Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Ecology of alpine arid pastures with special reference to livestock grazing in upper Dhauli valley of Nanda Devi biosphere reserve Western Himalaya

Auteur : Mitra, Monideepa

Université de soutenance : FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE (DEEMED) UNIVERSITY

Grade : Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Forestry 2018

Sommaire partiel
Pastoral practices have been in existence in the alpine region of the Himalaya since millennia. The region is characterized by the presence of diverse pastoral practices such as sedentary, nuclear trans-humane, semi-nomadic, and nomadic pastoralism. These practices have strongly influenced the vegetation and ecology of the alpine rangelands, including local biodiversity. The region is broadly divisible into two distinct eco-climatic zones, viz., a moist alpine zone of Greater Himalaya and cold arid zone of Trans-Himalaya. These zones differ considerably in terms of physiognomy, species composition, history of livestock grazing and their ability to withstand grazing pressure. Although, several workers have studied the response of livestock grazing in the alpine zone of Greater Himalaya, very few studies have been conducted in the cold arid regions of Western Himalaya. Some of the pertinent questions that remain to be answered include (i) what are the spatio-temporal patterns of herding by the migratory pastoral groups in the alpine area, (ii) how do the floristic composition and biomass availability of the alpine pastures vary and how do wild animals and domestic livestock share the habitat ? has been addressed in the present study. The objectives of the study were (i) To study the patterns of livestock grazing in the study area, (ii) To assess resource use by livestock, (iii) To assess the pasture quality (floristic) and quantity (biomass) in the study area, and (iv) to assess overlap in resource use between wild ungulates and livestock. The study was conducted in Upper Dhauli valley, situated in the cold arid region of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (hereafter NDBR ; 30º 08’-31º 02’N, 79º 12’- 80º 19’E) in Uttarakhand. This area is located in the rain-shadow zone of NDBR. Upper reaches of the valley remain snowbound for more than six months in a year. Summer is very short and generally lasts from June to August. The study area receives a low amount of precipitation and remains dry and dusty above 3,200 m above mean sea level (msl). The average elevation of the study area ranges between 3,500–5,000 m above msl and is spread over ca. 727.7 km2 area. The valley is named after the river Dhauli Ganga that forms one of the major tributaries of river Alaknanda. The valley is inhabited by Bhotiyas, an Indo-Mongoloid community who are primarily agro-pastoral in their profession. The vegetation of the study area is characterized by dry alpine scrub, alpine desert steppe, riverine scrub, and sedge meadows. The valley is comprised of three sub-watersheds : Amrit Ganga, Ganesh Ganga, and Satyagad.

Mots clés : Forest ecology Forestry Life Sciences Livestock grazing Plant and Animal Science

Présentation et version intégrale (Shodhganga)