Ethnobotanical Leaflets 13: 651-64, 2009.

Plant diversity and Ethnobotanical notes on tree species of Syabru Village, Langtang National Park,  Nepal

Ananda Raj Joshi and Kunjani Joshi*

Former Director General, SACEP, Colombo, Sri Lanka

*Department of Botany, Patan Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Email: ; m

Issued May 01, 2009

Abstract

In the course of the survey of the useful plants of  Nepal, 25 tree species belonging to 20 genera  representing 17 families have been  documented  with their indigenous uses from the Syabru  village and adjoining areas of the Langtang National Park, Nepal. At present, these useful plants  and their habitats are under serious threat due to anthropogenic pressure. In this paper, an attempt  has been made to enumerate these plants with their present status and local traditional knowledge  as well as practices and to recommend some strategies for integrated management of the useful  species and their habitats.            

Keywords: Plant biodiversity, ethnobotanical uses, indigenous knowledge, habitats.

Introduction

In the recent years, more attention is given to sustainable use and integrated management of the  economically important species due to an increasing recognition of their contribution to fulfill  basic needs of the people, household economies, food security and conservation of natural  resources. In Nepal, the rural communities relay heavily on plant biodiversity for their primary  healthcare and daily requirement of food and rawmaterials. However, at present, most of  ecosystems with useful species are under threat due to habitat distruction, unsustainable  harvesting and over-exploitation. It is now realized that priority should be given to the  documentation and conservation of the existing species and habitats before some of these are  eliminated from the area, or before the inhabitants shift over to modern life style. In this context,   some sporadic works have already done to collect ethnobotanical data and traditional knowledge  systems (Joshi and Edington, 1990; Joshi, 1991; Bhattarai, 1992; Joshi and Joshi, 2000; 2005;  Manandhar, 2002; Joshi et al., 2003 Siwakoti, et al., 2005). But the vast store of ethno-botanical  wealth of the present study areas has not been comprehensively documented. In this background,  present study was devised to document the trees with their indigenous uses and practices.

Study Areas and Methods

After reconnaissance of some villages of the Central Development Region, Syabru village of  Langtang National Park was selected for the ethnobotanical study. This village has enjoyed some  measures of environmental protection and lie on trekking routes. The major physical and socio-  economic characteristic features are given in Table 1.

Table 1.  Physical and Socio-economic characteristic features.

Several field trips in and around the study areas were undertaken  with a view to collect plant  species of ethnobotanical value and document the indigenous practices. The information was  gathered using various techniques such as open and structured interview, and discussion with  local informants, such traditional healers / “jhankri”, and experienced village elders including  midwives and by direct observations on the way different plant materials were being collected  and used (Joshi and Edington, 1990). Voucher specimens are deposited in the SchEMS, Pokhara  University, Kathmandu, Nepal.

 Results and Dicussion

Plant Biodiversity

The study areas are endowed with rich and varied biodiversity with various ecosystems i.e.  forest, scrub, grassland, waterbodies etc. Diverse geomorphology, climatic variations and  vegetation have made the forests and adjoining areas flourish with diverse species. The forest  types of Syabru and the adjoining areas is charecterized by pine forest, alder forest and pine-  broad leaved forest. Pine (Pinus wallichiina) is an important dominant tree in the pine forests and  pine–broad leaved forests with other associated species i.e. Alnus nepalensis, Lyonia ovalifolia,  Quercus spp., Rhododendron arboreum, Pyrus pashia, Princepia utilis, Berbaris asiatica,  Mahonia nepalensis, Artemisia indica. In Alder forest Alnus nepalensis, Quercus lanata, Lyonia  ovalifolia, Rhododendron arboreum, Princepia utilis are dominant trees with some shrubs i.e.  Mahonia nepalensis, Dodecadenia grandiflora, Berberis chitria, Buddleja asiatica, Viburnum  cylindricum, Gauitheria fragrantissima and some herbs, such as Achyranthes bidentata, Allium  wallichii, Artemisia indica, Cannabis sativa (Table 2). Species composition of trees in the forest  types and production of wood in the forest areas are presented in Table  2 and 3 respectively. 

Table  2. Dominent species composition of trees in Syabru.

Table 3. Production of wood in the forest areas of Syabru.

Tree (.10cm diam)

Shrubs (<10cm diam.)

The wood productivity estimates obtained at Syabru (11.06 m/ha/annum) fall  within the range  10-30m quoted by Joshi (1988) for forests in the hills of Nepal (Table 3). The fact that the  village estimates are at the lower end of this range is probably related to substantial reduction in  forest cover caused by over-exploitation.

Ethnobotanical uses

During the field survey, ethnobotanical information of 25 species of medicinal plants belonging  to 17 families have been collected from various habitats of the study areas. Table 4 lists the  plants recorded as being used in Syabru village and adjoining areas. The species are arranged  alphabetically with  family, local names, habitat and uses.

Table 4. Ethnobotanical uses of the trees of Syabru.

The results of the present study revealed that trees and their parts  are widely used  for various  purposes as  fuelwood, timber, medicines, rawmaterials etc.  

Fuelwood

In the study village, wood cut from the forest is the principal source of domestic energy for  cooking and heating.  The preferred species for fuel wood by local people are given in Table 5.

Fuelwood Consumption Patterns in the study area are as follows:

(a)           fuelwood used by village residents

(b)          fuelwood used by tourist trekkers or on their behalf (e.g. where teahouse provide food  and  regreshments)

(c)            fuelwood cut on the village land by outsiders who subsequently export it for consumption  elsewhere.

Estimate for the annual consumption of fuelwood from the study village is set out in Table  6. It  will be seen that the trekkers use greater fuelwood (22 metric tons/annum) due to Syabru is a  overnight stoping place for treeker between national park and Dhuche (Joshi, 1988). The other  feature to notice is that wood was also being harvested on village land by people who had come  in from surrounding villages and were subsequently carrying loads  of wood from Syabru (18  metric tons/annum)  out of the area.

Table 6. Wood production and consumption for  Syabru village (value

expressed as mt/ per year).

The most striking feature of the relationship between wood production and consumption is the  excess of consumption over production in the small wood category  the both villages. Small  wood includes the branches of trees and shrubs, the truks of small wood probably has a varietyb  of causes. It can be easily cut using the traditional nepali tools i.e. khurpi or Knief, it can be  conveniently tied into bundles, and subsequently, it is easily fed into the apertures of clay stoves  or between the legs of tripod type stoves. If one is to look for environmental consequences of this  over-use of small wood, one of these appear to be the suppression of tree regeneration. In counts  of regenerating trees in the 25 m survey plots, it was found that few seedlings survived to a  height greater than 100 cm. presumably the main reason was that at this hight the samplings  became usable as fuelwood and were cut and removed (Joshi, 1988). 

Timber for house construction, furnitures and household utensils

     Nepalese village houses have a supporting framework of wooden uprights with additional  pillars, to support a balcony if this is included in the design. At Syabru the roof also usually  consists of flat wooden slabs or shingles. When asked about the amount of wood used for  building purposes with the local people, no reliable information were available from the study  area. However, Mauch (1976) and Joshi (1988) have  made a calculation of building-timber use  per person for hill village in Nepal and arrive at a figure of 0.3m3/person/person / annum.             

      Though the hardwoods are generally favoured for constructional purposes of their greater  durability and relative freedom from fungal and insect attack, pine is more widely used at the  Syabru village because of the greater availability. Other  preferred species for house frames are  Alnus nepalensis, Castanopsis indica, Castanopsis tribuloides, Melia azedarach, Myrsine  capitellata, Quarcus glauca and  Q. semicarpifolia. Wood of Pinus wallichiana and Schima  wallichii are usually chosen for window shutters,  doors and  ladders. Wood is also used in the  manufacture of household furnitures including storage boxes, chairs, stools, table and beds.  Species used for these purpose include Abies spectabilis, Bombax cebia, Castanopsis indica, C.  tribuloides, Myrsine capitellata, Myrsine semiserrata, Pinus wallichiana, Quercus glauca, Q.  lanata, and  Q. semicarpifolia. For fencing, favoured species included Alnus nepalensis, Lyonia  ovalifolia and Rhododendron arboreum. Rhododendron arboretum finds a particular use in the  manufacture of such household items as wooden paddles, spoons  and  bowls.

Medicine

      The present study revealed that gastro intestinal disorders and stomach ache, dematological  illness and cuts, wounds and headache  are the major diseases and illness in the study area. The  local people use the plants and their parts  for the treatment of these alignments following the  traditional practices. During the treatment of the diseases, various  forms of preparation are used . Among the documented species, 7 species were used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, 2 for  fever, cough, headache, 7 for dermatological illness, 1 for genito-urinary complaints, 3 for  respiratory aliments, 2 for dental problems, and 2 for others (Table 2).

Food

      Wild foods  are collected by local people from a wide variety of habitats i.e. forest, scrub,  edges of cultivated areas and waste lands. The major food plants are Myrica esculenta,  Castanopsis spp., Pyrus pashia, Prunus nepaulensis, Lindra pulcherrima. The local communities  have also excellent knowledge about the  poisnous plants of the study area

Fodder                        

      18  tree species are recorded as being used as fodder plants in these villages. Among them,  local people prefer Castanopsis indica, Castanopsis tribuloides, Myrsine capittata, Myrsine  semiserata, Quercus glaunca, Quercus lananta, Q. semiserrata and Salix babylonica.. The  people of the villages  have comprehensive knowledge about fodder plants, as they are in  constant association and dependence on these resources for integrated agriculture development.

Rawmaterials

      Various plant and parts of the plants are used as rawmaterials for the manufacture or  preparation of commodities. The major products and uses as follows:

Dye

     At Syabru the main dye used is a dark brown dye derived from the bark of Schima wallichii.  The dye are used for coloring wool and for painting designs (usually with a stick) on baskets,  mats, and cloth.

Handals of agricultural tools

     Species especially favoured for the handles of tools and agricultural implements include  Melia azedarach and  Pyrus pashia.,

Manufacture of soap and wax

      Pinus wallichiana is an important source of resin and turpentine in the study area. Resin is  used in the manufacture of soap, grease, and waxes and is exported for these purpose to Trisuli  and Kathmandu.

Insectisides and  Fish poison

      The village people use a variety of plant materials to deter flies in the houses and to protect  stored grain from insect damage. Leaves of  Lyonia ovalifolia or dried fruits, leaves, bark of  Melia azaderach are placed in the mouth of grain bags and in the tops of open-air storage bins  (bhakari), to discourage the entry of grain-feeding beetles and moths. 

     Plant extracts are widely used in the studied village for capturing fish. Crushed leaves  of  Lyonia ovalifolia or immature leaves of  Rhododendron arboreum are introduced into streams  and river with the aim of stupefying fish. The affected fish float to the surface and are removed  from the water usually with a piece of cloth stretched across a branched stick. Similarly fruits of  Melia azaderach or bark and fruits of Schima wallichii are also used as fish poison.

Strategies for Sustainable Management

      Despite the formulation and adoption of various policies, plans, strategies and  implementation of progrommes  for the conservation of the species and their habitats, there is a  growing consensus among the conservationists that  the conservation of bio-resources, especially  of  plant biodiversity is entering into a stage of crisis, since there has  been hardly any attempt to  conserve these resources in an integrated manner (Joshi and Joshi, 1998). Therefore, the  following strategies should be implemented in order to  conserve and sustainable use of trees in  particular and other plant diversity in general in an environmentally sound way.

 1. Inventory, Documentation of the species and research

      Though the inventory of plant biodiversity has initiated in different biogeographical areas,  many parts of the country  are  still remained unexplored. Hence, it is strongly recommended  that major thrust  should be given to an intensive inventory and documentation of the useful  trees as well as other species  and their products. The research related to chemical screening  should also be initiated to analyse chemical contents and their implications on health, food and  plant products.

2. Documentation of ethnobotanical uses, Traditional knowledge and   practices

      Regarding the ethnobotanical information, there is still a paucity of quantitative data about  the traditional uses, effectiveness, sideeffects and traditional techniques.  The rural people have  excellent ethnobotanical knowledge which they have developed  due to constant association  with the forest ecosystems. These existing valuable information are needed to be  documented  before lost or disappeared. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that emphasis should  be  given to the action activities for the documentation of indigenous uses, traditional knowledge  and practices  following in quatitative methods.

3.  Conservation of useful species and their habitats

      At present urbanization trend is rapidly spreading even in the forest and waste land.   Deforestation and habitat destruction due to  land use change would pose a serious threat to the  useful species and habitats. Hence, efforts should be directed to formulate and implement  appropriate conservation strategies and programs for habitat management and sustainable uses  of the plants and their products taking consideration of the needs of the people.

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the inhabitants of the study areas for their kind cooperation and help  during the field survey. Thanks are due to  Dr. John F. Edington, University of Wales, U.K. for  his guidance and suggestion, and Dr. S. K. Jain, Founder and Ex-Director, Institute of  Ethnobiology, Lucknow, India, Profs. P.K. Jha, R. P. chaudhary and K. K. Shrestha, Central  Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal for constant encouragement.

References

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