Forest vegetation response to anthropogenic pressures: a case study from Askot Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Himalaya

• Published in: Environment, development and sustainability development and sustainability, 2024-04, Vol.26 (4), p.10003-10027
• Main Authors: Bisht, Soni, Rawat, G. S., Bargali, Surendra Singh, Rawat, Y. S., Mehta, Abhinav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: altitude; Anthropogenic factors; case studies; Composition; conservation areas; Dominant species; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological studies; Ecology; Economic Geology; Economic Growth; Ecosystem services; Ecosystems; Environment; Environmental aspects; Environmental Economics; Environmental factors; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Forest communities; Forests; High altitude; Himalayan region; Human influences; Land cover; Land use; land use and land cover maps; Macaranga; Millennium; phytosociology; Plant species; Population structure; Quercus leucotrichophora; Quercus pubescens; Quercus semecarpifolia; Regeneration; Species composition; species diversity; Sustainable Development; Temperate forests; trees; Vegetation; Wildlife; Wildlife refuges; Wildlife sanctuaries
• ISSN: 1573-2975; 1387-585X; 1573-2975
• DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03130-2

Temperate broadleaf forests in the Western Himalaya support a large number of local agro-pastoral communities and provide numerous ecosystem services. Several authors have raised serious concerns about the sustainability of current extractive pressures in these forests. We conducted a detailed ecological study on different forests in Askot Wildlife Sanctuary area to assess their current status in terms of species composition and regeneration of dominant tree species. We quantified structure and composition, population structure and regeneration pattern in six major forest types and compared the findings of a previous study conducted by other authors in the same area about 20 years ago. A total of 180 plots in 18 sites were sampled following the standard phytosociological methods. Canonical component analysis was used to predict the impact of environmental factors on forest communities, and land use land cover changes detected influence of ongoing anthropogenic pressures in the area. The study revealed that extractive pressures in the study area have increased since then, which resulted in the decline of the forested area. However, there has been an expansion of Macaranga pustulata, Quercus leucotrichophora and Quercus lanuginosa since the year 2000 and there is a decline in the regeneration of Quercus semecarpifolia. Considering the significance of high-altitude forests and the ecological sensitivity of Q. semecarpifolia , it is recommended to initiate urgent conservation measures in the region.