Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation Karnali Province Government Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Surkhet, Nepal Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation Karnali Province Government Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment Surkhet, Nepal Copyright: © 2020 Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, Karnali Province Government, Surkhet, Nepal The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of Ministry of Tourism, Forest and Environment, Karnali Province Government, Surkhet, Nepal Editors: Krishna Prasad Acharya, PhD and Prakash K. Paudel, PhD Technical Team: Achyut Tiwari, PhD, Jiban Poudel, PhD, Kiran Thapa Magar, Yogendra Poudel, Sher Bahadur Shrestha, Rajendra Basukala, Sher Bahadur Rokaya, Himalaya Saud, Niraj Shrestha, Tejendra Rawal Production Editors: Prakash Basnet and Anju Chaudhary Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Acharya, K. P., Paudel, P. K. (2020). Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation. Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, Karnali Province Government, Surkhet, Nepal Cover photograph: Tibetan wild ass in Limi valley © Tashi R. Ghale Keywords: biodiversity, conservation, Karnali province, people-wildlife nexus, biodiversity profile Editors’ Note Gyau Khola Valley, Upper Humla © Geraldine Werhahn This book “Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation”, is prepared to consolidate existing knowledge about the state of biodiversity in Karnali province. The book presents interrelated dynamics of society, physical environment, flora and fauna that have implications for biodiversity conservation. This book is an outcome of exhaustive literature review, secondary data harvesting and synthesis, and field consultation. Extensive consultations were carried out with various stakeholders – academicians, key experts, members of non-governmental organizations and research institutions – in the related fields. We acknowledge that describing the biodiversity of Karnali province is a challenging task because of several reasons. There is inadequate information on the geographical distribution of biodiversity in Karnali province. Although taxonomic bias in research is common in Nepal, most species in the province remain unknown or unstudied. Furthermore, there is a considerable ambiguity in the taxonomic assignment and species delineation. This book brings together the best approximation of flora and fauna diversity from various sources. All information is credited to the original sources and provided on the "as is" basis. We acknowledge that there may be inadvertent errors and omissions. We hope this book will serve as a foundation for the future refinements. Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation V The book begins with an introductory chapter, followed by chapters dedicated to physical, social and cultural aspects of Karnali province. Chapters four and five provide a detailed account of biodiversity, and its conservation status respectively. Chapter six covers the human-nature nexus. A quick overview of biodiversity research in the province is provided in chapter seven. It is obvious that incomplete knowledge about biodiversity status impedes our attempts to protect biodiversity. We hope that the book will be a useful resource for future research and conservation in Karnali province. Krishna Prasad Acharya, PhD Prakash Kumar Paudel, PhD VI Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation Contents Forward by Chief Minister: Karnali Biodiversity for the Future ................................................................................... i Forward by Minister: Biodiversity Conservation: Sustainable Utilization .............................................................. iii Editors’ Note ........................................................................................................................................................................... v Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................ vii Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................... xiii Abbreviation ...................................................................................................................................................................... xvii Karnali Province: A Snapshot .......................................................................................................................................... xix 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 2. Physical Environment in Karnali Province .............................................................................. 3 2.1 Elevation ........................................................................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Slope and Aspect .......................................................................................................................................... 4 2.3 Physiography .................................................................................................................................................. 5 2.4 Climate .............................................................................................................................................................. 7 2.5 Section Summary: Physical Environment ............................................................................................ 8 3. Socio-Cultural Environment..................................................................................................... 9 3.1 Demographic Overview ............................................................................................................................. 9 3.2 Lingual Community ................................................................................................................................... 10 3.3 Caste/Ethnic and Cultural Mosaic ......................................................................................................... 11 3.4 Religion ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.5 Livelihoods .................................................................................................................................................... 13 3.6 Economic Situation .................................................................................................................................... 14 3.7 Section Summary: Socio-Cultural Environment .............................................................................. 14 4. Karnali Biodiversity: A Status Update ................................................................................... 15 4.1 Ecoregion ....................................................................................................................................................... 16 4.1.1 Himalayan Subtropical Broadleaf Forests ............................................................................. 16 4.1.2 Himalayan Subtropical Pine Forests........................................................................................ 16 4.1.3 Western Himalayan Broadleaf Forests...................................................................................... 16 Biodiversity in Karnali Province: Current Status and Conservation vii 4.1.4 Western Himalayan Subalpine Conifer Forests ................................................................... 17 4.1.5 Western Himalayan Alpine Shrub and Meadows ............................................................... 17 4.2 Vegetation and Forest Type ..................................................................................................................... 18 4.3 Land Use and Land Cover Pattern ......................................................................................................... 26 4.4 Water Resources and Wetlands .............................................................................................................. 27 4.5 Ramsar Site .................................................................................................................................................... 27 4.6 Rangelands .................................................................................................................................................... 28 4.7 Floral Diversity.............................................................................................................................................. 30 4.7.1 Algae .................................................................................................................................................. 31 4.7.2 Fungi ..................................................................................................................................................