Abstract
The Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, located in one of the global biodiversity hotspots, is endowed with abundant floral wealth, including a wide array of medicinal plants (MPs). However, over-exploitation of these resources is widespread, and only a few studies have assessed the richness and diversity of Bhutanese forests and in particular about the MP resources. A vegetation survey was conducted in Tshothang Chiwog, south-eastern Bhutan to characterize the floristic structure of the broad-leaf mixed coniferous forests with a special focus on MPs. A questionnaire survey involving 40 farmers was also conducted to assess the ethnobotanical and socioeconomic aspects of MP extraction. A total of 157 plant species (38 trees, 19 shrubs, 85 herbs and ferns, and 15 climbers), representing 74 families and 137 genera were identified from the study area, of which 69 species (14 trees, 10 shrubs, 38 herbs and ferns, and seven climbers), belonging to 41 families and 69 genera were medicinally important. The most species-rich families of medicinal plants were: Asteraceae (eight spp.), Apiaceae (four spp.), Polygonaceae, Brassicaceae, Zingiberaceae, and Urticaceae (three species each). Herbaceous flora exhibited the highest diversity (Simpson diversity index (D) = 0.97 and Shannon-Weiner index (H’= 5.82) followed by trees and shrubs (viz. D= 0.95 and 0.92 and H’= 4.86 and 3.97 respectively). All but one herb showed abundance-to-frequency ratio (A/F) ≥0.05, signifying a contagious distribution pattern (large aggregated distribution). Girth class distribution of trees followed an inverse J-shaped pattern. Results of the ethnobotanic study documented 55 MPs. MP collection, as reported by the interviewees, generally improved the socioeconomic status of the local people of Tshothang Chiwog. Apart from improving the livelihood security of the local people, aspects relating to health care and culture are also important. Respondents were also concerned about the declining MP wealth of the Chiwog over the years due to over-exploitation. Monitoring the plant resources and adopting conservation programmes in the Chiwog, in their opinion, may improve the MP wealth of the locality. The lessons learned from the study may have applicability over the south-eastern part of Bhutan and other regions with similar eco-climatic features.
Highlights
Bhutan is endowed with abundant floral wealth including medicinal plants (MPs)
The study addressed the following questions: (i) what is the floristic spectrum of the broad-leaf mixed coniferous forest of Tshothang Chiwog with a special focus on the MPs? (ii) what are the principal MPs collected by the local people? (iii) what are the therapeutic properties of MPs according to the traditional knowledge? and (iv) what are the impacts of MP collection on the socioeconomic status of the community? this study focused on one of the Chiwogs, the results may have wider applicability across other Dzongkhags (Districts) of Bhutan, with similar edaphic and floristic attributes
Some studies have addressed this concern in the north-western Himalayan context (Pant and Samant, 2012; Hanief et al, 2016), such studies have been rarely undertaken in Bhutan (Wangchuk et al, 2016)
Summary
Bhutan is endowed with abundant floral wealth including medicinal plants (MPs). Located in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots (Eastern Himalayas), the country has 70.46% forest cover with over 224 potential MPs, which are broadly categorized into high and low altitude MPs based on their location of occurrence (Wangchuk and Samten, 2009). Over a period of time, MPs began to play a more important role in commercial income generation and employment in many ethnic groups and cultures of indigenous peoples (Runk, 1998). This led to improvements in the economic status of the collectors (Robbins, 2000; Ticktin et al, 2002), there was widespread over-exploitation of the MP resources in the wild. Wangchuk et al (2016) reported that Menjong Sorig Pharmaceuticals (MSP), the firm that produces more than 100 poly-ingredient medicines for the traditional gSo-ba-rig-pa hospitals of Bhutan, has been extracting MPs from the Lingzhi region for nearly 50 years, which increased the harvesting pressure on the MP resources in the locality
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