Thanks a lot, Chadwell ji. On 14 April 2017 at 01:23, [email protected] < [email protected]> wrote:
> Sorry but Trollius acaulis is NOT a 'threatened' species in India. The > ONLY way to discover the status of any species is for EXTENSIVE > surveys of the typical habitat to have taken place, e.g. in Kashmir this > is the alpine meadows @ 3000-3900m. Probably similar ecological > preferences in Himachal Pradesh. I KNOW that such surveys in these states > HAVE NOT taken place..... > > Such surveys require large numbers of skilled field botanists who can > recognise Trollius acaulis at ALL stages of its development including > without flowers and at the fruiting stage. The area where T.acaulis is > found is VAST. Very little field-work has taken place in said districts > since > then 1930s. Very few Indian botanists possess the necessary field skills > to assess the abundance or not of this species. > > In such circumstances it is IMPOSSIBLE to assess its rarity or abundance. > This, of course, applies to ALL species. Nobody actually knows which > species are > rare or not and under threat or not, OVERALL in the North-West Himalaya. > > Dr R Stewart travelled in Kashmir and studied the herbarium specimens from > this region. I undertook FAR more extensive travels in such areas where > T.acaulis is found in Kashmir in the 1980s and Himachal Pradesh in the > 1980s and into the 2000s than any Indian botanist. I have checked the > records of other Westerners who visited H.P. during this period. Due to > the difficulties in Indian-controlled Kashmir, I was not able to visit for > a 20+ year period. I support Stewart's assessment that Trollius acaulis > was and REMAINS common on alpine meadows in Kashmir. All those interested > in plants who came Kashmir prior to the start of the difficulties which > impacted upon visits by foreigners, reported seeing T.acaulis. I note that > 'Flowers of Gulmarg' (Naqshi, Singh & Koul) state that it was common on > Khillenmarg.... and that was despite being exposed to extreme grazing > pressure..... > > Flora of Lahaul-Spiti records T.acaulis as 'Frequent' in glacial meadows > on Rohtang Pass (which incidentally is NOT in Lahaul-Spiti i.e the > south-facing side of the pass, which is in the upper Kulu Valley). Within > Lahaul-Spiti proper this species would be uncommon to rare, as is not > suited to more arid conditions. It is uncommon to rare in Ladakh. I have > not seen it growing there. Dickore & Klimes record it from Ladakh but > presumably, it is restricted to locations close on the border with Kashmir, > which have a higher rainfall. > > *There is nothing to suggest its typical habitat in Kashmir and H.P. has > been unduly threatened in recent decades (such places have experienced > grazing pressure for centuries) or even recent years - it is no doubt some > years (if not decades) since this incorrect assessment was made. In fact > in areas close to the Indian border with Pakistan, it is likely that > grazing **and other pressures may have even been REDUCED in habitats > where T.acaulis is found....* > > > *It is entirely possible that T.acaulis is an uncommon, even rare species > in Uttarakhand. I have only visited there once, never made it up to > suitable* > *habitat for this species and have little information on the flora of the > region, so am not in a position to judge. This species is listed in the > 'The Valley of Flowers' book, found in the Bhyundar Valley & Neighbourhood > in 1937. According to what references I have, T.acaulis extends from > Pakistan to W.Nepal; in West Nepal the limited number of records give an > altitudinal range of 3600-3700m.* > > *It is NORMAL for species to have a geographic, climatic and altitudinal > range. Near the extremes of said ranges, a plant that may well be common > or even **abundant within its typical range, becomes, uncommon, then > rare; at a certain point it cannot survive and thus DIES OUT. To judge an > assessment on the occurrence of a species at the extreme of its range is > meaningless over-all, as this is what occurs with a majority of ALL species > in the world.* > > *Unfortunately, the incorrect assessment of 'Endangered' is accepted > nationally (and Internationally) and repeated, over again....* > > *The assessment is NOT based upon actual field experience in the NW > Himalaya.....* > > > On Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 7:35:46 AM UTC, D.S Rawat wrote: > >> *Trollius acaulis* Lindl. is a rare species in Uttarakhand Himalaya. It >> is also listed as threatened species in India. >> >> Dr D.S.Rawat >> Department of Biological Sciences, G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & >> Technology Pantnagar-263 145 Uttarakhand, INDIA >> >> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "efloraofindia" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/indiantreepix. > > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- With regards, J.M.Garg 'Creating awareness of Indian Flora & Fauna' <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1> Winner of Wipro-NFS Sparrow Awards 2014 for efloraofindia <https://sites.google.com/site/efloraofindia/award-for-efloraofindia>. 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