. establishment of different user groups like The Conservation Area Management Women Group. The mean density of cut Committee members, women, Dalit and tree stumps was significantly lower inside ACAP people were called upon and made ACA, associated with a decline in use of focused group discussion to express the fuel wood as an energy source over the past existing situation in regards to participation, decade. Study survey also shows that transparency, accountability and population of most of all plant and wild predictability of the group. The discussions animal species increased. Similar results

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Table 1. Main plant species used in Ghandruk village and status trends Local Botanical name Propose of use Part Used Status trend - name last 2 decades bhojho Acorus calamus L. Medicine for cough and Stem Increased bronchitis ghandhe Ageratum conyzoides L. Medicine for cuts and Leaf extract Increased jhar wounds uttis Alnus nepalensis D.Don Fuel, wood, timber, litter Wood, leaf Increased tite pati Artemisia indica Willd. Medicine for nausea Leaf, root, Increased problem and intestinal flower, worms, cultural value, nursery seed cover, fodder for goat nigalo Arundinaria aristata Gamble Vegetable, handicraft, New shoot (tusa), Constant decoration (rest., hotel, leaf, wood house) fence kurilo Asparagus racemosus Willd. Vegetable, medicine Baby plants, Constant roots koiralo Bauhinia variegata L Medicine for dysentery, Flower, leaf and Increased piles, diarrhoea, worms and seed fodder chutro Berberis aristata DC. Medicine for fever,jundice Stem, leaf and Increased and fodder fruit chuletro Brassiopsis polycantha (Wall.) Fodder, fuel, recreation Leaf, wood Increased Banerjee simal Bombax ceiba L Gum, timber, fuel, Bark, leaf, seed Constant medicine for dysentery and and wood diarrhoea kalki phool Callistemon citrinus (Curtis) Fodder , fuel, ornamental Leaf, wood Increased Skeel gaja Cannabis sativa L Use for pain killer, smoke Leaf, seed Constant gholtapre Centella asiatica (L) Urb Medicine for skin disease Steam and leaf Increased and digestion haledo Curcuma langa L Medicine for cough and Leaf and Increasad bronchitis and use as powder gradients in vegetables akash beli Cuscuta reflexa Roxb Medicine for jundice Tendril Increased kaduz Castanopsis indica (Roxb.) Miq. Timber Leaf, wood, Increased steam panisaro Cautleya spicata (J.E. Smith) Juice, medicine, used for Leaf, roots Increased Baker hot lapsi Choerospondias axillaries (Roxb.) Wood, pickle, fuel, jam Fruits, wood Constant B.L. Brutt & A.W. Hill

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Y.P. Adhikari and A. Fischer / Our Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130 dalchini Cinnamomum tamala (Buch.- Tobacco, tea and species Root, wood Increased Ham) Nees & Eberm. cover, leaf haledo Curcuma angustisfolia Roxb. Medicine Roots, leaf Increased panchaule Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Medicine used paste on Roots, leaf Increased Soo burnt part of human and animal dar Debregeasia salicifolia (D. Don) Cultural value, recreational, Wood, leaf Increased Rendle. wooden pot, fuel. Wood tama bans Dendrocalamus hamiltonii Nees Vegetable, handicraft Baby bamboo, Increased & Arn.ex Munro decoration, fence, fuel leaf, wood dudhilo Ficus nerifolia Sm. Fodder, fuel Leaf, wood Increased nimaro Ficus roxburghii Wall. Fuel, fodder, cultural Leaf, wood, Increased value,fruits fruits khainyu Ficus semicordata Buch.-Ham.ex Fodder , fuel, wood Leaf, wood Increased Sm. okhar Juglans regia L. Fruits, wood, fuel, cultural Fruits, leaf, Constant value wood ashuro Justicia adhatoda L Medicine Leaf Increased siltimur Litsea cubeba (Lour) pers. Medicine for cholera, also Seed Constant use in vegitables and pickel angeri Lyonia avalifolia (Wall.) Drude Medicine, reduce blood Leaf, fruits Increased pressure mallow Malva neglecta Wallr. Juice, jam Fruit Increased bakaino Melia azedarach L Medicine for fever, Seed and trunk Constant headache, loose bowel and fuel champ Michelia champaca L Fuel, wood, cultural value, Wood, leaf, root Increased kera Musa paradisiaca L Fertilizer, medicine for Leaf extract Incerased diarrhoea and dysentery kutki Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora Medicine for blood Leaf , Roots Increased (Pennell) D.Y. Hong pressure fever satuwa Paris polyphylla Smith Medicine (root paste ) for Roots, leaf Constant fevers sallo Pinus roxburghii Sargent Fuel, wood, electricity pole, Wood, leaf, root Increased gindari Premna intergrifolia L Medicine fro Gum problem, Bark, leaf and Constant fuel and also use to make branches sticks painyu Prunus cerasoides D.Don Fuel, fodder, jam Leaf, wood, Increased fruits ambak Psidium guajava Linn Medicine for Diarrhoea, Leaf and bark Constant dysentery

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Y.P. Adhikari and A. Fischer / Our Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130 ghangaro Pyracantha crenulata (D.Don) Fodder, fuel, Leaf, wood Increased Roem falant Quercus lamilossa Fodder, control landslides Leaf, wood Increased kharsu Quercus semicarpifolia Fodder, fuel Leaf Constant lali guars Rhododendron arboretum Smith Recreational, fuel, Lower, wood, Increased medicine, leaf aiselu Rubus ellipticus Smith Medicine, juice, fruits Fruits Increased gogan Sautauia nepalensis DC. Fuel, fodder Wood , leaf Increased chilaune Schima wallichii (DC.) Korth. Fuel, wood, medicine for Wood, bark, Increased fever, leaf for compost leaf fertilizer thaune Taxus bacatta L. Poison for fodder, fuel, Leaf Decreased stick barro Terminalia bellirica C.B. Clarke Medicine for cough and Seed constant bronchitis harro Terminalia chebula Retz Medicine for cough and Seed constant bronchitis ban kapas Thespesia lampas (Cav.) Dalz.et Medicine Tendril Increased Gibs sisnu Urtica dioca L. Vegetable, animals grasses Leaf Decreased harchure Viscum articulum Burm.f. Medicine Roots Increased timur Zanthoxylum armatum DC. Medicine, fuel, wood, Fruit, leaf Increased grasses

Table 2. Main animal species used in Ghandruk village and status trends . English name (local Scientific name Use for Part used Status trend - name ) last 2 decades

Lrrawaddy squirrel Callosciurus pygerythrus Hunter of mouse ------Increased (lokharke) (mouse population control) Jackal (syal) Canis aureus ------Increased but pest Wolf (fauro) Canis lupus ------Increased

Serow (thar) Capricornis sumatraensis Meat, shoes, belt, Body, skin, horns Increased ornament Monkey (bander) Cercopithecus hamlyni ------Increased

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Mongoose (nawori Herestes edwardsi Hunter of mouse ------Increased musa) (mouse population control) Porcupine Hystrixs brachyura Recreation, meat, Skin, quills , liver Increased (dumsi ) medicine of asthma Rabbit (kharayo) Lepus nigricollis Meat, medicine to Fur, skin, teeth Increased ruficaudatus stop bleeding, recreation Monkey (pahare Macaca assamenis ------Increased bander) Monkey (rato bander) Macaca mulatta ------Increased

Martens Martes flavigula ------Increased but (malchapro) pest Musk deer (kasturi) Moschus leucogaster Medicine 'seductive musk' Increased

Barking deer Muntiacus muntjak Recreation, meat, Horns (male), Increased (ratuwa mirga) leather, medicine for body, skin, liver pneumonia Goral Naemorhedus goral Medicine, meat, Skin, body Increased recreation, leather Common Leopard Panthera pardus Leather, decoration Leather, teeth Increased (chituwa) Tiger (pate bag) Panthera tigris Leather, recreation Skin, teeth Increased

Monkey (longur Semnopithecus schistaceus Medicine for Jaundice Liver Increased bander) Black Bear (bhalu) Ursus thibetanus Medicine, food, meat, Gall baldder, Increased recreation teeth

were drawn by Bajracharya et al . (2005). Tamang (2003). However, Canis aureus and Two animals, Callosciurus Martes flavigula were found as pest animal pygerythrus and Herestes edwardsi, were for poultry farm and kids of goat in found to control mouse populations Ghandruk VDC. (Adhikari, 2008). Wild animals were for Relative preferences of utilisation of recreation both hunting and watching, and tree species as for timber production are also meat and leather from wild animal Michelia champaca, Alnus nepalensis, species used for decoration and ornamental Bobbax ceiba, Castanopsis indica, Pinus purposes. Liver of Muntiacus muntjak , roxburghii, Schima wallichii. Their timber Semnopothecus schistaceus and Hystrixs is of high value, and also branches are used brachyura is known to cure asthma, as fuel wood. As a fuel wood tree, Alnus jaundice and pneumonia diseases. Similar nepalensis and Dendrocalamus hamiltonii findings can be drawn from the study of are ranked highest in preference. Alnus

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Y.P. Adhikari and A. Fischer / Our Nature (2010) 8: 122 -130 nepalensis, a native species, colonizes been passing on orally from generation to landslides and degraded sites very generation without keeping any records. For successfully (Jackson, 1994). that reason, it is necessary to keep such Quercus lamelossa (falant) is traditional and indigenous knowledge of preferred as a fodder species. It has profuse plants and animals with out losing valuable regeneration in the area. Quercus purpose of use forever. semicarpifolia (kharsu) is also regarded as an important fodder resource in Ghandruk. Acknowledgements Primarily, the species are ranked on the We acknowledge the helps of D.M. basis of the multiplicity of its utilization. Adhikari and S. Adhikari during field Generally, the species which grow faster sampling. We are grateful and thankful to and favour the climate of the area are the residents of Ghandruk VDC and staff deemed significantly (Adhikari, 2008). One members of ACAP office, for their precious of the examples is Ficus roxburghii time to discuss about trend of plant and (nimaro) that has become increasingly animal species with reference to purpose of popular as a fodder species in Ghandruk. On use. We are indebted to the School of Forest the basis of preferential order, the species Science and Resource Management of are selected for plantations. Similarly, Technische Universität München for Brassiopsis polycantha , Ficus nerifolia, granting the travel fare during study period. Ficus semicordata and Prunus cerasoides are also significantly used as fooder plants References in Ghandruk. ACAP 2008. Progress report of the Annapurna Leaf extract of Ageratum conyzoides Conservation Area Project 2007-2008 . and fur of Lepus nigricollis is used to Pokhara, Nepal, ACAP. 45 p. control bleeding from cuts and wounds. Adhikari, Y.P. 2008. Sustainable tourism: Boon or Medicinal plants such as Terminalia dilemma for biodiversity and community bellirica, T. chebula, Acorus calamus and development in ACAP area of Nepal . Munich: Sustainable Resource Management, Curcuma langa are used to control cough Technische Universität München. 89 p. and bronchitis. The leaf and stem extract of (M.Sc. Thesis) Psidium guajava is used as a medicine for Bajracharya, S.B., P.A. Furley and A.C. Newton diarrhoea and dysentery. Similarly, the leaf 2005. Effectiveness of community extract of Musa paradisiaca, Bauhinia involvement in delivering conservation variegate and Bombax ceiba is also used to benefits to the Annapurna Conservation Area, Nepal. Cambridge University Press. Enviro. control diarrhoea and dysentery. Cons. 32 (3): 239-247. From the study we can conclude that Banskota, K. and B. Sharma 1997. Case studies from all plants and animals are not over used. Ghandruk: Impact of alternative energy Plants and animals are important for people technology in reducing pressure on forest and people are conscious to use them so resources . Discussion paper Series No. MEI their status in Ghandruk village is 97/5: ICIMOD. significant, because people have indigenous BCDP 1994. Biodiversity conservation data project . and tradition knowledge in the utilisation of Final report. Kathmandu, Nepal: King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. natural resources for various purposes. But Hellier, A., A.C. Neton and S.C. Gaona 1999. this tradition and indigenous knowledge has Use of indigenous knowledge for rapidly 123129

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