Current World Environment

ISSN: 0973-4929, Vol. 16, No. (1) 2021, Pg. 236-249 Current World Environment www.cwejournal.org Threat Assessment and Prioritization of High-Value Medicinal Plants In Pindari Valley, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, India RAVINDRA KUMAR1, DHANI ARYA1*, K. CHANDRA SEKAR2 and MONIKA BISHT2 1Department of Botany, Soban Singh Jeena University-Almora, 263 601, Uttarakhand, India. 2Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Management, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Kosi–Katarmal, Almora, 263 643 Uttarakhand, India. Abstract The communication assesses the high-value medicinal plants reported in Pindari Valley, Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Uttarakhand, using a score-based method for prioritization and conservation. A total of 42 Article History high-value medicinal plants were assessed, prioritized and scored on Received: 17 July 2020 Accepted: 22 February the basis of rapid threat assessment. Maximum threat was recorded for 2021 Aconitum heterophyllum followed by Picrorhiza kurrooa and Nardostachys jatamansi given their limited number of individuals observed in the study area Keywords as well as high utilization patterns. Minimum threat status was recorded for Conservation; Endemic; Epilobium angustifolium, where the species was found in higher density in its High-Value Medicinal natural habitat. Among the recorded species, 64% were observed growing Plants (Hmps); in grassland/alpine pastures and open/alpine slopes. 55% of species were Rapid Threat Assessment (Rta); native/endemic to Himalaya and 48% were extracted by the inhabitants. Sustainable Utilization. Underground portions (roots/rhizomes/tubers) of 40% of the species were utilized leading to destruction in natural habitat. Out of 42 medicinal plants, 16 species have been prioritized for conservation and recognized in different threat categories and most of these species are collected from natural habitat without scientific knowledge. Conclusion of the study might helpful for identifying threatened plants in the region so as to initiate sustainable use and conservation practices of high-value medicinal plant resources. Introduction Himalaya region (IHR) harbors about 1748 The mighty Himalaya contains a plentitude of (23.4% of India) plant species recognized for their medicinal plants and its habitants possess the medicinal values. The higher diversity of medicinal knowledge of traditional medicinal plants. Indian plants in IHR is represented by the occurrence of CONTACT Dhani Arya [email protected] Department of Botany, Soban Singh Jeena University-Almora, 263 601, Uttarakhand, India. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY). Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.16.1.24 KUMAR et al., Curr. World Environ., Vol. 16(1) 236-249 (2021) 237 a variety of native (31%), endemic (15.5%) and the utilization of medicinal plants in the IHR, viz, threatened elements (14% of total Red Data Book Dhar et al.,3 Bisht et al.,14 Kala16,17 Gaur,18 Maikhuri plants of IHR).1 The need of medicinal plants is et al.,19 Chandra Sekar and Srivastava,20 Chandra continuously increasing at local and global levels. Sekar and Rawat,21 Negi et al.,22 Bisht et al.,23 Joshi Due to the high demand of medicinal plants in the and Chandra Sekar24 Joshi et al.,25. However, the Himalayan region, about 90% are collected from the Pindari region is not having the data-set on diversity wild2 and around 70% are unscientifically harvested/ of medicinal plants, utilization and conservation extracted from wild which enhances the loss on efforts. In view of above, we studied the diversity medicinal plant diversity.2, 3 of medicinal plants in Pindari Valley, a buffer zone region of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Ever increasing demand of medicinal plants Uttarakhand. along with the habitat destruction, the world is experiences the principal challenge of minimizing Objectives of The Study loss of biodiversity4,5 by conservation efforts. Further, Keeping all the above in mind and the high use value few conservationists have tried prioritization of and conservation importance of medicinal plants, conservation efforts6,7 due to higher number of the present attempt has been made to: (i) prepare extinction rate.8,9 Number of medicinal plant species an inventory of locally occurring medicinal plants is now described under different threat categories10 through primary survey and secondary literature and in the immediate future, many species may sources; (ii) identify and score the threatened and warrant the declaration of a threatened status until high-value medicinal plants (THMPs) based on adequate scientific data are available.11 Therefore, their ecological (habitat, nativity, endemism and the key challenge in the sustainability of medicinal threat status) and socioeconomic values (plant part plants is to synthesize the data on availability of used, use value, user group and extraction trend); medicinal plants and prioritization of certain species (iii) Prioritize the threatened high-value medicinal that require immediate conservation action.12,13,14,15 plants; (iv) suggest sustainable utilization and A number of studies have been conducted on conservation strategies for the THMPs. Fig.1: Study area map Materials and Methods at latitude 30°15’ N and longitude 79°13’ to 80°02’ E. Study Area It lies between the Nanda Devi and Nandakot peaks Pindari Valley (a buffer zone of Nanda Devi and the presence of glacier extends from 3600 to Biosphere Reserve) is situated in the Bageshwar 5000 m. The Pindar Valley is named after the Pindar district of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya river which emerges from the Pindari Glacier. The (Figure 1). The total area of the Park is 339.39 km2 valley remains completely covered with snow for six KUMAR et al., Curr. World Environ., Vol. 16(1) 236-249 (2021) 238 months (early October to March). The entire valley slopes are very fragile, species in these habitats has been considered for documentation of medicinal were considered vulnerable to even the slightest plant diversity. People traditionally collecting the human intervention and therefore scored at 4 medicinal plants from the valley resurveyed for (high threat). While, species in grasslands, alpine recording the presence of medicinal plants. Further, pastures and open/alpine slopes were ranked least the similar habitats nearby the traditional collection vulnerable (score 1) as they have a large habitat area were also surveyed for getting additional range. information on availability. Plant Part Used Questionnaire Survey/ Interviews The plant part used means the part or parts of a A semi-structured questionnaire survey was specific species used for the treatment of diseases. conducted in two villages namely, Jaitoli and Khati The part of the plant used can influence the of Pindari Valley in the years 2016-2018 (Figure 1). sustainability of a medicinal plant species and lead A total of 42 informants were selected randomly to a decrease in their population.13 For example, from 32 households for obtaining the utilization species having whole plant, root and/or rhizome patterns. Further, the informants and Vaidyas with medicinal properties were prone to be more (Medicine men) were also accompanied in the field vulnerable while leaf bearing species as an essential for correct identification of particular plants, apart part of the preparation of medicine were prone to from house-hold interview. The complete information be less vulnerable. Thus, plant part used was also on medicinal plants, i.e., parts used and their scored (Table 1). habitat were collected. The information further cross checked with elderly people / Vaidyas repeatedly for Use Value confirming the utilization patterns. The use value of a species related to the number of diseases for the treatment of which a specific An Approach for Rapid Threat Assessment (Rta) medicinal plant species is being used. The use value and Prioritization defines the relative importance of the species in For threat assessment, a list of Threatened and High- treating various diseases.30 A higher use value for a value Medicinal Plants (THMPs) was developed and specific species was pointed to a higher collection rapid threat assessment (RTA) was carried out using pressure in natural areas of that plant species Rapid Vulnerability Assessment method followed by and therefore a higher degree of threat. Here, the Cunningham,26 and has been employed successfully medicinal uses were categorized into four classes by Shrestha and Shrestha27 and Pandey et al.,28. and a different score was given to each class We followed an analytical method to prioritize the (Table 1). species of THMPs based on globally standardized criteria. To assess each species, we have used a User Group total of seven ecological & socioeconomic criteria Data on user groups of different medicinal plants (i.e., habitat, plant part used, use value, user group, were evaluated through interviews with local people/ extraction trend, nativity, endemism and threat harvesters, traders, District Forest Officers and local status). An appropriate numerical score ranging from authorities of Pindari Valley. These groups and their 1 to 4 was assigned to each of these criteria (1 for low scores are tabulated in Table 1. and 4 for high threat).13,26,29 The prioritized species were based on the sum of the scores assigned to Extraction Trend each of these criteria (Table 1) as explained in Box 1. The extraction trend

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