An Ethnobotanical Survey of Plants Used by Communities around Jaunsar-Bawar Region of Uttarakhand, India
Kanika
Forest Ecology and Environment, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, Almora, Uttarakhand, India.
L. R. Lakshmikanta Panda *
Silviculture and Forest Management Division, Non Timber Forest Products Discipline, ICFRE-FRI, Dehradun, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The Jaunsar Bawar region of Uttarakhand, India, is well-known for its rich biodiversity and cultural history, which is inseparably, connected through traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and ethnobotanical traditions. This work explores the ethnobotanical knowledge and practices amongst the indigenous communities residing in the JaunsarBawar region, of 11 villages in three tehsils: Kalsi, Tyuni, and Chakrata of Uttarakhand state of India. With extensive field studies, literature reviews, surveys using standard questionnaires, and semi-structured interviews with local inhabitants including Vaidyas, Hakeem, and forest government officials, the study tends to document the rich biodiversity of the region and comprehend the relationship between humans and plants. It documents and explores the traditional usage of 65 plant species of different growth habits and forms for medicine, timber, food, fodder, culinary, rituals, and other purposes. Insights of the study aid in the documentation of local plant species and indigenous wisdom of plant use across generations in the tribal region.
Keywords: Ethnobotany, traditional knowledge, floral diversity, Himalaya, Jaunsar Bawar