Tariq Habib

Biodiversity hotspot mapping and documenting vegetation-environment interactions are crucial for effective conservation and management efforts. Spatial patterns of vegetation diversity help in identifying priority areas. The western Himalayan forests of District Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, harbour rich plant diversity, but limited knowledge of their influencing factors and unidentified priority areas are the major constraints. To fill this knowledge gap, field sampling was conducted from January 2018 to December 2020, with a total of 60 randomly selected sampling sites (540 plots) along the elevation gradient to collect vegetation and environmental data. Multivariate statistical tools were employed to analyse the data. The results depicted that the study area has 382 plant species which belong to five significantly different (p < 0.05) plant associations, each having unique species composition. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) results depicted that elevation, annual precipitation, latitude value, available potassium, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), and longitude value (in order) were the most influential drivers (p < 0.05) of the vegetation differences. Anthropogenic disturbances like deforestation and grazing pressure were recorded as important factors as well. Shannon’s diversity mapping suggests that the central parts of the study area, including the Rangla, Thub, Mallot, Banni Passari, and Jaglari areas, as well as the Lasdana area in the east, were the most diverse (H' > 3) and are key hotspot candidates for conserving local diversity and improving management in the region. This study recorded some non-native plant species, including Sisyrinchium micranthum and Mazus caducifer, for the first time in Pakistan. These invasive species were found to be successfully naturalising; therefore, continuous monitoring of their competitive abilities compared to native flora is necessary.

Tariq Habib, Nudia Qadeer, Karamit Hussain, Shakeel Sabir, Ansar Mehmood, Muhammad Shakeel Awan and Taskeen Iqbal. J Ecol Environ 2024;48:. https://doi.org/10.5141/jee.24.053

Chilgoza pine is an economically and ecologically important evergreen coniferous tree species of the dry and rocky temperate zone, and a native of south Asia. This species is rated as near threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This study hypothesized that climatic, soil and topographic variations strongly influence the distribution pattern and potential habitat suitability prediction of Chilgoza pine. Accordingly, this study was aimed to document the potential habitat suitability variations of Chilgoza pine under varying environmental scenarios by using 37 different environmental variables. The maximum entropy (MaxEnt) algorithm in MaxEnt software was used to forecast the potential habitat suitability under current and future (i.e., 2050s and 2070s) climate change scenarios (i.e., Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs): 245 and 585). A total of 238 species occurrence records were collected from Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, and employed to build the predictive distribution model. The results showed that normalized difference vegetation index, mean temperature of coldest quarter, isothermality, precipitation of driest month and volumetric fraction of the coarse soil fragments (>2 mm) were the leading predictors of species presence prediction. High accuracy values (>0.9) of predicted distribution models were recorded, and remarkable shrinkage of potentially suitable habitat of Chilgoza pine was followed by Afghanistan, India and China. The estimated extent of occurrence (EOO) of the species was about 84,938 km², and the area of occupancy (AOO) was about 888 km², with 54 major sub-populations. This study concluded that, as the total predicted suitable habitat under current climate scenario (138,782 km²) is reasonably higher than the existing EOO, this might represent a case of continuous range contraction. Hence, the outcomes of this research can be used to build the future conservation and management plans accordingly for this economically valuable species in the region.

Biological invasion has been considered one of the most important mechanisms of global change, posing serious threats to the conservation of native ecosystems world-wide. The present study was conducted in the sub-tropical vegetation stands in the suburban areas of Muzaffarabad city to study the diversity and distribution of invasive alien species (IAS) of plants and assess the factors responsible for their spread. A total of 9 sites, including 2 in the city and 7 in suburban areas, were sampled using random quadrate methods. The sampled flora were classified according to the phytogeographic origin and invasion status, whereas the phytosocioogoical attributes of plant communites were also calculated following standard protocols. A total of 121 plant species represented by 108 genera belonging to 58 families was recorded from the study area. Results revealed that 35.6% flora comprised of 43 species were recorded as IAS. The IAS dominating the area included Parthenium hysterophorus, Lantana camara, Xanthium strumarium, Ailanthus aItissima, Cannabis sativa, Broussonetia papyrifera, Arundo donax and Sorghum halepense. Analysis of the Invasion status revealed that invasive aliens had a weight of 46% followed by naturalized aliens and casual aliens, respectively. The dominance of invasive species resulted in decreased species diversity at the disturbed sites. Landslides and road construction were identified as factors promoting the establishment and spread of invasive species in the area. Principal component analysis revealed significant correlation of edaphic disturbances with the abundance of IAS. An integrated management system is recommended for early detection and control of IAS. University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Department of Botany, City Campus, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 13100 Muzaffarabad, Pakistan

The remoteness of the Qazi Nag Range in the western Himalayas has resulted in complete dependence of local people on woody plants for socioeconomic development. The present study aimed to evaluate utilization of woody plants in the Kashmir region. Information was collected through questionnaires and interviews during field surveys. A total of 40 tree species belonging to 29 genera and 18 families were recorded, being used locally as fence and fuel, hedging, thatching, roofing, construction, decoration, furniture, and agricultural tool making. The predominant plant families included Pinaceae and Moraceae, with five species each, followed by Fagaceae and Salicaceae, represented by four species each. Twenty-seven species were used as fence, 25 as fuel in the study area, and 14 species were used for agricultural tool formation, fodder, and fruit production. Nine species were used for furniture, eight tree species were recorded with medicinal values, and only four species were used in construction as structure wood. Cedrus deodara, Taxus wallichiana, Juglans regia, Pinus wallichiana, Celtis eriocarpa, and Betula utilis had multiple uses, being widely used in manufacturing furniture, decoration pieces, and tool handles; in construction; and as fuel, fence, and medicines. J. regia and C. deodara were also used to create artistic decorative masterpieces. Local inhabitants used T. wallichiana, Aesculus indica, J. regia, C. deodara, P. wallichiana, and Quercus species for cooking and heating homes during the winter season.

The folklore of 43 species of ‘medicinal plants’ belonging to 27 families was recorded form Leepa Valley, Muzaffarabad. Out of 43 medicinal plants, 4 gymnosperms, 38 angiosperms and 01 fern species were used against different diseases. The major problems cured by ‘medicinal plants’ were digestive problems (24 spp), dermal system problems (13 sp), hepatic problems (11 spp) and respiratory problems (7 spp). Further, 4 species were used as spices and vegetables and six species recorded have biological activities; whereas joint problems and cardiac problems were treated by 3 species each. Most of the medicinal plants were uprooted by the inhabitants for selling or for local use. The results also indicated that among the recorded species, 44% were used as ‘medicinal food plant’, 23% as ‘medicinal gathered food plant’ and ‘orally administrated medicinal plant’ were 32.56%. The utility of these plants for different purposes posses a great threat to the plant resourses in the area. Huge quantities of MPs were lost every year owing to lack of proper collection, over exploitation and deforestation. Key words: Medicinal plants, folk uses, over exploitation, local residents, cure.