Pangi valley in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh is one of the remote tribal areas in Indian western Himalaya. The plant resources in its landscapes are flourishing under least anthropogenic conditions. For social upliftment of the tribals in this area, a number of developmental activities are being implemented by the government. A study was conducted for mapping of its landuse/landcover using satellite remote sensing to identify major forested landscapes in the region. It was followed by a detailed random stratified sampling of the forested landscapes for phytosociological estimation of its tree species. The 21.97 % of study area was estimated under forests followed by Scrublands and Grassy meadows (18.24 %). Majority of area (54.05 %) was Snow and Scree slopes. Among the forests, maximum area was occupied by Mixed Broad Leaved Forest LSE type (36.08%) followed by Cedrus deodara (26.94%) and Betula utilis (18.07%) forest LSE types. These species, owing to immense medicinal properties and value for their economic utilization, feature in threatened and endangered category list of plants. It is, therefore, recommended that the developmental activities may be implemented in scientific way, which may not pose threat to bioresources in this region

Amit CHAWLA

Amit KUMAR

Brij LAL

Rajesh KAUSHAL

Subramani RAJKUMAR

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  ISSN: 2067-533XINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSERVATION SCIENCE Volume 4, Issue 4, October-December 2013: 503-508     www. ijcs. uaic. ro   LANDSCAPE MAPPING AND TREE DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT OF PANGI VALLEY: A REMOTE TRIBAL AREA OF HIMACHAL PRADESH IN WESTERN HIMALAYA, INDIA   Amit KUMAR1*, Brij LAL1, Subramani RAJKUMAR2, Amit CHAWLA1, Rajesh KAUSHAL3  1 CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, India 2 National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, New Delhi, India 3 Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute, Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India   Abstract   Pangi valley in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh is one of the remote tribal areas in Indian western Himalaya. The plant resources in its landscapes are flourishing under least anthropogenic conditions. For social upliftment of the tribals in this area, a number of developmental activities are being implemented by the government. A study was conducted for mapping of its landuse/landcover using satellite remote sensing to identify major forested landscapes in the region. It was followed by a detailed random stratified sampling of the forested landscapes for phytosociological estimation of its tree species. The 21.97 % of study area was estimated under forests followed by Scrublands and Grassy meadows (18.24 %). Majority of area (54.05 %) was Snow and Scree slopes. Among the forests, maximum area was occupied by Mixed Broad Leaved Forest LSE type (36.08%) followed by Cedrus deodara (26.94%) and Betula utilis (18.07%) forest LSE types. These species, owing to immense medicinal properties and value for their economic utilization, feature in threatened and endangered category list of plants. It is, therefore, recommended that the developmental activities may be implemented in scientific way, which may not pose threat to bioresources in this region.  Keywords: Remote sensing; GIS; quadrat; frequency; density; conservation    Introduction  Pangi valley in Chamba district of western Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh (H.P.), India, is one of the remote tribal areas [1]. It represents temperate climate with harsh weather conditions during winter. It is a difficult terrain and located in the agro-climatic zone-IV of the state Himachal Pradesh [2]. The least anthropogenic disturbances due to its unique location provide opportunity to conserve and maintain flora of the region [1]. Efforts are being made in recent years for social upliftment of the people in this region and thus many developmental plans are being implemented to connect this region with the other areas of the state. The construction of a road from Chamba to Pangi via Saach pass is one of such examples [3], which was earlier accessible only through Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts of H.P. This new road will link Pangi to its district headquarters and it may also provide another route to Leh via  Chamba. These developments are good for the welfare of local people, but it has brought drastic change in their life styles and also in the land use utilization pattern of the region [1, 4]. Now, the                                                  * Corresponding author: amitkr@ihbt.res.in A. KUMAR et al.    INT J CONSERV SCI 4, 4, OCT-DEC 2013: 503-508  504 people are more inclined towards cultivation of cash crops viz., peas, apple, kuth, which require more land holdings and it may pose threat to the local forest resources. In this situation, understanding of distribution, quantity and current status of available plant resources in the region becomes imperative [5]. Keeping in view these issues, present study has been undertaken to identify major forested landscape elements types (LSE types) of the region using satellite remote sensing. It was followed by random stratified sampling of these landscapes to understand its tree diversity and to estimate tree species richness.  Study Area The study area (Fig. 1) lies between 32º 12’ 41” to 32º 47’ 59” N latitude and 76º 13’ 56” to 76º 47’ 48” E longitude. The elevation ranges from 2006 to 6168m amsl (average elevation 4008 m). The geographical area of Pangi valley is 1,52,371.04ha and Killar is its administrative head quarters. It lies in the semi-arid zone of inner Himalaya and thus witnesses severe winters and heavy snowfall. It is located in upper part of Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh between Pir Panjal and Zanskar ranges of western Himalaya. It is bounded by Jammu & Kashmir in the north, Lahaul & Spiti in southeast, and Chamba in southwest. The region is drained by Chenab river, which is also known as Chandrabhaga.   Fig. 1. Map of study area   Materials and Methods  The IRS 1D LISS III satellite image (Path 094, Row 047) acquired on October 6, 2004 has been used in the present study (Fig 2A). The topographic sheets (Ids 52 C/8, 52 C/12, 52 D/5, 52 D/9 and 52 D/13) on 1:50,000 scale from Survey of India (SOI), Dehradun were used for geo-referencing of the satellite image. Erdas Imagine 8.6 software was used for image processing [6] of the satellite data, while map composition was done in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment using ArcGIS 9.3 [7]. A reconnaissance survey of the study area was carried out during year 2001-2006 in order to understand landuse/landcover pattern prevailing in the region and to collect training sets thereof using a GPS handset [8]. The satellite image of the study area was geometrically corrected in reference to SOI toposheets.  The image-to-map registration with 2nd degree of polynomial transformation resulted in root mean square error of less than one pixel. The image of the study area was extracted from satellite data by overlaying administrative boundary of Pangi area over the geo-referenced image by clipping operation [9]. The unsupervised classification using ISODATA algorithm followed by supervised classification using training sets [8] produced a landuse/landcover map of the study area. The map thus produced was verified in the field by ground truthing [10].             LANDSCAPE MAPPING AND TREE DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT OF PANGI VALLEY IN INDIA   http://www.ijcs.uaic.ro  505   Fig. 2. IRS 1D LISS III image (A) and Landuse/landcover map of the study area (B)  The resulted map categorized the study area in various landuse/landcover classes (forest, agriculture, scrubland, grassy meadows, scree slopes, habitations, and water bodies) and various forested LSE types (Mixed Broad Leaved Forest, Cedrus deodara,  Betula utilis,  Pinus wallichiana, Corylus jacquemontii and  Pinus gerardiana), which would be referred by the dominant species henceforth. The random stratified sampling was carried out in above derived LSE types using quadrat method [11] to study the tree diversity in each LSE-type. A total of 33 quadrats of 10m x10m size were randomly laid at different sites representing all LSE types. The inventories of trees falling in each quadrat were made and their populations were observed to derive their frequency and density [12]. The frequency and density of tree communities were calculated using the following formulae:  Frequency (%) =  Number of quadrats in which tree species were encountered    (1)                                                                     Total no. of quadrats  Density (individual/100m2) =  Total number of tree species in all quadrats         (2)                                                                Total no. of quadrats  Results and Discussion  The results of the present study showed that 21.97 % of study area is under the forests (Fig 2B). This is followed by Scrubland and Grassy meadows (18.24 %). Most of the area (54.05 %) is occupied by Snow and Scree slopes. Rest 5.74 % of the land is occupied by agriculture, habitations and water bodies. Among the forests, maximum area is occupied by Mixed Broad Leaved Forest (36.08%) followed by C. deodara (26.94%), B. utilis (18.07%), P. wallichiana (11.26%), C. jacquemontii (7.30 %) and P. gerardiana (0.35%) LSE types.  It was observed that the north-western region of Pangi is dominated by Mixed Broad Leaved Forests. The forests near Pontu, Killar, Sansari, Perigran and Lujj localities have having dominance of coniferous species like C. deodara, P. wallichiana and P. gerardiana while those around Pindru, Sacch and Khilmi, are dominated by species like C. jacquemontii,  Celtis australis, and Acer negundo. The P. gerardiana communities were observed to be mixed with A. KUMAR et al.    INT J CONSERV SCI 4, 4, OCT-DEC 2013: 503-508  506 species like C. australis and Pyrus pashia near Lujj locality. The forests in the southern region of the valley near Kulal, Purthi and Shor localities are dominated by C. deodara tree species (Fig. 3A). Sural valley in the north; Cheni nala, Banthalwal nala and Kulna nala in the west; Papitha nala in the east, and north facing slopes of Salchu nala near Dodon in the southeast have large continuous patches of B. utilis (Fig. 3B) and also represent tree lines. The eastern region of the Pangi valley near Dodon, Sunari and Salchu is occupied by P. wallichiana dominated LSE types. The C. jacquemontii LSE type was found to be distributed all along the Chenab river mixed with other species like Acer  sp.,  Aesculus indica,  Juglans regia and Cedrus deodara.     Fig. 3. Cedrus deodara LSE types (A) and Betula utelis LSE types (B)  The Mixed Broad Leaved Forests were found to be composed of C. jacquemontii,          C. australis, Aesculus indica, P. wallichiana, Juglans regia, C. deodara and A. negundo (Table 1).  Table 1. Population status of forested LSE types in Pangi valley   LSE Type  Plant Name  Frequency (%)  Density (Individuals/100m2) Mixed Broad Leaved  Corylus jacquemontii  100.00 2.14   Celtis australis   100.00 1.50  Aesculus  indica  66.67 0.67  Pinus  wallichiana    25.00 0.50  Acer  negundo 28.57 0.29   Juglans regia   33.33 0.33  Cedrus  deodara  25.00 0.25 Cedrus deodara  Cedrus deodara  100.00 6.83   Pinus wallichiana  66.67 1.33 Betula utilis  Betula utilis   100.00 8.00  Corylus  jacquemontii  33.33 0.33 Pinus wallichiana  Pinus wallichiana  100.00 2.00  Euonymus  fimbriatus  100.00 1.00  Lonicera  quinquelocularis  100.00 1.00  Cedrus  deodara  33.33 0.33   Celtis australis   33.33 0.33  Crataegus  oxyacantha  33.33 0.33 Corylus jacquemontii  Corylus jacquemontii  100.00 7.20   Cedrus deodara   100.00 3.00   Juglans regia   50.00 2.25  Aesculus  indica  33.33 0.33  Acer  negundo 28.57 0.29 Pinus gerardiana   Pinus gerardiana   100.00 4.67   Celtis australis   66.67 1.00   Pyrus pashia  33.33 0.67           LANDSCAPE MAPPING AND TREE DIVERSITY ASSESSMENT OF PANGI VALLEY IN INDIA   http://www.ijcs.uaic.ro  507 Among these, the density of occurrence of C. jacquemontii trees was highest (2.14/100m2). It was lowest in case of C. deodara (0.25/100m2) forests. The C. deodara LSE types consisted of 6.83/100m2 individuals of C. deodara and 1.33/100m2 of  P. wallichiana with 66.67% frequency. The  B. utilis LSE type consisted of 2.14/100m2 of B. utilis followed by 0.33/100m2 density of C. jacquemontii. The P. wallichiana LSE is composed of P. wallichiana (2.00/100m2), Lonicera quinquelocularis (1.00/100m2), Euonymus fimbriatus (1.00/100m2), C. deodara (0.33/100m2), C. australis (0.33/100m2) and Crataegus oxyacantha (0.33/100m2). The C. jacquemontii LSE consists of C. jacquemontii (7.20/100m2),  C. deodara (3.00/100m2), Juglans regia (2.25/100m2),  A. indica (0.33/100m2) and A. negundo (0.29/100m2). The P. gerardiana LSE consist of P. gerardiana (4.67/100m2), C. australis (1.00/100m2) and P. pashia (0.67/100m2). In this study the distribution of tree species and their population status in a hitherto unexplored area is presented. The P. gerardiana is listed as a rare species [13]; C. jacquemontii and J. regia are identified as endemic taxa [14] and B. utilis is recognised as endangered species in the region [13]. The region serves as niche for P. gerardiana and C. jacquemontii, and presence of large uniform landscapes of B. utilis is also of a great significance.  The C. deodara is state tree of H. P. The wood of C. deodara is good for furniture and also yields cedar oil. The bark of B. utilis is useful in convulsion, bronchitis and disease of blood and the needle of P. wallichiana has antibacterial properties [15].   Conclusions  It was concluded that the various LSE types recorded and sampled in the Pangi valley are composed of important tree species of western Himalayan region which have medicinal properties and valued for their economic utilization.  The area is least explored and has largely been free from large scale anthropogenic disturbances, hence requires estimation of the baseline information on forest resources through modern techniques. The present study is an effort in this direction to document the extent of occurrence of tree communities of the region and their population status. It was observed that these important bioresources of the region are at risk and need scientific interventions for their conservation. Although the development of this area is necessary for the betterment of local people, yet it is recommended that it may be undertaken in a sustainable manner with a prior knowledge of existing conditions, in order to conserve the bioresources of this region.  Acknowledgements  We dedicate this manuscript to Late Dr. H. R. Negi, who had initiated this work. Authors are thankful to Dr. P. S. Ahuja, Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur for his support. Thanks are also due to staff members of Biodiversity division (CSIR-IHBT) for their help. We acknowledge Council of Scientific & Industrial Research for providing financial support. This is IHBT communication number 3413.  References  [1]  M. Chaudhary, Exploring Pangi Himalaya: A World Beyond Civilization, Indus Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1998  [2]  HPKV,  Map on Agroclimatic Zones of H.P. Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (HPKV), Palampur, India, 2000. [3]  http://123himachal.com [4]  M.S. Jaglan, B.R. Thakur, Ecology of changing cropping pattern in Bharmaur tribal area of Himachal Pradesh, Bulletin of the National Institute of Ecology, 15, 2005, pp. 25-34. A. KUMAR et al.    INT J CONSERV SCI 4, 4, OCT-DEC 2013: 503-508  508 [5]  A. Kumar,  A. Chawla, S. Rajkumar,  Characterization of Solang valley watershed in western Himalaya for bio-resource conservation using remote sensing techniques, Environment Monitoring Assessment, 2011, pp. 469-478. 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Nayar, Hotspots of Endemic Plants of India, Nepal and Bhutan, Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Thiruvanthapuram, India, 1996. [15]  * * *, Biodiversity characterization at landscape levels in western Himalays India using satellite remote sensing and geographic information system, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Department of Space, India, 2002.   Received: April, 11, 2013 Accepted: November, 18, 2013         

Landscape Mapping and Tree Diversity Assessment of Pangi Valley: A Remote Tribal Area of Himachal Pradesh in Western Himalaya, India

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