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Bio-diversity in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh

By the Department of Forests, Government of Jammu and Kashmir

Bio-diversity in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh: An Introduction

Bio-diversity in Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh

By the Department of Forests, Government of Jammu and Kashmir

The diversity exhibited by various life forms is mind-boggling. Hindu Mythology refers to eighty-four lakh Yonis, through which evolutionary process progresses before a human being is born on the planet. Basically this is the reflection of various life forms, which form the basis of Biological Diversity abbreviated as Biodiversity. The definition of Biodiversity as per Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which came into force in 1993 reads as follows:

“Biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including interalia terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic eco-systems”.

The definition includes biodiversity at the level of eco-system, species and genes. Fifty years back, this number of 84 lac was considered very high and scientists guessed that number of all plants & animals may be in the range of 50 lac or so. Later advances in methods of estimation however revised this estimate to near one crore. Present day estimation has gone even higher and number of life forms may be as high as 5 crore. Most astonishing thing about this biodiversity is that till date scientific community all over the world has identified only 1.8 million species i.e. 18 lakhs, and a major fraction of this biodiversity is still unexplored and unknown. In India, the recorded Biodiversity is about 1,30,000 species, though scientists agree that actual diversity is much more and needs to be documented fast.

Biodiversity needs to be studied in a hierarchical manner starting from the diversity contained in the genetic material of individual species whether plant or animal or a microscopic organism, then proceeding towards diversity in the biological communities in which species are organized and exhibit inter & intra specific interactions within and outside the communities to form the most complex and stable biological systems called Ecosystems. Ecosystems are also diverse, they are natural or man made, terrestrial or aquatic, low lying grasslands or high forests, hot deserts or cold deserts but these are inseparable in the world of interactions, influences and interdependence and these co-exist in the natural web of life. Disturbance in one ecosystem is bound to bring some effects in the adjoining ecosystem. Present day pressures in the form of expanding industrialization, urbanization, exploitation of wood resources, collection of medicinal plants, use of agrochemicals, vehicular and industrial pollution, degradation of forest lands, forest encroachments, poaching of wild animals, changing life style with more and more emphasis on consumerism and materialistic upliftment are all combining to erode the diversity at the level of species, communities and ecosystems which needs to be halted on war footing. A kind of sustainable development which is in harmony with the existence of nature and natural processes needs to be integrated into our sectoral planning and state policies so that loss of biodiversity is reduced to the minimum.

All levels of biodiversity are important for the continued survival of species, communities, ecosystems and to meet the future needs of plant and animal breeding programmes, biotechnological innovations, pharmaceutical and drug programmes, management of natural disasters like flood, drought etc., control of epidemics, bio-control of crop and forest tree pests and to meet the future needs of fuel wood, fodder, food, fruits, meat, medicines and building materials on a sustainable basis. In short, biodiversity provides for all sorts of direct and indirect human needs, both material and cultural and all levels of biodiversity need to be managed on a more sustainable basis for the welfare of coming generations.

At the international level, need for conservation oriented development were under focus at the World Conservation Strategy followed by the United Nations Conference on Environment & Development at Rio-de-Janeiro in June 1992 which highlighted the concept of Biodiversity and a Convention on Biodiversity was formulated. This convention on Biodiversity came into force in 1993 and India is also a signatory to this convention. Under this convention, it is mandatory for the contracting countries to prepare Biodiversity Conservation Strategies and implement the Action Plans at National level. It is in this backdrop that National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (abbreviated henceforth as NBSAP) is being formulated by Government of India. The Process of NBSAP formulation started in the year 2000 and each state was asked to submit its own State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan (SBSAP) keeping in view its own peculiarities, endemism of species, nature of problems and local people’s life styles, cultural traditions and future areas of concern regarding Biodiversity Conservation.

The present document called State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan for the state of Jammu & Kashmir establishes a general framework for the state, its present and future policies on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. It presents a vivid picture regarding the present statues of bio-resources; ongoing initiatives for its conservation; present day pressures and processes which are leading to the erosion of diverse life forms in different ecosystems whether natural or man made; various gaps which are hindrances in the way of its sustainable use and future guidelines.

Scope

The present document gives a fair account of different levels of biodiversity met within the state whether it is the diversity of Natural ecosystems like forests, grasslands, highland pastures, cold desert vegetation, sub-tropical and temperate flora or the diversity of wild species and varieties having affinity either with the main Indian land or showing affinity with Central Asian Countries, Mediterranean region, Sino Japanese Flora, European floristic or the Agricultural Ecosystems as seen in the Semi-arid Kandi belt, Semi-arid Chenab Valley, comparatively humid temperate Kashmir Valley or high altitude area of Ladakh mountains or various domesticated species & varieties of crops and livestock alike. The most crucial part of this document pertains to the issues of Conservation; people’s participation, sustainable and equitable use of bioresources with scientific, economic, social and cultural dimensions in the context of three distinct geographical regions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Objectives of SBSAP

The broad objectives of this State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan are in conformity with those enunciated in the document pertaining to principles underlying the formulation of National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan. However these objectives are again reproduced in the context of J&K State with peculiarities of its own:

To assess the existing status of biodiversity in all the forest and non-forest areas.

To assess the extent of damage caused to the diversity of habitats.

To identify various causes which have contributed towards the erosion of biodiversity and degradation of habitats.

To promote understanding between various Governmental departments for devising strategies in favour of sustainable use of bioresources.

To promote public awareness and document people’s indigenous knowledge regarding biodiversity in J&K.

To promote co-operation between all stakeholders including Governmental, Non-Governmental agencies and common masses likefarmers, pastorlists, fishermen, fruit growers, industrialists or tribal groups.

To incorporate the principles of biodiversity conservation in the planning process and integrate it as a vital component in the execution of sectoral and cross-sectoral policies.

To stimulate the activities regarding biodiversity conservation in the educational, training and research areas.

To identify the legal, financial and social instruments which can play a pivotal role in the sphere of biodiversity conservation.

To promote inter-regional, inter-sectoral, inter-state, national and international co-operation through mutual trust and joint initiatives.

To priorities areas of concern regarding biodiversity conservation and execute the action plans in the order of priority.

To prioritize species and eco-systems for in-situ and ex-situ conservation in different regions.

Guiding Principles

These are as per the terms and conditions of biodiversity convention which was signed at the Earth-Summit of Brazil in June 1992 by the Government of India alongwith 155 other Nations. The convention deals with various aspects concerning conservation and sustainable use of various components of biodiversity and affirms that states have sovereign rights over their biological resources.

1.4.1. Conservation and sustainable use Biodiversity Conservation and sustainable use implies the following area of concern:

Each species has a right to exist and survive in the given habitat.

Role of each plant or animal form is indispensable in the web of life and needs to be protected for the future generations.

Cause of biodiversity loss need to be identified and prioritized in the state for a remedial action. Sectoral and District level plans need to be drawn after recognizing the biodiversity concerns and integrating them with all developmental programmes.

Exploitation of bioresources should not be at the cost of irreparable loss to the habitat within an Ecosystem and compatibility of biodiversity conservation should be maintained in all future plans.

Degraded habitats need immediate ecological restoration plans and funds for such activities must be sought from the Department or agency, which has contributed the most towards the degradation of such habitats.

In-situ and Ex-situ conservation of dwindling & threatened species within and outside its natural habitat or ecosystem needs to be adopted on a priority basis.

Agro-biodiversity needs to be given a special attention. The local varieties and strains needs to be given due importance in the future programmes.

Due importance should be accorded to people’s observations and knowledge regarding any aspect of biodiversity conservation. Lack of scientific proof should not be used as a justification to delay actions for the conservation of species, rather it should be used as a stimulus to promote research & document a new finding.

Public participation and coordination

All strategies & action plans must be based on the principles of shared responsibility by all the stakeholders. Role of NGOs including local Panchayats, Village Forest Committees, Students, Women groups, Industrial houses, Religious Groups, Ethnic Communities and Nomads should be explored and integrated in the execution of all conservation related initiatives.

Mutual trust and goodwill needs to be strengthened between various state departments and research cum educational institutions for a better flow of ideas and exchange of information for a holistic view of the particular problem.

Awareness regarding various aspects of biodiversity conservation needs to be disseminated across all sections of people and at various levels within state departments with a view to sensitize the general masses and communities for better participation in the programme of biodiversity conservation.

Various Government departments and groups of people must know their areas of concern and responsibility in conserving the biological resources and should co-operate horizontally as well as vertically while implementing various developmental programmes.

Gujjars, Bakerwals, Gaddis, Amchis and other ethnic groups have distinct life styles of their own and their traditional knowledge should be regarded as very valuable input for the planning of various schemes concerning the biodiversity.

Equity & Distribution of Benefits

In the spirit of Article, 19 of the Biodiversity Convention, legislative, administrative and policy measures must be taken by the State Government for the effective participation of local communities and ethnic groups in the biotechnological research activities.  All measures must be adopted by the State Government to ensure among these ethnic groups, the sharing of the benefits obtained from use of such a biotechnological innovation based on exploitation of some natural resource, which they have helped to conserve over a longer period.  All diverse ethnic groups should be empowered by the Government to control and manage their bio resources by promoting suitable mechanisms and practices for their management and economic use.  Whenever an economic or commercial use of some bioresources in an area is developed, the consent of the local communities must be secured through an appropriate mechanism.

Planning and Budgeting

 Future planning must revolve around the sustainable use of bio-diversity and bioresources planning must be based on conservation objectives to be enshrined in the Biodiversity Act.  Inter departmental co-ordination needs to be promoted during planning of development projects for an effective implementation and execution of those programmes.  Status of biodiversity conservation needs to monitored at regular intervals so that proper preventive and remedial actions can be integrated in various developmental plans of the area.  All big and small developmental projects like Power Generating Hydel Projects and Industries should integrate the basic concept of biodiversity conservation in their plans and must institutionalize Biodiversity Impact Assessment on the line of Environment Impact Assessment.  Forest department need to evolve comprehensive policies on livestock grazing, forest fires, resin extraction, encroachment of forest lands, prevention of pollution and soil conservation so that biodiversity conservation concerns are given due weightage in various ongoing forestry operations.  The government need to plan strategies for alternate sources of energy like solar, wind, water, plant based so that consumption of petro-chemicals is kept under check and bio-resources are managed on a sustainable basis.  Due importance for the conservation of local strains and varieties of crops and domestic animals as well as their close wild relatives needs to be given in future planning of the State Government.  Planning exercise must involve the local bodies, organisations and ethnic groups whenever issues relating to use of bioresources are to be put in the planning process.

Environment Education, Training & Research

Each section of the society whether farmers or pastoralists, children, youth, men or women, Government departments or Voluntary Organizations, academic institutions or scientific organisations and industrial houses need to be educated regarding the on-going initiatives, gaps identified and future priorities in the area of biodiversity conservation.

Role of police, army and para-military forces need to be understood and utilized for evolving biodiversity conservation strategies. Role of eco-task force is one such example which can be replicated in many other areas. Many inaccessible terrains are easily under the approach of military and para-military organizations and they can play a pivotal role in conservation of bio-resources.

Biodiversity databases needs to be prepared at the level of all districts of the state so that effective measures to conserve and protect resource rich sites can be evolved and adopted.

Inter departmental co-ordination needs to be strengthened in the field of biodiversity research so that priority areas are dealt under a multi-disciplinary approach and effective strategies are evolved.

Issues pertaining to Intellectual Property Rights need to be discussed and a proper mechanism needs to be evolved to disseminate the knowledge regarding present status and future implications among all the stakeholders.

 Appropriate sensitization of print and electronic media is required so that they do not side-line the issues of biodiversity conservation as their role in highlighting major issues and problems pertaining to biodiversity conservation can contribute a lot in raising peoples awareness and exchanging ideas and thoughts among different stakeholders.

Economic & Legal aspects

Economic evaluation of bio-resources needs to be worked out after taking into consideration not only the market value but also the ecological value of various products and services in the longer perspective.

Benefits accruing from the Intellectual Property Rights need to be equitably distributed among the beneficiaries during the commercial use of bioresources.

Compliance of legislations pertaining to habitat conservation, biodiversity use, pollution control, wild-life protection etc. needs to enforced more stringently by adopting persuasive as well as coercive measures.

Updating the policy framework, legal apparatus and provisions to achieve the objectives of biodiversity conservation need to accord top priority in our future planning.

Ethical & cultural issues

Local people who have remained associated with nature and developed various religious and cultural traditions over hundreds of years need to be given due respect and attention. Their traditional links with plants and animals need to be documented and amalgamated with the scientific knowledge and research.

Environment friendly traditions of local ethnic groups need to be given incentives to promote biodiversity conservation. Detailed ethno botanical and Ethno zoological surveys need to carried out for promoting ethno biological studies in the context of biodiversity conservation.

Local theatre groups need to be encouraged to stage plays and skits which highlight problems pertaining to habitat degradation, protection of forests and wild-life, conservation of wet lands, local health traditions and other religious and cultural practices reflecting the sustainable use of bioresources.

Methodology

As per guidelines and concept papers provided by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, (October, 2000) multipronged approach and methodology was followed to draft the State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan for J&K.

Steering Committee

The Government of J&K has constituted the Steering Committee vide Government Order No. 1505-GAD of 2002 dt. 29-08-2002. The committee comprises of following members: i) Chairman Chief Secretary, J&K ii) Members Financial Commissioner, Finance Department Financial Commissioner, Agriculture & Rural Development. Principal Secretary, Planning & Development Department. Commissioner/Secretary, Forest Department Pr. Chief Conservator of Forests, Jammu & Kashmir Chairman, State Pollution Control Board, Chief Wildlife Warden, Jammu & Kashmir Chief Conservator of Forests, Kashmir Chief Conservator of Forests, Jammu Development Commissioner, Fisheries Director, Science & Technology, Director, Agriculture, Jammu Director, Horticulture, Kashmir Director, Botanical Survey of India, Dehradun Director, Zoological Survey of India, Dehradun Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkatta Vice Chancellor, SKUAST, Srinagar Dr. Virender Sharma, Environment Advisor, DFID India New Delhi.

Director, Environment & Remote Sensing (Member – Convener)

Data Collection & Compilation

For the preparation of State Biodiversity Strategy Action Plan, officials of Department of Environment & Remote Sensing J&K under the stewardship of then Director, Sh. Vinod Ranjan IFS and Nodal Officer Sh. R.D. Sharma initiated the programme of field visits and data collection from various Governmental & Non-governmental organizations and groups including local ethnic groups, shool & college children, research scholars, professors and scientists of Research Institutions. Later on the work was entrusted to Sh. Pritam Chand, IFS, Director, J&K State Forest Research Institute, vide Government Order No. 248-FST of 2002 dated. 14-05-2002. The job of final compilation including data collection wherever required and not collected earlier was entrusted to Sh. Om Prakash Sharma, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer, Seed Development Division, Jammu. A series of meetings interactions and seminars were organised with various Governmental Departments, Non-Governmental organisations, Research institutions, State Agricultural Universities, University of Jammu and University of Kashmir, local farmer groups, fishermen, tribal leaders, school & college teachers and students, research scholars, scientists and experts of Universities, students of Ayurveda Research etc. to have their inputs, suggestions, research materials and other relevant data like ongoing initiatives, gaps in achieving the desired objectives and future action plans for Biodiversity Conservation. Data was also collected from various M.Phil, Ph.D. thesis of students of Botany, Zoology, Environment, Geography, Geology, Agriculture, Wildlife etc. to compile the relevant information.

A) Primary Data Collection:

The guidelines embodied in the document to be followed for the preparation of the Draft document were circulated among all the stakeholders to elicit their views, suggestions and inputs on the desired lines. Various NGO's, religious & cultural groups, Research & Educational Institutions, University scholars and Professors, Heads of the Departments & other middle level functionaries were involved in the discussions from time to time. Questionnaire pertaining to biodiversity conservation was developed and distributed among various stakeholders especially the Educational Institutions, NGOs and Research Institutions to have their reactions and views on the subject. The format of the said questionnaire is reproduced below:

QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Name of individual/ Organization.

2. Method of obtaining data: Individual information/information from local people by questioning/ public meeting/ seminar/ published information.

3. Data of meeting/ seminar/ public hearing (if applicable)

4. Target group contacted.

5. Area covered; No. and name of Localities. Villages & towns.

6. Name of the district/ Region (Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh)

7. List of plants & animals found in the area (Please give common names if Scientific names are not available)

a. Wild plants (Terrestrial/ aquatic)

b. Wild animals (Terrestrial/ aquatic)

c. Domestic animals.

d. Domestic plants used for Agricultural, Horticulture and Sericulture.

(Please also give names of varieties available)

8. List of plants & animals, which were seen in this area but are not found now.

9. How many years earlier were they found? (Please consult elders in your Village)

10. List of plants & animals which are used commercially and how.

11. List of plants & animals which are used for medicines. ( Please consult Ayruvedic, Unani, Homeopathy and other doctors in your area.)

12. List of plants and animals which are used traditionally (e.g. Rope making, Mat making Muras, Fans, Thatches, Brooms, Gum, Resin, Fibre, Wax, Edible fruits and Berries , Fruit boxes, Basket making, Wood carving, Wooden utensils, Furniture, etc. 13. Is there any society or individual which is making efforts for conservation of Specific plants and animals in your area?

If yes, give name and address and specific action taken by them.

14. Which areas/ localities do you think are rich in bio-diversity?

15. Rituals or Cultural activities related to conservation of local plants & animals.

16. Are you aware of folk songs or poems, which promote bio-diversity conservation?If yes, please write them. 17. What in your opinion or in the opinion of the local people, are the causes of change in Biodiversity in your area.

18. Which developmental projects are currently being run by the Govt. in your area (e.g. projects related to environmental improvement, general development, industry, forestry, watershed, flood plain area, etc.). Please list.

19. In the opinion of locals or in your opinion do these projects help/destroy Biodiversity.

20. Which agricultural crop or varieties of crops were being used by locals earlier?

21. Which Horticulture species/ varieties were being used by the local earlier?

22. Which of these do you think need to be promoted or can be revived?

23. How many of these need market support?

24. Does your area have tourism potential?

25. Any other information or suggestion which you may like to give for preparing The State Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

Signature

Name of the individual Organisation.

The detail of meetings and interactions held by Sh. Ripu Dhaman Sharma, Soil Conservationist, of Directorate of Environment and Remote Sensing J&K with various departments, agencies, NGOs, Scientists and local people is given from S. No. 1 to S.No. 142 and the detail of meetings and interactions held by Sh. O.P. Sharma, IFS, of State Forest Research Institute, J&K is given from S. No. 151 to S. No. 313 and pertain to period starting from July, 2002. The detail of the interactions and meetings held at the level of Sh. Pritam Chand, IFS, Director, SFRI is given from S. No.143 to S. No. 150. The full detail of these meetings and interactions is given below: