Abstract
Illicium griffithii Hook.f. & Thomson, a medicinal plant of the family Schisandraceae, is an Endangered species listed by the IUCN. A decline in population of this plant due to climate change as well as increasing human influences on the natural resources has been a matter of great concern among the researchers. In order to estimate the existing population of this plant, a field-based study employing linear transect method was conducted in four phases, May–June 2017, May–June 2018, April–May 2019, October–November 2019 covering an area of 700km² (approx.) in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh that lies within the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. The study recorded 3,044 live individuals of I. griffithii including 1,372 seedlings, 1,358 saplings, and only 314 mature trees. Additionally, 126 dead trees were also recorded. The study confirmed that the plant has a good regeneration rate but with a poor survival rate of saplings. Besides, large-scale collection of its fruits for trade and anthropogenic disturbances in the study area appears to be the major threat to its existing population. Therefore, proper training of the local people on large-scale cultivation of this plant together with awareness towards judicious harvesting of fruits from the wild may be the significant approach to conservation.
Highlights
People largely depend on plants for food security and a multitude of plant products, from medicine to fibre
The regeneration status of a species is usually assessed from the population dynamics of seedlings and saplings in a forest community (Duchok et al 2005)
The age and diameter of a plant have been the basis for the prediction of regeneration status of tree species according to several researchers (Pritts & Hancock 1983; Khan et al 1987; Bhuyan et al 2003; Duchok et al 2005)
Summary
People largely depend on plants for food security and a multitude of plant products, from medicine to fibre. Today biodiversity and ecosystems (home to medicinal plants and other raw materials) are facing threat from over exploitation, habitat loss and fragmentation (Bapu & Nimasow 2018), climate change, pollution and invasion of alien species (IUCN 2003) and disturbance of community structure (Novacek & Cleland 2001). The regeneration status of a species is usually assessed from the population dynamics of seedlings and saplings in a forest community (Duchok et al 2005). The number of seedlings and saplings in an area allows assessing the regeneration potential of a species (Saxena & Singh 1984)
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