THE VEGETATION MAP of the HIMALAYAS 1957- a QUARTER of a CENTURY AFTER. U.SCHWEINFURTH (HEIDELBERG) Introduction and Guiding

THE VEGETATION MAP OF THE HIMALAYAS 1957- A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AFTER. U.SCHWEINFURTH (HEIDELBERG) introduction and guiding principles set of colours, i.e. vegetation, prevailed, whereas on the Singaiilah Range, carrying the eastern boundary of Nepal, In the years 1952 - 1955 a thesis quite another range of colours had to was compiled with the title: "The hori• be used -and in between,the central part zontal and vertical distribution of the of Nepal and at the same time of the Hi• vegetation in the Himalaya". The idea malayas, presented itself more or less was, if at all possible, to try to com• "white", i.e. botanically unknown. This pile a vegetation map of the Himalayas example usually convinced even the most presenting the results of research work ardent "map painter", that there was no in a concentrated form. The map was ori• way of presenting the complete vegeta• ginally designed on the scale 1 : 1 000 tion of Nepal -i.e. of the central part OOO.Difficulties were considerable owing of the Himalayas- on the map until there to the varying degree of accuracy of the were reliable reports forthcoming.Today, basic maps available (some having been we know that the striking difference of drawn in metres, others in feet,for ins• colours on the map to the west and to tance). For publication the map was re• the east of the country indicates the duced to the scale 1 : 2 000 000 and sub• tremendous change taking place within sequently published in two sheets (in the boundaries of Nepal, from western colour),together with the thesis(SCHWEIN- Himalayan types of vegetation to eastern FURTH,1957). Himalayan types of vegetation. Owing to the research possibili• With this convincing point in mind, ties prevailing a quarter of a century the author's principle was accepted -so ago, the thesis was meant right from the much so, that later on it could, in a beginning to be based on literature,i.e. way, be said: "the most important achie• to use published records plus, of cour• vement of the map are the white patches'] se, all other reliable sources availa• Indeed, the "white patches", were not ble : unpublished diaries, personal com• only meant to prove careful evaluation munications, photographs, etc...The the• of the available reports, they were also sis contains a comprehensive bibliogra• intended to serve as the dynamic princi• phy of the vegetation of the Himalayas ple for further research, to attract at• up to and including 1956. tention and to focus it on the botani• The guiding principle applied, was cally unexplored parts of the mountains. to include into the map only what had been reliably reported, i.e. : not to fill in any gaps by way of analogy. This was, in a way, a courageous decision "white areas" right in the beginning, when it was not altogether predictable, to what extent When the map was published, in 1957, "coulour"could be applied at all,respec• the following "white areas" represented tively, to what extent the available re• this principle : cords would actually be helpful to com• pile a map. However, from the author's 1. in the northwest: the gorge of point of view, this early decision was the Indus, from Nanga Parbat downwards; the only acceptable approach to the pro• 2. in the centre : Nepal; blem. In course of discussions he used 3. in the east : Bhutan; to point to the example of Nepal : west 4. the Assam Himalaya; of the river Kali, representing the wes• 5. the river gorges of the Salween, tern boundary of the country, a distinct Mekong, Yangtsekiang. 20 1. Indus Gorge : one of the "pillars" of the in those days -but there was little to vegetation map of the Himalayas in the trace. The guideline, an east-west tran• northwest was C.TROLL's excellent map sect through the heart of the country, of the vegetation of the Nanga Parbat had been established based upon the re• Massif (1/50 000), 1939. It is somewhat ports of GRIFFITH (1838). After GRIFFITH ironic that immediately adjacent to this there was no one, until LUDLOW appeared for a long time the only detailed map on the scene, nearly a century later, existing for the entire Himalayan sys• well-equipped with his excellent rela• tem, unexplored country begins. This is, tions to the ruling people in Tibet and nevertheless, easy to explain as the Bhutan , who opened doors or rather pas• country both sides of the Indus -from ses and frontiers to him. The author had the Nanga Parbat downward- was,and still the privilege of meeting the grand old is, so-called "tribal area", left out man in London; LUDLOW was, first of all, of administration during the days of an ornithologist, but with a keen eye British reign. Only an intrepid, well- for the country. His observations were connected explorer like Sir Aurel STEIN priceless; he was unfortunately not to could venture to penetrate into certain be moved to revise his remaining diaries parts of it and perhaps,one or the other for publication. daring sportsman. So it was not possible to trace any reliable reports with refe• rence to the vegetation. Obviously, even h. Assam Himalaya more precisely: the sou• after indépendance the state of affairs thern flanks of the main Himalayan range did not change to a noticeable degree east of Bhutan, is an area of mystery and no useful material to fill the gaps -still. There has only been BOR's first in our knowledge of the vegetation of class -"synecological"- work on the Aka this area has come forth so far. Hills (1938), one of the foothill, areas'. The importance of BOR's work lies.in the fact that he supplies for the comparati• 2. Nepal was virtually closed to forei• vely small area of his study the basic gners until the early 1950s. When the principle to keep in mind when dealing vegetation map was in its infancy, the with other parts of the Assam Himalaya: author had the good chance to meet L.H. i.e; that already behind the first foot• J. WilLIAMS and 0. P0LUNIN in London hill range there may open up an entirely (1953), just back from their first expe• different world. Once this is learned dition to Nepal; they helped with their with the help of BOR's study in the Aka first-hand experience and later on added Hills for the Tenga Valley, a wide spec• more observations from the field. This trum of possibilities for the rest of means, botanical exploration in Nepal the Assam Himalaya opens. BOR's outstan• had barely started when the vegetation ding and detailed work helped to evalua• map of the Himalayas was compiled. So te more fully F.K. WARD'S travel reports it was one of the real highlights of the from neighbouring areas and FURER-HAI- work, when in 1954,in response to a very MEND0RF's -mainly anthropological- ac• hesitant inquiry, NAKA0's pre-printing counts of the Apa Tani Valley further account of his botanical traverse of the east. The conclusion was gained that any Kali Gandaki Valley resp. Gorge arrived, idea of "progress with the map by ana• where, botanically "West and East meet" logy" would be entirely misleading; we in the Himalayas. This resulted in the have to wait to fill the gaps until we exhilarating experience of receiving have absolutely reliable evidence from proof from the field, that the author's the spot. western and eastern types were,obviously a sensible concept, as everything fell into place, presenting a first, but most 5- River gorges of Salween, Mekong, Yangt- important and encouraging link between sekiang : the delimitation of the the "two parts of the map" - "west" and "Himalayas" for the purpose of the vege• "east". But this was only the beginning tation map was arrived at only while of the botanical exploration of Nepal, work was in progress and for specific as is well known. Further botanical ex• reasons. In the west, the map was exten• ploration of the central parts of the ded roughly to the western limit of the Himalayas became essentially a French forests on the southern slopes of the undertaking, which shall be heared about Hindukush, about as far west as Kabul in more detail in the course of this (70°E). Towards east, other considera• symposium. tions prevailed : there are dry river valleys all along the Himalayan system with, obviously, intricate local wind 3- Bhutan it is, perhaps, not fitting systems; the speculation was, that if for a research worker to develop certain anywhere, then in the great river gorges preferences, but the author confesses : in the east it might be possible to find fascinating as the pursuit of the vege• more evidence about the mechanism invol• tation map along all the Himalayas was ved. This lead to extending the map to and still is, he has always been parti• include a section of the river gorges cularly intrigued with Bhutan and used of Salween,Mekong and Yangtsekiang -this every possible means to get as much in• extension served the purpose well. Temp• formation about the country as possible tation to extend the map even further 21 was thwarted by the lack of any reliable 2. Nepal : is the part of the Himalayas data in all three river gorges to the where the dynamic principle of the "whi• south of 28°N and to the north of 30°N- te patches" worked to full satisfaction. as well as by the all apparent change A most out-standing contribution as from in the floristic composition of the ve• an individual traveller and collector, getation types.

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