Nauni University regional centre to increase people’s income

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, February 24

In a bid to document the floristic diversity of western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, a High-Altitude Western Himalayan Regional Centre has been set up at Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni.

The centre has been functional since December 10.

The high-altitude regions of western Himalayas require an intensive floral exploration as this region has a rich diversity of many medicinal plant species.

“It was difficult to adequately explore the area due to long distance from the Headquarters of the Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata, and from the BSI, Northern Regional Centre, Dehradun. In view of such difficulties, a new BSI regional centre was proposed at Solan. This will carry out field surveys to explore and document the floristic diversity of western Himalayan states. The remote and difficult areas like the Kashmir valley, Ladakh, Pir Panjal and Lahaul & Spiti ranges are accessible to document the floristic diversity,” said an official.

The remote regions of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh (Kinnaur, Chamba, Lahaul-Spiti, Kullu, Shimla-Dodra Kwar, Mandi-Shikari Devi, Barot, Janjayali and Karsog valleys) fall under the cold desert area of the western Himalayas and these will be easily accessible from this centre. An area of 1,57,060 sq/km will be under the purview of this centre.

Director of the BSI Dr AA Mao initially appointed Dr Kumar Ambrish, Scientist-E, as the first scientist in-charge and Dr Kuldip S Dogra, Scientist-D at this centre.

There has been a renewed interest in the recent years in the development of these areas and an effort is being made to improve the economy of people. Some places are now being developed as tourist places. This has added a new dimension to the problems of soil erosion and threatened several species.

The centre will not only give the basic data about plants but also help in building up the rural economy by conserving and judicious management and utilisation of the plant resources of these floristically rich areas. The data of this unit will be of basic importance to the institutes involved in Himalayan ecological studies.

Initially, the office was set up at the Dr YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni.

The university will provide around 6 acres near its campus for housing the building, residential quarters and experimental botanic garden as per the MoU signed between the BSI and the Nauni varsity.