Applied Vulnerability Assessment of Useful Plants: A case study of Tibetan Medicinal Plants from Nepal

Abstract

Wagner, A., Kriechbaum, M. & Koch, M. A.: Applied Vulnerability Assessment of Useful Plants: A case study of TIbetan Medicinal Plan~s from Nepal. - Bot. jahrb. Syst. 127: 01lO-OO0. 2008. - ISSN 0006·8152. The growing demand for medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) that are harvested from the wild exerts an increasing pressure on these important natural resources of the Himala­ yas. In the present study, 126 species of higher plants from the Muktinath Valley, Kali Gandkhi., in Central Nepal are documented. Endangerment was assessed by adapting the Rapid Vulnerability Approach (RVA). The RVA-tesr shows rhar seven of these species have a high potential endangerment, 102 species a moderate potential and 17 species no potential For valuation of the reliability of the RVA-test, a statistical analysis was conducted. The six indicators used in thisstudy do not show any or only minor inter-correlations, and resulting threat values are independent from each other. We can thus show that each individual indieator has a significant effect on the assessment of endangerment. As a result, the RVA as used herein is suirable for an approximate assessment of endangerment of MAPs.