STUDIES ON DIVERSITY, DISTRIBUTION AND CHANGE PATTERN OF ENDEMIC, THREATENED AND HIGH-VALUE MEDICINAL PLANTS IN ALPINE REGION OF NORTHWESTERN HIMALAYA.

The Himalayan Mountain system, renowned for its biodiversity and endemism, houses fragile alpine ecosystems that are critical reservoirs of endemic, threatened, and high-value medicinal plant species. My Ph.D. research focuses on the alpine zone of the Northwestern Himalaya, particularly Uttarakhand's Kumaun region, which constitutes 33% of the Himalayan geography. This zone, delineated by the treeline at ~3300±200 m altitude, features diverse vegetation such as krummholz, meadows, and moss-covered fell-fields. These ecosystems face significant threats from anthropogenic activities like unregulated grazing, land-use changes, unsustainable harvesting, and climate change, with over 5% of medicinal plants at risk.

The study aims to investigate the diversity, distribution, and temporal changes in alpine flora, especially endemic, threatened, and medicinal plants. Key objectives include documenting these plants, mapping their current and future potential habitats under climate change scenarios, and assessing environmental changes. Utilizing herbarium records, historical vegetation data, and field surveys, the research employs ensemble species distribution modeling (eSDM) and standard phytosociological methods to analyze vegetation patterns and drivers of change.

Fieldwork has been conducted across three sites: Pindari-Sunderdhunga-Kafni glaciers, Johar Valley, and Byans Valley. This long-term comparative approach will enhance understanding of the impact of environmental and anthropogenic pressures, providing critical insights for conservation planning in the fragile alpine ecosystems of the Northwestern Himalaya.