askot landscape indicative plan (chapter 1 - 4)[1]

7/28/2019 Askot Landscape Indicative Plan (Chapter 1 - 4)[1]

1/76

_____________________________________________________________________

1

PEACE ELDF Sam r a k s h a n NR I n t e r n a t i o n a l S e p t em b e r , 2 0 0 7

ASKOT LANDSCAPE INDICATIVE PLAN

CHAPTER 1: LANDSCAPE CONFIGURATION

1 .1 De s c r i p t i o n o f t h e L a n d s c a p e The Askot Conservation Landscape is located in Eastern Kumaon, in the state ofUttaranchal, and lies between the coordinates 80 to 81 5 E Longitude, and 295 to 30 N Latitude. The Conservation/Project Landscape is bounded by theinternational border with the Tibetan Autonomous Region of the Peoples Republicof China in the North. This runs along the high nival ridge that is also the water-divide between the Indian Sub-continent and the Tibetan Plateau. The passes ofLowe Dhura, Lampiya Dhura and Lipu Lekh, all above 5500 meters above the sea,straddle this high ridge, and prior to hostilities with China in 1962, were the

access routes between communities on either side.

The Kali river forms the boundary in the South-East of the landscape till Jauljibi,which also constitutes the border of India with the Kingdom of Nepal. The lowerhalf of this South-Eastern boundary runs low along the sub-tropical zone, withhuman habitations on both sides of the river, which like the Northern boundarytoo, has had social, economic and genetic exchange between nations over time.Marriages across the Kali are still common.

The Western and North-Western boundary of the landscape runs along the trueleft bank of Gori river, till close to the latitude 3011' N, and then follows theridge on the true right of the Poting sub-basin (on the true right bank of the Gori)

to Silwa Dhura. From here the boundary of the landscape runs along the highridge of the Gori basin in a North-Westerly direction, to the peaks Dang Thyal,Laspa Dhura, Nandakot, and along the eastern rim of the Nandadevi basin andthe Nandadevi National Park, past Nandadevi East, and on to Hardeol. Theboundary then turns East at the head of the Gori basin, and follows the water-divide, past Trishuli and Nanda Gond and Unta Dhura, where it meets the existingboundary of the Askot Sanctuary close to the international border with Tibet, andthe boundary already described in the North of the landscape. Maps areappended for reference.

Encompassing an area of 4463 square kilometers, the entire project landscape isabout 120 km long and on average, about 51.5 km wide. It comprises two entire

river basins, those of the Kuti Yangti and the Lissar-Darma Yangti rivers (alsoknown as Dhauli after their confluence), and also major portions of the true leftbank of the Gori river, and the true right bank of the Kali river till Jauljibi. Thefirst three rivers mentioned are the first tributaries of the Kali river within theIndian territory. The Kuti Yangti river is 51. 65 km long, the Lissar-Darma river is139.58 km long, and the Gori river is 100 km long.


2/76

_____________________________________________________________________

2

Map: Landscape Configuration

1 .2 P r o ce s s a n d M e t h o d o l o g y The Askot Project Landscape has been defined after a multi-level consultativeprocess, first proposed by Mr. S. Chandola, Chief Wildlife Warden at thepreliminary Landscape Consultation, and later modified taking into accountsuggestions at various levels, including those of the former Chief Wildlife WardenMr. A.S.Negi, and Dr. G.S. Rawat, Professor WII, and Dr. B.S. Burfal, the PCCF,Government of Uttaranchal.

1 .3

A b o u t t h e L a n d s ca p e

There is a great altitudinal range within the landscape, from 560 meters a.s.l atJauljibi, to 7434 meters at the summit of Nandadevi East, apart from two other7000 meter peaks. The location of the landscape is where the bio-geographicelements of the Western Himalaya, the Central Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateauconverge. Resultantly, the landscape is very bio-diverse, containing 2607 speciesof vascular plants, 265 species of birds, 37 of mammals, many of which areendemic, rare or endangered.

The landscape contains 129 Revenue Villages, spread from sub-tropical to alpinealtitude zones. falling within the Dharchula and Munsiari Tehsils. Van Panchayatsor Village Forests cover about 46.5% of the land area, Civil and Soyam Revenue



3/76

_____________________________________________________________________

3


land about 45.2%, Reserve Forests 5.9%, and Agriculture land 2.3% of thelandscape. A list of villages that fall within the Askot Conservation Landscape as

well as maps showing their locations and land-use configurations are alsoappended.

1 .4 J u s t i f i c a t i o n The landscape demarcation links the Nandadevi National Park and the Askot WildLife Sanctuary, even after the proposed re-demarcation comes into effect, by alarge and biodiverse territory that is contiguous to both these valuable ProtectedAreas, where conservation action and livelihoods enhancement can be prioritizedfor, compounding benefits to a much larger landscape.

Large swathes of wildernesses also exist between and in the upper reaches ofboth the international boundaries with Nepal and with Tibet (China), where the

influence of floral and faunal exchange are current, evident and significant. Thelandscape configured as it is, therefore also offers an opportunity for trans-boundary cooperation between neighbouring countries.


4/76

_____________________________________________________________________

4


CHAPTER 2: BIOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

2 .1 P h y s i c a l En v i r o nm e n t A b r i e f d e s cr i p t i o n o f t h e b i o p h y s i c a l f e a t u r e s

Because of the great compression of Life-zones in a small geographical area, thisproject landscape presents a great diversity of landscape and ecosystems. Fromabout 590 metres above sea level at Jauljibi, at the confluence of the Gori withthe Kali, to 7434 metres a.s.l at the summit of Nandadevi East, amongst amultitude of high, ice-bound mountain massifs, including some others over 7000meters such as Hardeol and Trisuli. High 6000 meter peaks such as Suitilla,Chiringwe, Chikulawe, Bambhadhura, Rajrambha, Ngalaphu, Ngangling and AdiKailash are some of the other spectacular and high mountains in the area. Thesehigh mountain precipices slope down to progressively warmer valleys, yieldaltitudinal gradients and climatic conditions that range from frigid arcticconditions to the warm and humid sub-tropical.

Cl i m a t e

Sharp variation in altitudes in the tract plays a greater role in determiningclimatic factors in the landscape, and in combination with terrain, shapes peculiarmicro-climatic attributes in different locales. To add to the diverse conditions thatsuch a range of altitudes produce, is the landscape's special bio-geographiclocation on the east-to-west (longitudinal) transition zone of the flora and faunaof Himalaya, and its proximity to Tibet, that enables it to share characteristicelements and affinities of all three. The Askot landscape is the converging point of

the Western Himalaya, the Central (Nepal) Himalaya, and the Trans-Himalaya(Tibetan-Pale arctic) transitions. All three bio-geographic zones represent distincthabitats.

The very diverse climate types that such a range of altitudes yield are:

Life Zone Distribution in the Askot Conservation Landscape Area

A l t i t u d i n a l

b e l t s

C o r r e s p o n d i n g

c l i m a t e t y p e s

A l t i t u d e r a n g e

( m e t e r s a s l)

A r e a ( S q

Km )

P e r c e n t a g e

o f t o t a l a r e a

Nival(permanentsnow)

Polar > 5500 504.05 11.30

Alpine Sub Polar 3500 to 5500 2781.69 62.37Sub-alpine Boreal 3000 to 3500 356.72 8.00

CoolTemperate

Cool Temperate 2200 to 3000 423.23 9.49

Temperate Temperate 1200 to 2200 329.07 7.38

Subtropical Sub tropical < 1200 65.06 1.46

(FES GIS data 2006)

With every successive ascent of 1000 metres elevation there is a significant dropin air pressure, availability and tension of oxygen and in temperature. In higher


5/76

_____________________________________________________________________

5

elevations humidity drops as well. As a rule of thumb, mean temperature isknown to drop at an average rate of 1 degree centigrade for every 270 metres of

ascent, the drop being steeper and more rapid above 1500m altitude (Ali &Ripley, 1983)1. The varied combination of altitude and aspect of each mountainslope, also expose it to different number of hours of sunlight and intensity of solarradiation. Unique combinations of these, and other factors such as severity ofslope, varying soil depth and moisture regimes, produce very diverse habitatswithin a small geographic area, for both plant and animal species that havespecialized to occupy specific niches.

Rainfall is quite variable in this area. Averaging below 200 cm annually in thelower reaches of these valleys, the areas in the Greater Himalaya zone here, forexample the Panchachuli basin on the western flanks receives as much as 300 cmof torrential rain. The upper Trans-Himalaya reaches of these valleys, on theother hand, are in the rain-shadow, and comprise an arid cold-desert area thatreceives less than 15 cm of rain annually. This is excluding the precipitation in theform of snow in winter. Snow at the high altitudes is heavy and wet, and unlikeother places in the trans-Himalaya where dry snow is blown away by strongwinds, it accumulates up to the roofs of the alpine habitations, making itnecessary for people to migrate with their livestock to lower villages in themontane belt in early October. Avalanches are a regular phenomenon, aswitnessed by the huge compacted cones of avalanche debris along many gorges,forming snow bridges across the rivers at many points that can sometimesremain un-melted till the following winter.

Land use Categories

Land Use Catego r ies in th e Askot Conserva t ion Landsap


6/76

_____________________________________________________________________

6


planning and prioritization are discussed in the section on locating biologicallysignificant areas (BSAs) in the landscape.

D r a i n a g e

There are about 38 glaciers located within the project landscape that feed therivers within the landscape. The Kali herself is the largest trunk river in Kumaonwith a Mean Annual Discharge of 23.2 million cubic metres half way down theriver. The Mean Annual Discharge at Bungapani, a point two-thirds down the Gori,is estimated to be about 3.8 million cubic metres (Murty et al 2000) 2. Theelevation difference, and therefore the range of terrain that the river runsthrough, is 2700 metres, in a distance of a hundred kilometres, from about3500m above the sea at the snout of Milam glacier, to 560m above sea level atits confluence with the Kali at Jauljibi. The river is then known as the Sarda, onthe Indian side, and lower down as Ghagra and goes on down to its confluence

with the Ganga in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh. Eventually, it meets the oceanat the Bay of Bengal.

The Kuti Yangti is at the head of the Kuti basin which is along the border withTibet, and is a glacial river meeting the Kali after Gunji. The length of the KutiYangti is 51 kilometers. The Lissar-Darma Yangti is the longest river in thelandscape, measuring 139 km from glacial snout to its confluence with the Kali atTawaghat.

2 .2 P r o ce s s a n d M e t h o d o l o g y Many aspects of the biological diversity of the Askot landscape have not beenstudied or documented in any detail. A few excellent forays however, have been

made on floral elements by Duthie (between 1846-48); Strachey and Winterbottoms (in 1852); W J Lambert (who collected for O.E. Osmaston, between1913 and 1925); T.A. Rao and Bipin Balodi of the Botanical Survey of India (BSI)made collections between 1991 and 1992. We also have benefit of G.S.Rawat'slistings and repeated deep taxonomic forays in the area.

We have relied on an enumeration and description of the biodiversity values inthe Askot Wildlife Sanctuary by Ranbeer Rawal and Uppeandra Dhar, as a base todescribe some of the biodiversity values of the project landscape. This has beenfurther supplemented in places, from other sources. The listing of mammaliantaxa is the preliminary list of Dr. G.S.Rawat and Dr. Satyakumar, supplementedby Himal Prakriti. The preliminary herpetofauna and avian fauna lists are by the

Himal Prakriti team, the latter being supplemented by additions by Rashid Raza,the list by Dr. G.S.Rawat and Dr. Satyakumar, the list by the Department ofWildlife Sciences, AMU3 and by further additions by Abhijit Menon-Sen, TomForward and K.Ramnarayan. The floral listing is primarily by Gopal Rawat andY.P.S. Pangtey and SS Samant for the angiosperms, the gymnosperms by HimalPrakriti, the pteridophytes from the base lists of Strachey and Winter bottom, aswell as the enrichment by YPS Pangtey. The whole flora list was got together with

2 S.K. Murti, D.K. Singh and Surendra Singh, 2000. Higher Plants of Indian Sub Continent, Vol. 10: Plant Diversity in Lower Gori Valley Pithoragarh,

U.P. (Hydro Electric Project area)/. Dehra Dun

3 A study of threats to biodiversity conservation in the middle-altitude oakforests in Kumaon Himalaya. Hussain,M.S, AishaSultana and Jamal A Khan, (2000)


7/76

_____________________________________________________________________

7


the help and guidance of Dr. G.S.Rawat, who has also contributed an initialanalysis on phyto-geographic affinities.

2 .3 B i o l o g i c a l v a l u e s o f L a n d s c a p e 2.3.1 Vegetation / Forest type

Ma j o r V e g e t a t i o n t y p e s i n t h e A s k o t Co n s e r v a t i o n L a n d s ca p e

S.N.

VegetationType

Corresponding C&SCategory

Characteristic Species

1. Sal Forest 5B/C1a: Dry Sal BearingForests

Shorea robustaTerminalia tomentosaLitsea monopetalaMallotus phillippensis

2. Pine Forest 9/C1b: Himalayan ChirPine Forest

Pinus roxburghiiGlochidion velutinumWoodfordia fruticulosa

3. Sub-tropicalRiverineForests

Not Described Toona ciliataMacaranga pustulataEngelhardtia spicata

4. Banj OakForest

12/C1a: Banj oak forest Quercus leucotrichophoraMyrica esculentaDendrobium spp.Lyonia ovalifoliaSinarundinaria falcata

5. Moru

(Timsu) Oak

2/C1b: Moru oak forest Quercus floribunda

Symplocos chinensisChimonobambusa

falconeriiSorbus vestita

6. Kharsu Oak 12/C2a: Kharsu oakforest

Quercus semecarpifolia

Taxus wallichianaPrunus cornutaChimonobambusaspathiflora

7. Alder Forest 12/1S1Alnus nepalensisForests

Alnus nepalensisPilea umbrosa

Debregeasia hypoleuca8. Cypress

Forest12/E1 Cupressus torulosa Cupressus torulosa

Lespedeza gerardianaPogonatherum paniceum

9. TemperateGrassyslopes

12/DS3: HimalayanSecondary Grasslands

Themeda anatheraChrysopogon gryllusCymbopogon distans

Andropogon munroi

10. Hemlock(Tansen)Forest

Not Described Tsuga dumosa


8/76

_____________________________________________________________________

8


11. TemperateSecondary

Scrub

12/DS2 TemperateParkland

C1/DS1: Oak ScrubC1/DS2:Himalayantemperate secondaryscrub

Quercus leucotrichophoraBerberis asiatica

Prinsepia utilisRubus niveus

12. TemperateBroadleafForests(MoistDeciduous)

12 / C1 West HimalayanTemperate Forests

Acer villosumBetula alnoides

Juglans regiaAesculus indica

13. Blue Pine(Kail) Forest

13/C4:West HimalayanHigh-level Dry Blue PineForest

Pinus wallichianaJuniperus communis

14. Sub-alpineForest 14/C1:West HimalayanSub-alpine Birch/Fir Forest(Betula/Abies)Birch-RhododendronScrub Forest

RhododendroncampanulatumBetula utilisLonicera spp.Rosa macrophylla

15. Alpine Scrub 15/E1:Dwarfrhododendron scrub16/E1:Dwarf juniperscrub

RhododendronanthopogonCassiope fastigiataSalix denticulate

Salix lindleyanaLonicera myrtillus

Juniperus communisJuniperus indica

16. AlpinePastures

15/C3: Alpine Pastures(Dry and moist types)

Danthonia cachemyriana

Potentilla argyrophyllaKobresia spp.,Trachydium roylei

Source: G.S. Rawat

2.3.2 Flora and Fauna

H a b i t a t a n d co m m u n i t y r e p r e s e n t a t i o n in f l o r a .

As described earlier the special location of the project landscape in the east towest (longitudinal) transition enables it to share biodiversity elements of both theeastern and the western Himalaya. The significant features of the habitat andcommunity representation are:

While the landscape shows a predominance of typical west Himalayanforest communities4, (like the Chir pine and west Himalayan Oaks) it alsorepresents the western-most limit for the occurrence of East Himalayancommunities such as Tsuga and Macaranga.

4Ranbeer Rawal and Uppeandra Dhar, 2001, Protected Area network in Indian Himalayan Region: Need for

recognizing values of low profile protected areas, CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 81, NO. 2, 25 JULY 2001


9/76

_____________________________________________________________________

9


The great vertical altitudinal gradients, from 560 m to over 7000m yieldan exceptionally high habitat and community diversity such as:

a) Habitats ranging from subtropical shorea robusta, to alpinemeadows locally called bugyals

b) The landscape possesses more than 85% of the reported forestcommunities of Kumaon in the West Himalaya

The occurrence of Tsuga dumosa and Macaranga pustulata communities in theGori basin are exclusive for the entire West Himalaya (Rawal, R and Dhar U2001).

A very large portion of the landscape falls under alpine conditions, about 57.57%(FES GIS data 2006), and while it is characterized by moist alpine habitats in theGreater Himalaya band, it is also represented by dry alpine habitat in the TransHimalaya sections of the landscape. Representative elements of both conditionsare therefore present.

S p e c ie s r i ch n e s s a n d f o r m d i v e r s i t y .

The range and habitat and community representation yield rich species diversity.The inventory of vascular plants lists the presence of over 2359 species(Angiosperms 2258 spp, 891 genera, 170 families; Gymnosperms 7 spp, 7genera, 4 families, and of pteridophytes 94 spp, 38 genera, 25 families). The listcontains 2359 spp, 936 genera and 199 families. (Compiled list by FES in NBSAPdocument 2004).

The distribution in forms indicate the presence of 209 trees, 284 shrubs, 1427herbs, 130 climbers (especially important being the 8 species ofdioscorea thatthe Banraji depend on) and 268 ferns. The species richness does vary across thegreat elevational range, with its maximum diversity in the alpine life-zone (3500to 5500 asl). Among taxonomic groups, species richness in the familyOrchidaceae (120 species) is exceptionally high, and represents 62.5% of thosefound in Kumaon (Uniyal and Ghosh, 2000) and 50.8 % of the entire NorthwestHimalaya. The sub-alpine forests ofBetula utilis andAbies spectabilis were foundto be by far the richest in mycoflora.

No exhaustive and reliable documentation of the faunal species richness in thearea is available today. We have the preliminary listing by Dr. G.S.Rawat and

S.Sathyakumar

5

, which has been relied on. This list, supplemented by HimalPrakriti lists the presence of 37 species of mammals. The birds list is acompilation and lists 265 bird species. The preliminary herpetofauna list is byHimal Prakriti, which bears 5 lizards, 17 species of snakes and one skink. Onlythose taxa confirmed against Malcolm Smith's keys, from specimens found dead,or caught alive and released after taxonomic confirmation are included in thesnakes list, and a few are pending confirmation.

5Anon, Report on Panchchuli Multidimensional Expedition 1998, Sapper Adventure Foundation, the Corps of Engineers,

Indian Army, 1998


10/76

_____________________________________________________________________

10


B i o l o g i c a l i n t e g r i t y a n d s e n s i t i v e e l em e n t s

Over 40% of the representative floristic elements present in the basin are nativeor Himalayan in origin. It has been found that richness and relative dominance ofnative species, in all growth forms, increase significantly with elevation, and in alandscape where over 60% of the area is under high elevations where plants cangrow, the area is rich in native elements. This is significant in view of the fact thatbiological integrity been accorded the status of the most comprehensive norm inconservation, and native species populations with their natural interactions innaturally structured communities are considered as the best indicator of suchintegrity. With 234 near-endemic and 24 endemic species (Rawal,R and Dhar, U2001)6 in the landscape representing Himalayan endemics, conservation effortshere require to be given high priority.

In the biological integrity and sensitive elements in the fauna of the landscape,twelve of these are listed as endangered Himalayan taxa. The area is also hometo three endangered bird species: the Tragopan Satyra, the Lophophorusimpejanus and the Catreus wallichipheasants.

Over and above considerations of species sensitivity, the critically importanthabitats and communities that exist in the landscape require mention. Whileconsidering the cumulative biodiversity values, the sub-alpine Timber Line Zone(TLZ) of the Panchachuli sub-basin and the Ralam sub-basin, both constituents ofthe landscape are identified among the ten top-ranking priority sites in theWestern Himalaya (Rawal, R and Dhar, U 2001)7. Even amongst the top ten,these two sites score the highest uniqueness scores in terms of naturalness,

endemicity and use value of biodiversity elements. In terms of biological integrityor nativity, these areas support a high proportion of native plant species- trees,shrubs and herbs 8. In view of the overall value of the West Himalayan TLZ inmaintaining the regional pool of biodiversity, and in view of its sensitivity toanthropogenic influences, the existence of these most unique sub-alpine sites inthe landscape are significant to be prioritized for conservation, and forconservation oriented or sensitive livelihoods strategies.

O r c h i d D i v e r s i t y i n l a n d s c a p e

India is known to have around 1229 species of orchids, of which about 255species occur in the North-West Himalayan states of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu &Kashmir and Uttaranchal. 150 of these are found in the Kumaon Himalaya. The

Gori basin is said to be an orchid hot-spot in the Western Himalaya (Uniyal, B.Pand Ghosh, B, 2000)

The Gori Valley alone, of which the areas richest in orchid taxa fall within theproject landscape, is host to about 121 species of orchids belonging to 44genera9. These include 78 species epiphytic, 42 ground and one saprophytic

6Ranbeer Rawal and Uppeandra Dhar, 2001 , Protected area network in Indian Himalayan Region: Need for recognizing values

of low profile protected areas, CURRENT SCIENCE, Vol. 81, No. 2, 25 July 2001

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.9

The data here is from D.K.Singh in Orchid Diversity in the Gori Valley-Proceedings of the SSC, IUCN Workshop, WII


11/76

_____________________________________________________________________

11


species. The Gori basin is said to represent a hyper diversity centre for over 47 %of the NW Himalayan Orchid flora in just about 0.67 % of its geographical area.

Bulbophyllum with 14 species is the largest genus in the area, followed byDendrobium (10), Habenaria (9), Eria (9), Cymbidium (7), Oberonia (5),whereas 19 genera are represented by a single species. Ascocentrumampullaceum (Roxb.) Schltr, Pteroceras suveolens (Roxb.) Holtt. and Vandopsisundulata (Lindl.) Reichb. f. are endemic to this valley. Dendrobium normale, Eriaoccidentalis, Flickingeria hesperis and Nervillia mackinnonii, frequent in thisvalley, are endemic to Uttaranchal. The most favoured phorophytes in the Goribasin is the Toon (Toona serrata). There are reports of a single toon branchbearing as many as 30 species of orchids10. Engelhartia spicata and Quercusluecotrichophora are also significant host species.

A g r i c u l t u r e r e l a t e d b i o d i v e r s i t y

Although agriculture land covers just 2.3% of the project landscape11, and thoughlandholdings are marginal and fragmented, there is rich crop diversity in thelandscape. 211 different local varieties of food crops were identified as grown inthe landscape12, of which 105 can be classified as cereals or pseudo-cereals, 21pulse crops, 10 oil-yielding plants, and 10 spices. 41 varieties of paddy (Oriza)are grown here, of which 31 are upland varieties not requiring field flooding. 20varieties of wheat and barley (Triticum) are grown and 14 varieties of Fingermillet (Eleusine coracana) apart from 5 other millets from the Panicum andPennisetum genus. Almost 31 different vegetables and 31 fruits plants are grown(refer lists attached). Many plants from the wild are also eaten and are mentionedin the list of plants of economic value that is also attached. Villages located above1800 meters do not cultivate more than 7-8 varieties of vegetables in a year due

to the short growing season but they use 10 to 12 different wild plants asvegetables. Liquor is made from 4 types of cereals namely koni (Setaria italica),barley, millets and buckwheat. The equivalent of staple cooked as rice are paddy,setaria, amaranth and roti and its equivalents are made from wheat, maize,barley, triticum, millets and buckwheats.

Some varieties of crops existing in the project landscape are of particular interestin the context of forest dwelling or forest-proximate communities. Varieties aresometimes progressively selected for considerations such as productivity,resistance to uncertain rainfall, but also for pest resistance (a species of wheat,for example, that macaques and langurs find difficult to eat because of a veryspikey ear-head), taste, colour, nutritive value, suitability to climate and

maturing time. Setaria, amaranth, barley, triticum and the millets are graduallybeing cultivated and eaten less by local populations, often driven by theperception that eating such traditional crops is socially and economically inferior,and to be looked down upon or dissociated from.

The narrowing genetic base of traditional agriculture crops in the landscape is amatter of concern. Fewer varieties of Triticum, of beans and peas and of paddyare grown now. The diversity of crops grown by each agrarian family is steadilydeclining. The loss is not even documented. Discussions during consultations

10 B.P. Uniyal and B.Ghosh. Orchid Diversity in the Gori Valley 200011 FES GIS data 2006.12 A Biodiversity Log and Strategy Input Document for the Gori River Basin. Western Himalaya Ecoregion. FES 2003.


12/76

_____________________________________________________________________

12


indicated that the diversity of the food basket, and subsequently the food securityof families in the landscape is diminishing. Project interventions can begin to

stem this erosion.

R ip a r i a n h a b i t a t s

Rivers are, in many ways, the sutradharor the central narrators of their entireriver basins. They physically link the entire landscape together, right from theglaciers, the alpine meadows, on down past the krummholz, the temperateforests, and down to the warm sub-tropical gorges and riparian forests along theircourses. Aquatic biological communities are sensitive reflections of therelationships between organisms and their environment; of the physical andchemical components of their environments and landscape features such as land-use, land cover, geology, physiography, mineral availability, and potential naturalvegetation (Omernik and Gallant 1988). Rivers reflect the health or state of the

entire landscape that they link.

These rivers and their tributaries constitute critical aquatic corridors andhighways that link the entire landscape. There are extensive variations inenvironmental gradients and the interactions of rivers with the landscape. Theglacial or fluvial sources, temperatures that affect them, topography, soil types,land use, and riparian conditions, and the presence of ponds, marshes and otherwetlands result in a wide range of stream flows and water quality conditions, allhave a direct effect on the distribution of fish and other forms of life in thevarious rivers in the landscape. Mycoflora washes off leaf-litter in the quiet oakforests, which is scraped off rocks in the substrate by larval insects in mountaintorrents, which in turn form part of the food of fish in the streams and rivers. Fish

that interact with all the riparian landscape, swimming up from the turbid river tothe dark limpid pools in upstream branches, or to sand and shingle-beds tospawn. The flushing of silt, humus and gifts of nutrients down from high mountainforests and ravines down to river banks enroute, along its entire length, linksdistant landscapes and all the life therein.

The Kuti Yangti, the Lissar-Darma Yangti and the Gori rivers are primarily glacialrivers, whereas the Kali is fluvio-glacial. The rivers themselves are dynamic, andreflect the forces at work on the entire landscape. Every five years or so thereseem to be very significant spates and flooding along these rivers, compoundedby major landslides upstream. Ancient river-beds and glacial deposits are washedaway, while new deposits are formed to restart succession cycles all over again,

and contributing to the biological diversity that such changes engender.

Almost all human habitations in the landscape are either along the main rivers ortheir many tributaries, or next to springs that emerge from an impermeablelayer, and eventually flow down to the river (See map showing humanhabitations). As in all other such places, the lives of the people living here aredeeply tied-in with the rivers in very many ways, in life and in death. The peoplewho live along these rivers partly depend on fish for food through the year. A fewvillages low down near the river that have their crop fields on ancient river-beds,irrigate their paddy-fields.


13/76

_____________________________________________________________________

13


People are cremated at various points along the river, dead infants are justsubmerged and weighed down by rocks, and the obvious symbolism perhaps

serves to wash away the immediate trauma of such separation.

No serious listing of the fish fauna in the various rivers in the landscape has beenundertaken so far. There has been a limited listing by the Kumaon University aswell as by the FES team in the Gori river and its tributaries in the warmtemperate and sub-tropical zones. There does however, exist very extensivedocumentation of the fish fauna of the main trunk river Kali, downstream byscientists in Nepal. A list of the fish fauna studied in the main trunk of the Kali byDr. T.S. Shrestha in Nepal, indicates the presence of 73 species13. All the riversand streams in the landscape, are really parts of each other, and whichever ofthese species swim up above 600 metres altitude, could be found in thetributaries, depending on the physical and chemical parameters of those waters.

The long term study initiated by FES in 2004 and continued by Himal Prakriti inthe Gori and its tributaries, sought essentially to understand species richness aswell as the longitudinal succession of fish populations co-related to stream order.Gill-nets were cast over two years in different seasons in all the tributaries, notfrom head-water reaches to stream mouth, but from where fish were known orexpected to be found, even above a waterfall over 80 meters high, to the streammouth. The findings so far confirm that species richness and diversity increaseddownstream, as a function of stream order, as well as the continuum of biotic andabiotic factors. It was also seen that species richness increased in a downstreamdirection, with most changes in species composition due to the addition, ratherthan the replacement of species. This factor would change after the confluencewith the Kali at 560 meters a.s.l, becoming inhospitable for species such asSchizothorax, with rapidly rising water temperatures and subsequent decrease indissolved Oxygen. At this stage in the long-term study, the data of Himal-Prakriti(unpublished) also indicates that abiotic factors regulate diversity of upstreamfish communities, and that in downstream reaches where fish communities werestable and diverse, they were more controlled by biotic factors such as predationand competition.

The presence of benthic macro-invertebrates especially the larvae of the May Fly,the Caddis Fly, the Stone fly, and Dragon Flies in large numbers indicates thepresence of high levels of oxygen. These aquatic insects also form the main foodfor the fish. The smaller streams play an essential role in the life cycles of allbenthic fauna. Many insects spend all but their adult stage in water. For fish

migrating upstream in the main basin rivers, the smaller streams serve asspawning grounds because they are less turbid and the velocity of the water isnot as high as the bigger glacial rivers. In spring, the waters of the bigger glacialrivers rise and the fish that have lived in the small streams in winter migratedownstream into the main basin rivers. Fish from the big rivers migrate upstreaminto the smaller streams to spawn and by autumn return downstream, whilesome fish also spend their entire life-cycle in the same stream.

There are some use-practices along the course of these rivers that are greatlyaffecting the fish-fauna, and the associated ecology. Fishing methods that employ

13 Shrestha, Tej Kumar 1995. Fish catching in the Himalayan waters of Nepal.


14/76

_____________________________________________________________________

14


the use of plant-poisons such as agave, caustic soda, and explosives (can be hadfrom any friendly neighborhood road-contractor) are causing major depletions in

fish populations. Commercial mining of sand and shingle-beds, where fish mayspawn, greatly affect habitats and populations of the many species of fish thatinhabit different segments of these corridors in different seasons.

2.3.4 Protected Area(s)

The Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary in Pithoragarh District of Uttarakhand was set upin 1986, vide Notification No. 96(1)/14-3-30/84 dated 30.7.1986. The AskotSanctuary was unusual in at least two respects. One, that it encompassed a verylarge range of altitudinal gradients, from about 560 m asl to 6,904 m at thesummit of Panchachuli II. Two, that it included a very large number of villages(111villages), a town (Dharchula), and a Militiary Cantonement within its

boundaries.

There is another aspect that is worthy of mention here. While the area notifiedunder the Askot Sanctuary is 600 square kilometers, the actual area that isdemarcated as per the boundary description in the notification covers about2,901 square kilometers. This was discovered and highlighted by the HimalayaRegion Project of the Foundation for Ecological Security after they had done alargescale exercise mapping the configuration of Van Panchayat Forests, ReserveForests, Protected Areas, and Civil and Soyam land in the Greater and Trans-Himalaya areas of Uttarakhand. On investigating as to how this could havehappened, it was discovered that niether the Van Panchayat Forests, whichcomprise about a third of the area under the Santurary, nor the Civil and Soyam

land, which comprise almost 57% of the area, had actually been mapped to scalein the cadastral mapping system, and that the area in the land records (Non-ZAKhatauni) was a notional figure. These figures seem to have been used from theTehsil land records.

It is also interesting to note the distribution of land-use categories under the2,901 sq km presently being administered as the Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary:

Reserve Forest Area: 9.86%Van Panchayat Forest Area: 29.54%Civil and Soyam Land Area: 56.88%Agriculture Land Area: 3.55%

Rivers and water bodies: 0.17%

Niether prior to the setting up of the Sanctuary, nor since 1986 have the Rightsof the village communities who reside in the Sanctuary Area been settled. Whilethe Sanctuary has not been provided with an exclusive complement of staff asthe administration of any Sanctuary are provided for all these years, sporadic butrepeated incidences of restrictions imposed on the village communities, on theuse of forest produce even from their own Village Forests have led to anincreasing sense of alienation described elswhere in this document.

There is however, one hydro-electricity project that has come up within theSanctuary during the last five years, and 25 more hydro projects are under


15/76

_____________________________________________________________________

15


various stages of planning, allotment and execution in the four main rivers thatdrain the Sanctuary area. There is also a gold, siver and copper mine near Askot,

where large deposits have been surveyed, and mining is due to commence.

In view of the resentment expressed by local people of the inclusion of theirvillages and Village Forests in the Sanctuary, and in view of the hydro and miningprospects of the area, the State government has proposed the re-alignment ofthe Askot Musk Deer Sanctuary, with an attempt to keep as many villages aspossible out of the Sanctuary, while keeping some areas of high biodiversityvalues within a newly proposed 600 square kilometers intact. The proposal isunder process.

2 . 4 B i o l o g i c a ll y S ig n i f i ca n t A r e a s

2.4.1 Identification

L o c a t i n g B i o l o g i c a l ly S i g n i f i ca n t A r e a s ( B SA s) i n t h e l a n d s c a p e

The Askot Project Landscape is indeed both physically and biologically complex.As described earlier, altitude gradients within the landscape range from 560 m aslto 7434 m and climate types from Sub-Tropical to Polar. In addition, the threebio-geographic zones of the Western Himalaya, the Central (Nepal) Himalaya andthe Trans-Himalaya converge at the landscape, each contributing their distinctinfluences in the flora and fauna of the area. The 'process' of locating andascribing biological significance, as a means to help plan and prioritize, (sincesuch real-time location has not been done so far for this landscape, and other

studies on ecological attributes are also rather scanty), would require more timeand effort than is available in this pre-project phase. This could well be includedas an integral part of the Project processes.

It would however, be important to outline here a possible approach to such finer-focusing and prioritization, not only to aid planning for what to do, but also tomeasure progress on tasks and processes undertaken under the Project. In viewof the long standing association with the landscape, and relative familiarity ofpeople associated with the planning process, a preliminary prioritization could beproposed as an informed lead, to be confirmed and put into a largermethodological framework during the project period.

While describing the threat-status can be useful, it has been widely agreed tobe insufficient by itself. Such a singular focus on threats can lead to a zero-tolerance approach to threat activities in human-influenced landscapes, such asthose we are looking at, and would therefore be unrealistic in the context of thisexercise.


16/76

_____________________________________________________________________

16

Method used by The Nature Conservancy for bio logical prio ritisation

Key or focal ecological attributes are identified for the broad sub-divisions or zones thatcomprise the landscape, and a practical framework for an assessment worked out. TheNature Conservancy (TNC) has evolved and used some form of score-cards that tabulateand synthesize diverse scientific information about the focal biodiversity of an area into asmall number of measurement categories, which are standardized for use across multipleareas.

The ecological scorecard for assessing ecosystem integrity and species viability developedby TNC has four main components: (1) Selecting a limited suite of focal biodiversity targetsthan can serve as a coarse-filter or fine filter framework for protecting the whole; (2)identifying a limited suite of key ecological attributes for each target, along with specificindicators for each, that provide the information for measuring status; (3) identifying anacceptable range of variation within which the key ecological attributes must lie in order topersist; and (4) assessing the current status of each key attribute with respect to their

acceptable ranges of variation, and integrating the measure of this status into a measure ofthe status of biodiversity overall.

Such a framework can help focus strategy development along ecological rather thanjurisdictional boundaries- for example the interaction and flows between Van Panchayatsand contiguous Reserve Forests. It could also provide consistency and specificity in settingconservation objectives and strategies, and promote focused and efficient monitoring infuture.

Rather than look just at and prioritize certain sites and certain species alone,perhaps a good way to proceed would be to work with the notion of theecological integrity of the landscape, even in relation to the larger landscapethat it is located in. Trans-boundary issues and downstream dimensions wouldalso assume relevance here. By looking at ecological integrity we are not justlooking at say species composition, but at whether the ecological systems,communities, and (at least focal-) species occur or remain with sufficient size,and with a sufficiently natural composition, structure and function to persistwithin their natural range of variation,. in order to withstand and recover fromperturbations imposed by natural dynamics or human disruptions (Parish J.Braun, D and Unnasch,R.) 14.

A most interesting and useful analysis, in the context of understanding theecological attributes of the landscape, would be to map and understand theassemblage of forests, alpine grassland wildernesses and steep-terrainwildernesses in the landscape. To analyze them for connectivity or fragmentationdue to topographical or human-driven reasons. To truly understand and valuecontiguity at a larger scale in this part of the Himalaya, one would of-course haveto analyze it in the context of the wildernesses that are contiguous across theriver in Nepal, and across the ridge in Tibet. However, it would also be very usefulto understand contiguity and connectivity even at a reduced landscape level


14 Are we conserving what we say we are? Measuring Ecological Integrity within Protected Areas. Jeffery Parish, David Braunand Robert Unnasch.


17/76

_____________________________________________________________________

17


scale, and how it interacts with the immediate landscapes adjoining it. Thisanalysis overlaid with a mapping of land tenure regimes, such as forests and

wildernesses in Reserve Forests, in Village Forests, and on Civil and Soyam landswould yield strategy implications not just for the project or management of thePA, but also policy implications for development projects in the state at large.

Commonly, isolates of habitats, such as those found in mountain areas, areviewed in the context of island-biogeography, where forest fragments and naturereserves are islands in a sea of unfavorable habitat. Such perspectives can tellus more about the distribution and dynamics of fauna in fragments of habitat,than any total figures or averages of area under reserves or other categories offorests. At the scale of the project landscape however, we see that fragmentationor separation of habitats in the entire landscape is negligible, and are due moreto topography, altitude and physical features rather than actual land-use byhumans, or tenurial separations. For example, Van Panchayat lands constitute34.48% of the landscape, and along with Civil and Soyam Revenue land(54.59%), comprise over 89% of the landscape. Add to this Reserve Forestscovering another 8%, you have 97% in one contiguous swathe. Agriculture landcomprises less than 3% of the landscape.

If we look at the altitude frequency in the context of such tenure, we find thatVan Panchayat land and Civil and Soyam Revenue land would hold almost all themost critical breeding and dispersal areas (Sub-alpine and Alpine) for thepopulations of the Snow Leopard as well as the Bharal and Musk Deer, as well ashabitat for a host of birds and plants. The RF blocks within the present Sanctuaryarea, and in the proposed landscape are in fact fragmented by themselves, andtherefore the designation and prioritization of RF blocks within the Sanctuary as

Core or Central Areas, and the rest of the area, i.e. Van Panchayats and Civil andSoyam land as Buffer Areas in the Management Plan of the Askot Musk DeerSanctuary would need to be revisited. Neither would feasibility of administrationbe addressed by such division along jurisdictional lines, nor representation ofspecies or habitat.

Understanding connectivity at different scales, the nature of linkages in terms ofstepping stones or corridors, and understanding the effects of such configurationswould also be important considerations while discussing any developmentproject or activity in any specific area, now or in the future, or its impact on thelandscape and its biodiversity. This would have very significant policy implicationsin terms of conservation value as well as prioritization of areas for any

development activity in the state.

P r e l i m i n a r y p r o p o s a l f o r p r i o r i t i z a t i o n o f c e r t a i n b r e e d i n g a n d d i sp e r s a l

h a b i t a t s i t e s , a s w e l l a s ce r t a i n f o c a l s p e ci e s

We know that the greatest concentration of human habitations in the landscape isin the Sub-tropical and Warm-temperate zones. We therefore find that apart fromthe RF areas in this altitudinal zone, forest and grasslands are relatively degradeddue to heavy anthropogenic pressures, and faunal populations similarly affected.The Van Panchayat areas in these zones are by-and-large very small, andinsufficient to meet the requirements of local communities, as well as retain theirregenerative capacities. It is the Cold-temperate and Sub-alpine human


18/76

_____________________________________________________________________

18


settlements that are sparse, and have relatively large Van Panchayat areas,where forests and associated fauna are in better condition.

Local consultations as well as scientific literature all point overwhelmingly to theTLZ, and the Sub-alpine Krummholz scrub as perhaps the most important area toconsider for prioritization for conservation efforts. Not only are these criticalbreeding habitats and refugia for a host of endangered and threatened animalsand birds, they also constitute critical winter habitats for many species.

The TLZ, which ranges between 2,800m asl to 3,500 m, coincides approximatelywith the 10 degree summer isotherm (Wardle 1965, Ohsawa 1990), the upperand lower limits varying with exposure to the order of plus-minus 150m, droppingon the shaded northerly slopes and rising on the warmer southerly slopes that areexposed to greater radiation by the sun. Timberlines represent an ecologicalboundary of great complexity15, forming a mosaic of forest-meadow communities,consisting of forest edge, tree limit and Krummholz, and representing thedynamic relationships of elements of all three within the eco-tone.

The potential of sensitive plant species was analyzed for the TLZ in Kumaon(Rawal and Dhar 1997), whose findings indicate that over 35% of the totaltimberline floras are endemic, and more importantly, of these 20% are narrowrange endemics. Rarity, richness in diversity and representativeness are amongthe major attributes contributing to the conservation values of the TLZ inKumaon, a large proportion of which falls within the project landscape.

The altitudinal range for the Musk Deer, which is the umbrella species for theAskot Musk Deer Sanctuary, and indeed for the landscape as well, is between

2,500m asl in winter, to 3,800m in summer. The lower range falls within theupper reaches of Cold-temperate, which also contain the very valuable floralcomposition of mixed oak-rhododendron Quercus semecarpifolia-Rhododendronarboreum tree cover, and the valuable Chimnobambusa jaunsarensis in theunderstorey. This lower range is also the habitat for another endangeredungulate, the Serow and the upper limit for the Goral. Steep cliffy terrain andescarpments in the sub-alpine zone are also prime habitat for another mountainungulate, the Himalayan Tahr. The TLZ is also the prime breeding habitat for theHimalayan Monal (Lophophorus impejanus), and the Satyr Tragopan (Tragopansatyra).

A study in a similar area in Garhwal, the Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (S.

Sathyakumar, S.N. Prasad, G.S.Rawat and AJT Johnsingh) estimated density ofMusk deer populations that ranged from 1.0 to 4.1 per square km. The MeanDensity for the KWLS was 2.81 per sq km, which was also consideredrepresentative for the Uttaranchal Himalaya. The potential Musk deer habitat then(area between 2500m and 3800m) in the Project Landscape is over 700 squarekilometers (FES GIS cell). This is a broader range that not only includes thecritical TLZ as already described, but also the very rich upper reaches of the Coldtemperate that form winter dispersal ranges.

15 Prioritization of Conservation Sites in the Timberline Zone of West Himalaya. Uppeandra Dhar, BCPP processdocument.WWF India 2000.


19/76

_____________________________________________________________________

19


It would be proposed that the Musk Deer be placed as a 'flagship species' in theconservation strategy for the area, since the entire altitudinal range of the Musk-

Deer, from Cold Temperate to Alpine requires to be considered under the projectas a biologically significant areas, and prioritized for conservation efforts for thewhole range of biodiversity that they harbour.

The Alpine zone within the landscape is another very important area forconsideration. The floral richness of the alpine zones of the Greater Himalaya iswell documented (eg Rawat 1984; Ram et al1988; Kala et al1997), and withinthe landscape, contain the highest species richness compared to all the other life-zones Pie chart. About 90 species of alpine flora are listed in the Red Data Bookof Indian Plants, (Nayar & Shastry 1990) many of which also occur in the projectlandscape. Species such as the Snow leopard (Panthera uncia), its main prey-species the Bharal (Pseudois nayaur) , the Musk Deer (Moschus chrysogaster),the Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) , the Himalayan Black Bear (Selenarctosthibetanus) the Bobak Marmot, as also the Monal (Lophophorus impejanus)depend substantially on alpine habitats, along with the Snow-cock (Tetraogallushimalayens), the Snow Partridge (Lerwa lerwa), and a host of bush warblers,pipits and accentors that are exclusive to alpine habitats.

Alpine habitats are also home to many plants and animals of very highcommercial value, and are therefore under serious threat due to unregulated andover-intensive extraction. This is also compounded by over-intensive grazing bylivestock in alpine meadows by a very large number of animals. The transmissionof disease from domestic livestock to wild ungulates, which compete for the samepastures in summer (even seeking out salt put out by shepherds for their flocks)is also a grave threat, as described earlier.

In the prioritization of areas for biodiversity conservation within the Alpine zone inthe Greater Himalaya and the Trans Himalaya under the BCPP process of theWWF India (Singh et al, 2000)16 also highlighted areas within the presentlyproposed project landscape as important for conservation efforts.

The Nival zone above the Alpine are also dispersal areas for the Bharal, the SnowLeopard, and the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), and are the least disturbed areas inthe landscape.

In view of the above discussion, and in view of the need to have a connectedlandscape that is also possible to administer with graded protection measures, it

is proposed that the entire Sub-alpine (9.20%), Alpine (57.57%) and Nival(9.16%) areas in the landscape be prioritized for conservation efforts. Together,they constitute 75.93% of the entire landscape, and are in one large contiguousswathe. To this can be added real-time habitat sites and locales that can beidentified during the project period, based on focal-species identified.

The three main river basins, the Kuti, Darma and Gori, that fall under the projectlandscape have also been identified and designated by BNHS and BirdlifeInternational as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in India. The IBA Criteria is A1 (for

16 Prioritization of Areas for Biodiversity Conservation of Alpine Zone in the Trans and Greater Himalaya in India,A.J.T.Johnsingh, G.S.Rawat, S.Satyakumar, P.V.Karunakaran and Jatinder Kaur in BCPP Vol II 2000


20/76

_____________________________________________________________________

20


threatened species) and A2 (Endemic Bird Area 128: Western Himalaya). The IBASite Code is IN-UT-02 (Islam, M.Z. and Rahmani, A.R. 2004). This is significant

and the project could collaborate with the Indian Bird Conservation Network tofurther assess the landscape for critically important sub-sites and build up localaction for conservation there.

2.4.2 Description

Based on existing knowledge of important local sites, the following real-time sitesand focal species are proposed for consideration.

A r e a s :

1. The Kanar basin starting up from the Sub-tropical zone near the Gori atBaram right upto Chipplakot. This includes the Daphiadhura and MajthamRF Blocks, the Tejam-Kanar Van Panchayats and towards, the alpine ridge,Civil and Soyam land. Apart from representing life-zones from Sub-tropicalto Alpine, this area is still very rich in both flora and fauna, in particularthe only (perhaps relic) populations ofCervus unicolor in the Gori basin,good populations of Serow, and the largest known winter congregations ofthe Tragopan Satyra. The Sub-tropical zone here, most surprisingly,supports a seemingly isolated population of the Assamese Macaque(Macaca assamensis) (pers comm Dr. G.S.Rawat) as well as HimalPrakriti's findings of the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hanna) in the forests ofthe area.

In addition to these values, the Gosi gadh, the main fluvial river of the

basin that flows into the Gori has by far the largest populations of all fivespecies of fish found in the area, and all year round. Temperatures, pH,and riffle-pool ratios are apparently more favourable here than in anyother river in the entire landscape. The riparian belt in the Kanar basin, aswell as the adjoining stretch of the Daphiadhura RF block that runs withinthe Sub-tropical belt along the Gori river is also extremely rich in orchidflora, and was long proposed as an Orchid Sanctuary.

2. In the Alpine and Nival zones the relatively undisturbed areas aboveJolingkong and Adi Kailash in the Kuti Yangti basin as well as the largeglacier-basin to the west of Kuti, leading up to the Nama Pass. The onlypopulations reported in India ofDuthiea nepalensis a raregrass species,

have been reported from one location above Kuti, and a few individualsnear Burfu glacier (Manoj Chandran 2005). All these are also prime areasfor the Snow Leopard, the Bharal, even the Musk deer and the Tahr. Theareas above Dawe in the Darma Yangti basin, and the areas above Shipuin the Nipchigang glacier area, as well as the Lissar Yangti. In the Goribasin, the Panchachuli, the Kwalgang and the Shallang basins are the leastdisturbed, and amongst the most biodiverse. They variously representmoist-alpine, and dry alpine biomes. Pilthi gadh and Rajrambha gadh arealso among area in the landscape of high biological significance both fortheir floral as well as faunal diversity values.


21/76

_____________________________________________________________________

21


3. It is proposed that the rivers and the immediate riparian zones that

fall within the warm-temperate and sub-tropical zones also be consideredfor designation as Biologically Significant Areas, for the fish fauna and theorchid diversity that they harbour. The value of these areas is undeniablefrom the biodiversity angle, but the feasibility from the political angleseems slim in view of the hectic pace of build-up of hydro-electric projects,and the need to build roads along the river as a consequence. Specificstudies could highlight specific stretches of high diversity and critical inter-linkages, and these sites could be prioritized for conservation and thelocations, the design and the scale of hydro-electric projects modified inthe entire river concerned, in order to mitigate harmful influences to thesespecific BSAs.

Sp e c i e s :

Among the fauna proposed as focal-species are Panthera uncia, Moschuschrysogaster, Nemorhaedus sumatraensis, Tragopan satyra and the Ophiophagushanna.

Among the floral species Sinarundinaria anceps stands out. In its entire range inthe Indian territory this species is only found in Uttaranchal. Species such as theMusk Deer, the Serow, the Satyr Tragopan and the Monal pheasant all dependcritically on this species for winter forage. Competing human use for stakingcrops of runner-beans and as fodder for livestock has greatly endangered thisspecies.

The great diversity of orchids in sub-tropical riparian belt in the Gori basin is alsoproposed for prioritization. While four species of orchids are endemic to the stateof Uttaranchal, three species are endemic to the Gori basin itself, therebyimparting very high biodiversity values to it. Several species of orchids found inthis valley have great potential to become ornamental species and havehorticultural importance e.g. Dendrobium normale, Dendrobium chrysanthum,Coelogyne cristata and Dendrobium hookerinum.

While species like Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Habenaria intermedia, Malaxiaacuminata, Satyrium nepalense etc. are highly valued medicinal plants, a numberof them like Aerides spp., Ascocentrum ampullaceum, Cymbidium species,

Kingidium taenialis, Rhynchostylis retusa,Thunia alba, and Vanda species havehorticultural potential, and could contribute towards the livelihoods of somepeople in the area. A number of species that are found in the area are rare orthreatened because of loss of habitat, and in the case of some terrestrial species,over-exploitation. The orchid populations in the valley are dwindling rapidly dueto depletion of riverine forests owing to several ill planned developmentalactivities and resultant loss of riverine forests. Local people are not aware ofconservation significance of these rare plants. Two critical sites have beenidentified and proposed for the establishment of Orchid Sanctuaries at Kaflani andDafiadhura RF blocks. However, since these two RF blocks are already within theAskot Musk Deer Sanctuary, they could be prioritized as BSAs and conservationefforts focused on specific orchid taxa in this area.


22/76

_____________________________________________________________________

22


2.4.3 Baselines

B i o lo g i ca l B e n c h m a r k s

Systematic biological studies within the landscape that can be used asBenchmarks for monitoring changes in future do not exist, and such datagathering and analysis will need to be done over time during the project andbeyond. While fairly serious listing has been done of plant species, mammal andbird species, as well as of fish, there is no data with regard to populations anddistribution dynamics, and can therefore only serve more specific purposes, thatbe treated as a Baseline.

A study of orchids in the Gori basin by J. Jalal and G.S.Rawat of WII didundertake some population estimates (unpublished) for certain species of orchidsand this could be used as a baseline for estimating changes in the sampled area.

G.S.Rawat also undertook a rapid survey of many alpine pastures (bugyal) in thebasins of the landscape, and this initial identification and rapid assessment shouldbe taken up as leads to sites to prioritize for gathering baseline data for changesin alpine meadows due to anthropogenic use.

Following write up is an extract from Rawat G.S., 2005:

Bugyals

Bugyals derived from the local word Bug or Bugi in Uttaranchal, refer to thelush green herbaceous vegetation located between the treeline and snowline.These are of immense ecological, cultural, aesthetic and economic

significance, especially for nutritious forage and high value medicinal andaromatic plants (MAPs). It is estimated that Bugyals occupy nearly 4250 sqkmare in Uttaranchal that forms about 8 % of the geographical area and 50% of the total alpine vegetation in the state.

General classification of Bugyals and associated vegetation types inUttaranchal based on altitude and aspect:

Mo i s t P a s t u r e s o f G r e a t e r

H i m a l a y a s

M a j o r T y p e s

A l t i t u d e z o n e s

N / N - W A sp e ct S/ S- E A s p ec t

D r y A l p i n e T y p e s

o f T r a n s -

H i m a l ay a

Low (4000 m) Rheummoorcroftianum(Tanturi), Saussureagraminifolia (Busbug), Sedum spp.

Dwarfkobresia,Cushionedvegetation,

Arenaria Spp.,Saxifraga spp.

Scree and deserticformations exceptin marshy and wetplaces


23/76

_____________________________________________________________________

23


B o t a n i c a l h o t s p o t s a n d s i t e s o f h i g h c o n s e r v a t i o n s i g n i f i c a n c e i n t h e A s k o t l a n d s c a p e :

S .N . N am e o f

t h e

B u g y a l

A l t i t u d e

( m )

L at i t u d e ( N ) /

L o g i t u d e ( E )

Ch a r a c t e r i s t i c f e at u r e s

1 Chhiyalekh(Byans)

3350 30 0 06 31.7 N80 0 50 04.7 E

Type locality for 2 endemicorchid viz., Herminiumkumaonensis andPonerorchis renzii;religious site, rich in floraldiversity and MAPs

2 Nampa(Byans)

3650 30 0 16 21.5 N80 0 47 56.3 E

Good population ofRheumaustrale, Onosmabracteatum, Podophyllum

hexandrum, Hippophaetibetana andJuniperusindica at one site.

3 Chhodang(Byans)

3845 30 0 80 11.2 N80 0 45 56.3 E

Fallow fields protectedfrom livestock grazingExcellent regeneration ofAtis.

4 Bedang(Darma)

3985 30 0 20 30.5 N80 0 34 02.9 E

High abundance ofPodophyllum hexandrum

(>500 individuals within 1ha patch). This could be atotally differentprovenance ofPodophyllum.

5 Barjikang(Ralam)

4776 30 0 18 04.7 N80 0 15 15.0 E

Rich in very high altitudeMAPs, 20 species ofSaxifraga (out of 32 inWH) are reported from thispass and adjacent slopesin Ralam.

6 Laspa / Sirti

(Johar)

4000 30 0 16 35.0 N

800

10

03

E

Rich in MAPs especially

Jatamansi, Mitha, Atis,Hathpanja and Laser /Gokul Dhoop

7 Kwalganga(Johar)

4200 30 0 80 11.2 N80 0 12 50 E

Best site for MAPs in JoharValley, Well protected bythe village Panchayat.


24/76

_____________________________________________________________________

24


I n d i c a t i v e B a se l i n e s

Results of Rapid Mapping Exercise (RME)

Transects were laid for quantification of MAPs in different Bugyal types andvalleys. Pooled information on the density of selected MAP species based on RMEdata analyzed so far, and random sampling general status of MAPs (availability,density and frequency) in different alpine valleys / blocks of Uttranchal isdiscussed below:

i. B y a n s : Within the trails selected for RME 16 woody (shrubby) and 25herbaceous MAPs were recorded in Byans Valley. Prominent woody MAPs wereBetula utilis, Rhododendron anthopogon, Juniperus indica, Hippophae salicifolia,and Ephedra gerardiana. , Hippophae salicifolia formed a large stand (about 25ha) among the fallow fields below Garbyang village (3250 m). among herbaceousMAPs Aconogonum tortuosum, Bistorta affinis, B. vivipara, Fritillaria roylei,Taraxacum officinale and Euphrasia himalaica had higher density and frequencywithin the RME trails. Species of high commercial importance such as Aconitumheterophyllum, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurrooa and Podophyllumhexandrum were localized in distribution and largely found in the pastures aroundKutti village. Highest density of woody MAPs were obtained for Berberis

jaeschkeana (904.47 per ha) and Rhododendron anthopogon (162 per ha).Among herbs Bistorta vivipara (9.41 per m2) and Taraxacum officinale (4.18 perm2) had high density. In terms of frequency Juinperus indica (63.6 %) andRheum australe (9.1 %) were high within the RME trails. Jeolingkong area hadlow abundance of all the MAPs except Rheum moorcroftianum.

ii. D a r m a : In Darma valley the abandoned fields and hill slopes upto 4000 m aslare largely dominated by shrubby species such as Rosa sericea, R. macrophylla,

juniperus communis, J. indica. Berberis jaeschkeana and Rhododendronanthopogon. In all, 10 woody and 15 herbaceous MAPs were recorded within RMEtrails. Among medicinal shrubs Rhododendron anthopogon (178.35 per ha), J.indica (163.48 per ha), Rosa sericea (112.53 per ha), and Hippophae tibetana(33.97 per ha) had the higher densities. Among herbaceous MAPs Rheumaustrale, Podophyllum hexandrum, Bistorta vivipara, Allium carolinianum,Taraxacum officinale, Thymus linearis and Swertia ciliate had high abundance.

Arnebia benthamii had high frequency (16.7 %) in Lissar Valley. Overallfrequency in the valley was highest in case ofJ. indica (50 %). Two localities

recommended for the MAP conservation are lower Dawe for Podophyllumhexandrum and Danga pasture in Lissar Yangti forArnebia benthamii.

iii. R a la m : Compared to Byans and Darma valleys Ralam is very moist. Thenorth facing slopes (across Ralam river) is dominated by Rhododendroncampanulatum and R. anthopogon, which support good populations of Mitha,chhipi and Rooki or Burmol. Dominanat woody MAPs within RME trails wereBerberis jaeschkeana and Juniperus indica. Within RME trails 9 species ofherbaceous MAPs were recorded, of which Taraxacum officinale, Bistorta vivipara,chaerophyllum villosum, Iris kumaonenesis and Jurinea dolomiaea had thehighest densities.Juniperus indica was most frequent (60 -100 %) towards innervalley (Kal Billan). During an earlier survey of MAPs in Ralam valley by WII FES


25/76

_____________________________________________________________________

25


it was observed that matter shrubberies (moist rocky slopes) and all tall forbs onnorth facing slope had highest density and frequency of various MAPs (Table

below). In Ralam Kutki (Picrorhiza kurrooa) was in high density in selectedhabitats followed byJurinea macrocephala. Allium stracheyi, Rheum australe, D.hatagirea and Nardostachys grandiflora had patchy and localized distribution.According to the villagers, Kal Billan is considered the best locality for overalldiversity and richness of MAPs.

iv. J o h a r : In Johar valley 13 woody and 21 herbaceous MAPs were encounteredwithin the RME trails. Highest densities were observed in case of Hippophaetibetana (1916 per ha; 20% frequency), Astragalus candolleanus (790 per ha),and Rhododendron anthopogon (446 per ha). However, H. tibetana was restrictedto terminal moraines of Burphu and Milam glaciers. Best sites for herbaceousMAPs in johar are Laspa (A. benthamii, A. heterophyllum, D. hatagirea and P.hexandrum), upper rocky slopes of Martoli (B. stracheyi, N. grandiflora and P.kurrooa), Kwal Ganga (A. heterophyllum, P. angelicoides), Tola (J. macrocephala,

A. benthamii and D. hatagirea), and Timphu roli (A. atrox, P. kurrooa and alliumstracheyi). Towards Lassar valley and Dung populations of Pleurospermumdensiflorum and P. candolleiwere higher as compared to other species.

Table: Mean Density of medicinal and aromatic plants (woody species)across various alpine sites in the landscape based on RME

S .N o . N am e B y a n s D a r m a R a la m Jo h a r

1 Artemisia gmelinii 181.82 + - 132.962 Astragalus

candolleanus24.32 + - 790.61

3 Berberisjaeshkeana

904.47 38.22 611.47 +

4 Betula utilis 200.35 29.72 ++ 35.835 Chesneya

nubigena++ + + 68.47

6 Ephedrageradiana

57.90 121.02 + 15.13

7 Hippophaesalicifolia

68.33 + - +

8 Hippophaetibetana

+ 33.97 - 1916.42

9 Juniperuscommunis

52.11 91.30 ++ 42.99

10 Juniperus indica 137.81 163.48 414.02 70.8611 Rhododendron

anthopogon162.13 178.35 ++ 446.66

12 Rhododendroncampanulatum

+ 61.57 ++ 52.55


26/76

_____________________________________________________________________

26


13 Rosa sericea 31.27 112.53 + 79.62

14 Urticahyperborean

+ - - 8.76

Total woody MAPSpecies

14 13 9 14

[density: Number of individuals per ha; + = Present in the

transects outside the RME plots, ++= Frequent in the valleyoutside the trails; - = Not seen]. High Standard Deviation

indicates patchy distribution]

Table: Mean Density of herbaceous MAPs (Plants per m2) across selectedalpine valleys in landscape:

S .N o N am e B y a n s D a r m a R a la m Jo h a r

1 Aconitumheterophyllum

+ + + +

2 Aconitumviolaceum

+ + + +

3 Aconitum atrox + - ++ +4 Aconogonum

tortunosum0.09 + - +

5 Allium stracheyii + + + +6 Allium wallichii + + 0.30 0.047 Angelica glauca - - - -8 Arnebia benthamii - 0.03 + +9 Arnebia euchroma - - - -

10 Bistorta vivpara 9.41 4.43 12.91 3.3011 Carum carvii 0.33 + + 0.0912 Chaerophyllum

villosum+ + ++ 0.43

13 Corydalisgovaniana

+ + + 0.01

14 Dactylorhizahatagirea

+ 0.02 + 0.03

15 Fritillaria roylei 0.01 + + -16 Iris kumanensis 0.47 + 3.70 +17 Jurinea dolomiaea + + 2.93 -18 Nardostachys

grandiflora

- - ++ +

19 Nomocharis nana 0.01 0.12 + -20 Origanum vulgare 0.38 + 2.93 0.0121 Parnassia nubicola 0.03 0.02 + 0.0522 Picrorhiza kurooa + ++ 0.33 0.2423 Pleurospermum

candollei+ + + 0.01

24 Pleurospermumdensiflorum

+ + + 0.23

25 Podophyllumhexandrum

+ 0.05 + +


27/76

_____________________________________________________________________

27


S .N o N am e B y a n s D a r m a R a la m Jo h a r

26 Polygonatum

verticillatum

+ + + 0.06

27 Polygonumrumicifolium

+ + + +

28 Prunella vulgaris 0.18 + + 0.2529 Rheum australe + 0.01 ++ +30 Rheum

moorcroftianum0.01 + + 0.05

31 Roscoea alpine 0.22 + + +32 Selinum

tenuifolium

+ + + +

33 Swertia ciliate 0.04 0.23 1.05 0.1034 Tanacetum

dolichophyllum

0.19 0.03 + -

35 Taraxacumofficinale

4.18 1.52 11.71 5.50

36 Thymus linearis 0.37 0.56 0.48 1.68

[+= Present in the transects outside the RME plots, ++= Frequent in

the valley outside the trails; - = Not seen].

From the above Tables following broad generalizations can be made: Among woody species mainly Juniperus indica, Rhododendron anthopogon

and Rh. Campanulatum had uniform and higher (harverstable) populationswithin certain valleys. Other shrubby species had low densities and patchy

distribution. Among the herbaceous MAPs only Bistorta vivpara, Origanum vulagre, Iris

kumaonensis, Swertia ciliate, Taraxacum officinale and Thymus linearis haduniform and sizeable populations within RME trails. Other species exhibitpatchy distribution.

Status of mammals and their habitats

i. B y a n s V a l l e y : The mammals sighted in Byans Valley within two weeks ofsurvey include Himalayan Musk deer (1), blue sheep (two groups 6, 3),Himalayan marmot (8) amd pica (frequent). In addition, occasional droppings ofred fox were also encountered en route to Jeolongkong. Beyond Jeolingkong (onway to wilsia dhura) 2 droppings of snow leopard were encountered. Local people

reported presence of goral, Himalayan tahr, serow, Himalayan black bear andcommon leopard around budi (2700 3300 m asl) and snow leopard towardsTibetan border (>4000 m asl). Till recently, byans Valley has been under heavypoaching of threatened species viz., Himalayan black bear and musk deer. Twovillages across Kali river namely, Chhangru and Tinker in Nepal and Taklakot, animportant trade centre in Shahtoosh wool, musk pod, gall bladder and bones oflarge cats. Gradually the villagers have come to know that poaching of animals isa serious offence and that Byans falls under ascot Wildlife Sanctuary. However,the fact that this valley has been brought under sanctuary is not liked by most ofthe villagers.


28/76

_____________________________________________________________________

28


Habitat conditions in heavily grazed areas are obviously not congenial for largemammals. Best localities for viewing blue sheep are around Kalapani, Nabedhang

and Jeolingkong. According to a few villagers the side valleys which meet KuttiYangti from western slopes e.g., Napalchu Nala, Rongkong, Nehal and GhankangNallas have shown indications of wildlife recovery. It was evident in one of thetrails where in a walk of about 3 kms we encounterd 4 piles of musk deer pellet.Entire stretch from Nalpachu to Sela Yangti on the west bank and interior areas ofJeolingkong have better habitat conditions. With the help of local watchers,volunteers as well as cooperation from defence personnel, Byans Valley couldregain its wildlife wealth which could be managed in the form of a conservationreserve adjacent to Askot wildlife Sanctuary.

ii. D a r m a : Wild mammals reported from the valley are goral, serow, Himalayantahr, Himalayan black bear, common langur, Himalayan yellow throated martern,common leopard and porcupine. Rarer ones are Himalayan musk deer, snowleopard and blue sheep. Livestock killing by common leopard and crop raiding byblack bear, porcupine and common langur are frequent at lower altitudes i.e.,below Sela. Towards upper end of Dhauli i.e. Dawe plains and Lissar Yangti thereare extensive pastures which support populations of blue sheep and snowleopard. We sighted one groups of blue sheep (11 nos.) near Dawe and threegroups in Lissar valley on way to Nipchikang or Ralam pass (6,11, and 3).Shepherds around Dawe and Lissar vally report that these areas are rich in bluesheep and herds often comprise 25 30 animals.

The alpine scrub and meadows around Baun, Philim, Goe and way to Bedangappear to be less degraded and have higher cover of vegetation. These slopes arereported to be important wintering areas for blue sheep and associated predator

(snow leopard). Like Byans valley, Most of the Darma also falls under AskotWildlife Sanctuary. However, in the absence of clear zonation, boundarydemarcation and intensive management inputs the level of wildlife protection isvery low in this valley. The local people showed resentment over inclusion of theirsummer villages under sanctuary. With a slight modification in the sanctuaryboundary and establishment of conservation reserve, parts of upper Darma wouldcontinue to support populations of blue sheep and snow leopard if pressure oflivestock (especially huge flocks of Gaddis) and poaching are controlled.

iii.Panch Chuli Basin: Though this basin could not be surveyed during presentexpedition, the earlier experience of the investigator and interviews with the localpeople indicate the presence of several high altitude mammals in this area e.g.,

Himalayan tahr, blue sheep, goral, serow, Himalayan musk deer, Himalayan blackbear, common langur, common leopard, wild pig, porcupine and common langur.There are no habitations in the alpine region and livestock grazing is only forshort duration i.e., early summer (May-Mid June) and autumn (October November). The shepherds do not prefer to graze in this basin during rainyseason due to limited pastures, high rainfall and rugged terrain. These factorshave been advantageous to wildlife. However, poaching especially for musk deerand black bear continues to be a big threat. The alpine ridge dividing the easternDhauli Ganga and Lower Gori watersheds extends up to Balchhi Dhura andChhiplakot. These areas fall under Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and overall status ofwildlife protection and habitat conditions are much better compared to Darmavalley and parts of Panch Chuli basin.


29/76

_____________________________________________________________________

29


iv. R a la m : The sub-alpine forests and grassy slopes on way to Ralam support

small populations of Himalayan Tahr and Goral which are difficult to see duringsummer due to human disturbances. Towards western flank of Ralam valley amassive mountain slope i.e., Hansling (contiguous with Khelanch and Sumtu ofJohar valley) is reported to have good population of Himalayan tahr. This are isnot grazed by livestock due to steep terrain. There exists equally rugged and lesstraversed valley on the east of Ralam river known as Raj Rambha which,according to the local people, have good populations of Himalayan tahr, nuskdeer, serow and pheasants. But no faunal surveys have been conducted in thisarea so far. Raj Rambha is contiguous with Panchchuli basin. The central are ofRalam i.e., between Kiltam and Ralam village being packed with migratorygraziers and livestock during summer is not used much by the wild animals.However, towards the lateral moraines near Ralam glacier, base of Suitila peakand Shibu Gwar small groups of blue sheep do occur. Entire valley lies withinRalam Van Panchayat. The local people depend heavily on the medicinal andaromatic plants for their subsistence. Poaching of black bear and musk deer wasfrequent till recently. Ralam is also hotspot for the collection of caterpillarmushroom or Yartsa Gombu (Cordyceps sinensis).

v. J o h a r : Best places to find wild mammals in Johar valley are Laspa Poting,Shallang Gwar beyond Martoli, Burphu Bhadel Gwar, Pachhu Gwar, Latu Dhura(towards Longstaff Col), Kwal Ganga and Dung. Major species include Himalayantahr and Himalayan musk deer at lower altitudes (4000 masl). Wild mammals sighted in Johar valley were Himalayan tahr (I group nearLaspa) and blue sheep (2 groups of 7 and 12 around Dung). Indirect evidences of

Himalayan musk deer, snow leopard and red fox were seen around ShallangGwar, Burphu Bhadel Gwar, Lwan and Ganghar pastures. In Shallang area theshepherds informed that there would be about 250-300 blue sheep and a coupleof snow leopard in this area.

Since part of Johar valley falls under Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and localpeople are conscious of laws pertaining to wildlife protection, the future of wildlifeconservation in some areas e.g., base of Traills pass, eastern basin of nanda Deviand Kwalgange Dung areas appears to be better. The local people, however,complained that during winter months poachers from outside sneak into Joharvalley and cause considerabl3e damage to rarer species especially musk deer. Abirch patch above Martoli village has been protected by the villagers as they have

high reverence for birch wood. This forms excellent habitat for musk deer.Unfortunately, even this patch is reported to have come under cunning eyes ofpoachers during recent years because there is no resident in the village duringNovember to April.


30/76

_____________________________________________________________________

30


Table: Wild Mammals Recorded

S .N . Eng l i s h N a m e

S c i e n t i f i c N a m e

L o c a l N am e s Ev i d e n c e & L o c a l i t y

1. CommonLangur

Semnopithecus

entellus

kholi (d), guni (g) S: Darma, Khatling

2. Him. Muskdeer

Moschuschrysogaster

fassi (m) / yala (f);d, bin (j), kasturi(g)

S: Nampa (Byans)I: Byans, Darma,Ralam, Lang Payar,Khatling

3. Sambar Cervus unicolor jarao (g) I: Kush Kalyani,Darma

4. Goral Nemorhaedusgoral

khosar (d), ghoorar(g)

S: Darma, Kedarnath

5. Serow Nemorhaedussumatraensis yakfu (d), sarao(g) I: Darma

6. Himalayantahr

Hemitragus

jemlahicus

vyuh (m)/gefu (f) d; jhalar, thar/tharin (g)

S: JoharI: Khatling

7. Bluesheep

Pseudois

nayaur

var (m) /namo (f) d barar (j, r)

S: Jeolingkong,Dawe, Dung,Topidhunga

8. *TibetanSheep

Ovis ammon nyan (ja) I (horn): Nilang

9. Wild Yak Bos grunniens dong (ja) I (local info): Nilang10. Wild pig Sus scrofa suwar (g) I: Khatling

11. *TibetanWild AssEquus kiang kiang (ja; ma) S: LapthalI (dung): Lapthal

12. HimalayanBrownBear

Ursus arctos rikh, lal bhalu (g) I (dropping & track):Gidara

13. AsiaticBlack Bear

Ursus

thibetanus

wom (d), bhalu (g) I (droppings):Kushkalyan, Khatling

14. TibetanWolf

Canis lupuschanco

chyanku (j) I (local info):Topidhunga, Lapthal

15. Red Fox Vulpes vulpes gonu (d), haji (j) S: milam, Burphu(Johar)

16. Snow

Leopard

Uncial uncial tharru (d) I: Topidhunga,

Lapthal17. Common

LeopardPanthera

parduuswah (d), kukri bag(j)

I: Khatling, GovindPV

18. Himalayanplam civet

Paguma larvata oud (j) I: Johar

19. Himalayanweasel

Mustela sibrica kokro (d) S: Satopanth, Martoli

20. H. Y-throatedmarten

Martes flavigula joganchu (d),chitraul (j)

S: Gidara

21. *Tibetanwooly

Lepus oiostolus chhans (ma) S: Lapthal, Sangchamalla


31/76

_____________________________________________________________________

31


S .N . Eng l i s h

N a m e

S c i e n t i f i c

N a m e

L o c a l N am e s Ev i d e n c e & L o c a l i t y

hare22. Pika Ochotona roylei rongzo (d), gulli

mus (r, j)S: All valleys exceptLapthal and Nilang

23. HimalayanMarmot

Marmotahimalayana

fea (b, d, j) S: Lipulekh,Jeolingkong,Topidhunga

24. MountainVole

Alticolaargentatus

dhur mus (j) S: Ralam, Johar, Niti

25. Lesser bat Hipposiderossp?

baipya (d) S: Sipu

[(S = Sighted, I = Indirect Evidences and Local Information alongthe survey route. Local Name: B = Byans, D = Darma, J = Johar, Ja

= Jad, Ma = Malari; G = General (Garhwali and Kumaoni). M = Male,F = Female.]

*Being reported for the first time from Uttaranchal


32/76

_____________________________________________________________________

32


CHAPTER 3: SOCIAL & LIVELIHOOD ASSESSMENT

3.1 C o n t e x t

Demographics:

A total of 68,93917 humans inhabit the Askot Project Landscape. They live in14,010 households spread over 129 inhabited Revenue Villages. The averagef

askot landscape indicative plan (chapter 1 - 4)[1]

Documents