Tree Regeneration Status of Sacred and Protected Landscapes in Garhwal Himalaya, India

Abstract

Global and national recognition of Garhwal Himalaya as sacred and protected land has not spurred conservationists to investigate these sacred and protected forests and recognize their importance at large scales. Little is known about the role of sacred conserved forests in influencing the regeneration of species in Garhwal Himalaya. In the present study we investigated the regeneration status of tree species in five sacred and protected forests of Garhwal Himalaya. Seedling and sapling density was used as an indicator of regeneration status of present species. A total of 47 species of trees were recorded from five sacred and protected forests, among which only 7 species showed either good or fair regeneration in all the five sites, whereas a majority (17 species) showed either poor or no regeneration. The dominant species were Quercus spp., Rhododendron arboreum, Myrica esculenta, and Lyonia ovalifolia. Sapling density ranged from 8.84 to 15.2 saplings/100 m² and seedling density ranged from 11.36 to 18.74 seedlings/100 m² in different study sites. Our study showed the regeneration status of lesser (auxiliary) species in the forests was low as compared to dominant ones. Girth class distribution of individuals showed a reverse J-shaped curve for all the species at all the sites.

Keywords:

• Garhwal Himalaya
• regeneration
• sacred forests
• sapling
• dominant

Acknowledgments

The first author is thankful to the University Grants Commission New Delhi for providing fellowship, Research Fellowship in Science for Meritorious Students. The authors are also thankful to the local inhabiting population, the Forest department for their help during fieldwork, and to reviewers for their valuable suggestions and comments for improving the quality of the manuscript.