A study was undertaken in the Kothi watershed of Himachal Pradesh with a view to understand the patterns in vegetation distribution and impact of livestock grazing in the mountain ecosystems of the higher Himalaya. The study results in the documentation of 243 species of vascular plants distributed over 57 families and 160 genera.
In the food web, herbivores are established to play an important role in maintaining the ecological health of an ecosystem by consuming a sizeable quantity of available vegetation. With the evolution of biodiversity conservation theory, grazing and browsing of herbivores has been generally treated as an unsustainable practice for long-term conservation of wild flora.
The indigenous knowledge of Vaidyas (the traditional healers) on the making the herbal drugs was studied in the Uttaranchal state of India. Interview and semi-structured questionnaire surveys were conducted among 60 traditional Vaidyas on the preparation of various herbal drugs. The survey has resulted in compilation of 135 herbal drugs, which are used by them for curing 55 types of ailments.
