Western Indian Himalaya Research Articles

Influence of environmental factors on tree species diversity and composition in the Indian western Himalaya

Understanding patterns in forest communities and its driving factors play a critical role in ecological studies. In view of this, present study attempts to understand the role of environmental and anthropogenic factors towards shaping species diversity and composition along the altitudinal gradient (700–3800 m asl) in Indian western Himalaya. A total of 51 tree species (28 families) were recorded; Pinaceae (5) and Fagaceae (5) were the species rich families. α-diversity indices i.e., Margalef's richness index (R), Shannon index (Hʹ) and Simpson index showed a humped shaped distribution, whereas Evenness index (E) showed an inverted humped shaped distribution along the altitude range. Based on non-metric dimensional scaling (NMDS), four different community types were identified. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed a strong relationship of tree species composition with environmental (41.73% variation) and anthropogenic factors (17.35% variation). RDA further indicated that the bulk density (BD), disturbance index (DI), mean diurnal temperature range (Bio2) and solar radiation (SR) are significantly associated with sub-tropical (below 1200 m) and lower temperate forest (1200–1700 m) types. Likewise, soil organic carbon (SOC), precipitation of the driest quarter (Bio17) and pH were significantly associated with upper temperate (1700–2900 m), and subalpine forest composition (>2900 m). Both NMDS classification and RDA ordination clearly demonstrate spatial variability in composition of tree community and environmental properties.

Long-term variability of trace gases over the Indian Western Himalayan Region

The four-year continuous measurements of CO, NOx, NH3, SO2, and O3 were carried at a high altitude site (32.12°N, 76.56°E at 1347 m AMSL) of the Indian Western Himalayan area to study the mixing ratios of these gases for understanding the changing trends of these trace gases over the region. Each of these trace gases showed significant daily and monthly variabilities. The highest variability was recorded in the monthly mean values of O3 as it varied from 10 to 63 ppb during the study period. All the trace gases except CO showed maximum variability in the pre-monsoon seasons due to the strong advection and vertical circulation of air masses at the site. The seasonal mean maxima of CO were recorded during the monsoon season, while the mean maxima of NH3 were recorded during the post-monsoon seasons. The meteorological parameters have been found to influence the mixing ratios of trace gases. The least variability in the mean seasonal mixing ratios of SO2 during the study period indicated the constant point source of SO2 near the site. The trajectories analysis revealed that the area receives maximum air masses from the southeast to the west directions where a number of the coal-based thermal power plants, industries, cement plants, and agricultural fields are also located. The influence of valley-to-mountain circulations was also observed at the site, resulting in the transport of pollutant-rich air masses from local and distant sources to the site. A comparison of the mixing ratios of different trace gases obtained in the present study is also made with the values reported for other high altitude stations in the world.

Investigation of a building‐integrated solar photovoltaic‐wind‐battery hybrid energy system: A case study

In this study, performance of an off-grid roof-mounted Photovoltaic (PV)-micro wind-battery hybrid system is experimentally investigated for the first time, under real varying outdoor climatic conditions for 1.5 years in the Indian Western Himalayan region. With good solar access but low to medium wind resources. The performance of the system during different seasons and weather types (cloudy, partially cloudy, and sunny) shows the maximum monthly generation of 91% by PV with 09% wind system share. The follow-up research areas are also identified for sustainable utilization of available resources, which can contribute significantly to achieve the sustainability goal.

Leaf venation patterns in Saxifraga L. species (Saxifragaceae) of Indian Western Himalaya and its taxonomic implications

In the present study leaf venation types of 30 Saxifraga L. species, found in Indian Western Himalaya, were studied. Out of these, leaf venation patterns of 20 species were not previously studied. In total, five major types of leaf venations- acrodomous (perfect-basal; perfect-suprabasal; imperfect-suprabasal), camptodromous (eucamptodromous), campylodromous, hyphodromous, and palinactinodromous – were recorded. Section Micranthes show palinactinodromous; section Ciliatae show mainly acrodromous; section Mesogyne show palinactinodromous; and sect. Porphyrion show acrodromous, eucamptodromous and hyphodromous types of venation. Palinactinodromous appear as the ancestral venation type.

Agronomic interventions affect the growth, yield, and essential oil composition of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) in the western Himalaya

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) makes favourable use of environmental conditions when sown at the optimum time; however, less information is there in the literature about agronomic interventions in the Indian western Himalaya. Therefore, a field study was conducted for two successive years (2018-2019 and 2019-2020) to examine the effects of agronomic interventions on agro-morphological characters, essential oil (EO) yield, and chemical constituents of German chamomile cultivated in the Indian western Himalayan region. The experiment consisted of twelve treatments comprising of four sowing times (November 20, December 10, December 30, and January 20) in combination with foliar application of 3 salicylic acid (SA) levels (0 ppm, 25 ppm, and 50 ppm) replicated thrice in a factorial complete randomized block design (FRBD). Agro-morphological and yield characteristics were significantly higher in early sowing and SA applications but decreased with later sowing times. Days taken to develop each development stage declined with late sowing and vice-versa, while essential oil yield was 29.96 and 8.99% higher in early sowing (November 20) and 50 ppm SA application, respectively. Significantly higher α- bisabolol oxide A (5.80%) and bisabolone oxide A (14.74%) were recorded in late sowing (January 20) and early sowing time (November 20), respectively. The outcomes from the study presents innovative knowledge, a solution for farmers and industrialists to satisfactorily produce German chamomile by sowing at the proper time to get maximum yield and quality essential oil.

An integrated approach for the identification and prioritization of areas based on their livelihood vulnerability index: a case study of agro-pastoral community from Western Indian Himalaya

An integrated approach for the identification and prioritization of areas based on their livelihood vulnerability index: a case study of agro-pastoral community from Western Indian Himalaya

Spatial forest vulnerability profile of major forest types in Indian Western Himalaya

Forest vulnerability assessment with ground realities/ data has great implications for adaptation and management planning at local and regional scale. However, such assessments are still limited across globe including the Himalaya. In view of this, present study derived a spatial map of inherent forest vulnerability using ground based observation and information in the western Himalaya. Based on literature and data availability, we selected nine forest vulnerability indicators under four domains i.e., ecological (species richness, and NDVI), climate (temperature, rainfall), topographic (slope, aspect, elevation), disturbances (forest fragmentation) and social (population density). Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), which is a multi-criteria decision method, was used for weighting the vulnerability indicators. Based on AHP, forest vulnerability index (FVI) was developed using general linear model approach. The FVI index was further classified into four different categories i.e., low, medium, high and very high. The results revealed maximum (37%) forest grids under medium vulnerable profile followed by 31% (high) and 21% (low) vulnerable grids. In general, temperate and mixed forests show higher forest vulnerability in the region, whereas subtropical pine, broadleaf and subalpine forests falls under lesser vulnerable forest grids. These results exhibited that elevation (15.4%), population density (15.1%), slope (14.5%), rainfall (13.7%), forest fragmentation (12.9%), temperature (12.3), and aspect (11.4%) are the major drivers of forest vulnerability, particularly for the Himalayan region. To validate the results, we compared the developed FVI in present study with ground based FVI already generated in previous studies from the region, and found higher similarity in the assessments. The spatial forest vulnerability maps generated in the present study provides a realistic profile of vulnerable forests in Indian western Himalaya, which can be used for developing adaptation measure and management planning.

Ecological condition and management status of Community Forests in Indian western Himalaya

Community Forests (CFs) are considered as an important means of forest management, biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction and ecological sustainability all across the world. Present study is an attempt to understand if CFs in west Himalayan part of India (referred as Van Panchayat) is effective in performing such role of conservation and sustainable flow of goods and services. A total of 31 representative Van Panchayat Forests (VPFs) in western Himalaya were investigated to assess: (i) the ecological condition, and (ii) their status of management. In addition review of available literature was also carried out to understand global trends of knowledge on CFs, and to specifically know the focus of studies on VPs in the study region. A total of 1158 documents on CFs were obtained, of which 91 pertained to VPs/VPFs. These 91 studies were considered for detail assessment. Analysis of published literature on VPFs indicated larger leaning towards management and governance. However, in recent years (2011 onward) a shift towards ecological processes and climate change mitigation was noticed. Overall, the studied VPFs indicated the deteriorating state of ecological health. However, the forests having proper management had better ecological health i.e., higher species richness, tree density and regeneration. Species richness and contribution of native species was found high in VPFs established before 1980. Analysis across the elevation range reveals higher level of disturbances in VPFs located below 1500 m asl. While higher elevation (above 1500 m asl) performing better both with respect to ecological health and management status. The findings of the study call for urgent attention to bring back the glory of VPFs through policy interventions. Analysis of literature and primary observation suggest that the VPFs in west Himalaya with their existence for over 9 decades are fading the glory due to mismatched policy and practice priorities. The scenario can be changed with appropriate interventions to make these VPFs more relevant for local people as well as the emerging global targets of conservation and sustainable development.

Ranking and characterization of precipitation extremes for the past 113 years for Indian western Himalayas

AbstractGlobally, mountain systems are unevenly exposed to risks of extreme precipitation. Within the Himalayan region, precipitation extremes are a rising concern, but their current understanding is limited. In this study, we use 113 years of precipitation data to rank and characterize precipitation extremes in the Indian Western Himalayas (IWH). Our statistical ranking method integrates precipitation spatial extent and its intensity across different durations for determining the severity of extreme events. The proposed ranking method accounts for multi‐day duration ranking method to capture persistent precipitation episodes. Results show that the method accurately detects and ranks the most extreme precipitation events that occurred in the IWH and indicate locations of these events. Our results highlight that critical long duration events in the region (e.g., 10 days) are missed at ranks at shorter duration (e.g., 2–3 days), thereby highlighting the importance to multi‐day precipitation extremes ranking. In addition, the proposed ranking method provides information about the event duration that will be associated with the highest impact on society, carrying high significance. Our findings are valuable for flood risk management and disaster risk reduction.

Population status, threats, and conservation options of the orchid Dactylorhiza hatagirea in Indian Western Himalaya

Dactylorhiza hatagirea (D. Don) Soo (Orchidaceae) is a critically endangered high-value medicinal plant collected from wild and extensively used against diabetes, cuts/wound healing, gastric disorders, chronic fever, seminal weakness/dysfunctions, and bone fractures. The tuber of the species yields high quality “Salep” having astringent and aphrodisiac properties, with high economic value. This results in high demand and illegal collection of the species from wild, thus making this species one of the most exploited species in the Indian Himalaya. The populations of D. hatagirea are restricted to small isolated pockets and are subject to destructive harvesting, therefore, need urgent in situ as well as ex situ conservation interventions. In view of this, the present study is an attempt to understand population status, its distribution, threats, and vulnerability of the species. A total of 14 sites in different habitat types along the altitudinal gradient (2500–4500 m) were selected for intensive field study in the Indian Western Himalaya. The results of the study reveal that D. hatagirea prefers moist laden undulating habitats in alpine meadows. The population density of the species ranges between 0.70 and 2.43 individuals/m2 in alpine meadows of the studied sites. Population density and species abundance increased significantly along the altitude within its range of occurrence. The relationship between altitude and total density was curvilinear and significant (r2=0.666, p 0.247) between slope and total density. The results of the study also indicate that the vegetation in alpine ecosystem were more diverse in species composition at mid-altitudes (3400 to 3700 m) than high altitudes. Destructive harvesting of underground tuber and irregular grazing were observed as critical threats to the species. D. hatagirea share habitats with few expanding species (i.e., Polygonum polystachyum) and highly traded species (i.e., Ophiocordyceps sinensis) in the alpine meadows, which affects its population density. The study concluded that short life cycle, poor seed germination rate, specific microhabitat requirement, low population density, and high commercial value limit the widespread distribution of the species in the region. The findings of the study suggest an urgent need for developing conservation and management plan for the species in the region for sustaining traditional health care system and pharmaceutical demand.

Evaluating the DNA barcodes for identification of butterflies from Western Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India

Abstract DNA barcodes in species tagging have become a popular tool for taking inventories of species from different groups worldwide. The present study aimed to generate DNA barcodes of butterfly species from the Western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, India. The Indian Western Himalayan region (IWHR) has been explored to a limited extent about butterfly species’ diversity. However, the IWHR is prone to environmental change, and slight variations in climatic conditions can influence species diversity and change butterflies' range. The mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was first used to generate the DNA barcode for butterflies from this region on a broad scale. 28 morphologically identified species, consisting of 102 sequences, were finally grouped into 26 species, with only two species showing ambiguity in species identification. These species had

Predicting the potential distribution of a critically endangered medicinal plant Lilium polyphyllum in Indian Western Himalayan Region

Climate change presents a serious threat to endangered plant species within a restricted habitat. Lilium polyphyllum D.Don ex Royle is a species indigenous to the coniferous forests of the Western Himalaya. However, over exploitation, due to its high medicinal properties and demands of industry, has resulted in a steep decline of its natural habitats. Consequently, the species is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. The present study was carried out in the Western Himalayan region using the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict the potential distribution of L. polyphyllum in respect of IPCC future climatic scenarios. The modeling used mutually least correlated bioclimatic variables and topographic data over 53 occurrence locations. Future scenarios include IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 and 8.5 (representing less harmful and harsh climatic conditions) for the years 2050 and 2070. The main predictor variables contributing to the habitat are the precipitation of the driest month (52.7%), elevation (13.9%) and temperature seasonality (7.8%). Current potential habitats for L. polyphyllum have been located in the north-west and south-east regions of the Western Himalaya. Future climate change scenarios predict that the potential habitats of this species will shrink by 38–81% in these regions and moreover the habitats will shift towards the south-east, making Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand state of India as favourable habitats in the future. These findings assist in the identification of the potential conservation areas and provision of protection against climate change.

Indicator-based vulnerability assessment of forest ecosystem in the Indian Western Himalayas: An analytical hierarchy process integrated approach

Understanding the vulnerability of forests and its associated factors is crucial for the sustainable management of forested landscapes. The assessment of vulnerability of forests in the Indian Western Himalayan (IWH) region comprising the states of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Uttarakhand (UK) was done using six indicators of vulnerability in the form of biological richness index, disturbance index, forest canopy density, fire point intensity and forest extraction intensity of fringe forests. We express this assessment as the “indicator-based vulnerability”. The indicators were allocated weights by multi criteria analysis using analytical hierarchy process. The spatial extent of all of the selected indicators was mapped for the IWH region at a pixel resolution of 24 m and was integrated to find out the vulnerability for each pixel in a GIS environment. The study area was divided into 172 grids of size 0.5°, equivalent to the grid size of available climatic projections, out of which 67 grids were identified as the forest grids. The grids that have at least 5% forest cover were designated as the forest grids and the vulnerability assessment was done only for these grids. The final representation of vulnerability across forested grids of the IWH was done at a spatial resolution of 5' and 0.5° to categorise as low, medium, high and very high class. It was observed that the highest concentration of “very high” and “high” vulnerable grids of 5' size lies in the state of UK, comprising 32 and 31%, respectively. The aggregated values at 0.5° indicate that most of the grids of UK fall under very high vulnerability except for the few uppermost and lowermost grids falling under other categories. In J&K, most of the 5' grids fall under low vulnerability (41%), while medium, high and very high categories are 27, 25 and 7%, respectively. Similarly, out of total 28 grids of size 0.5°, only one grid is categorized as very high vulnerable, while 11 grids fall under high vulnerability. In HP, none of the grids of either size is categorized as very high vulnerable. It was observed that most of the high and very high vulnerable grids in the IWH are in the lower altitudes while higher altitudes have lesser magnitude of vulnerability. Forests occurring at a higher elevation such as the Alpine forests (dry, moist and sub-alpine) is the least vulnerable forests compared to other forest type groups of the IWH.

An incentive-based mitigation strategy to encourage coexistence of large mammals and humans along the foothills of Indian Western Himalayas

Escalation of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) is a barrier to the conservation of ecological corridors across the globe. The existing mechanisms to counter HWC are either economically and socially taxing, or ineffective for long-term management. We assessed HWC in the corridor linking the Rajaji and Corbett Tiger Reserves in Uttarakhand, India, and its drivers, along with the benefits derived by local communities from the forest. We designed an innovative incentive-based mitigation mechanism to encourage coexistence of people and wildlife around the corridor. Costs incurred due to conflict and benefits derived from the forest were assessed using semi-structured questionnaire-based personal interviews (n = 757) with representatives from forest dependent households (hh). Fuelwood (1678.7 ± 131 kg hh−1 year−1), fodder (4772 ± 186 kg hh−1 year−1) and green/dry grass (3359 ± 104 kg hh−1 year−1) contributed 3 ± 1%, 6 ± 0.5% and 9 ± 1%, respectively, to the annual income of dependent households. 69% of the households practising agriculture reported crop damage by wild animals, 19% of the households that owned livestock reported livestock loss, and 1.58% reported attack on humans resulting in injuries. The cost incurred due to crop raiding and livestock depredation was US $ 159.83 ± 1.0 hh−1 year−1 and US $ 229.32 ± 34.0 hh−1 year−1, respectively. Crop loss was positively associated with the number of crops grown per season and cultivation of sugarcane, wheat and pulses, and negatively with distance from forest and cultivation of fodder and finger millet. Livestock depredation was negatively associated with distance from forest and positively with number of livestock owned, primarily calves. The accounting profit from cultivating a hectare of land, in the absence of crop depredation by wild animals, was estimated at US $ 3571.84 ha−1 year−1 and US $ 361.44 ha−1 year−1 for the plains and hills, respectively. This value can be used to calculate the payments to be paid to local communities to encourage them to adopt HWC resistant agricultural and pastoralism practices. The net present value of benefits from participating in the payments to encourage coexistence programme for 5 years, discounted at 12%, was US $ 12,875.7 ha−1 for the plains and US $ 1302.9 ha−1 for the hills.

Soil nutrients concentration along altitudinal gradients in Indian Western Himalaya

ABSTRACT Altitude is a determining factor of vegetation composition, ecosystem properties and processes, and availability of soil nutrients. Present study examined soil nutrients at two depths i.e. 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm along altitudinal gradients (1800–4000 m asl) in the Indian western Himalaya. Results of the study reveals an increase in organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN), and total potassium (TK) along an altitudinal gradient, indicating that low temperature limits the cycling of organic matter at high altitudes. A significant positive relationship of soil nutrient parameters with altitude was observed for moisture content, OC, TN, TK, C:N ratio; however, it was negatively significant for pH. All the soil nutrients were higher for 0–15 cm depth than 15–30 cm across the altitudinal gradients. The tree species richness decreased with the increasing altitude. TN, OC, and TK were found at maximum levels in a broad-leaved forest (i.e. Betula utilis) at 4000 m, followed by Pinus wallichiana (3600 m) and Abies pindrow (3000 m). This indicates that broad-leaved forests contributed strongly to carbon sink in the high-altitude region of the Himalaya. It is concluded that forest stand structures and abiotic factors govern soil nutrients concentrations along altitudinal gradient in the Himalayan region.

Source apportionment of the light absorbing impurities present in surface snow of the India Western Himalayan glaciers

Darkening of surface snow caused by deposition of the Light absorbing impurities (LAIs) can reduce its albedo and further enhance its melting. Early melting of surface snow leads to exposing the underneath ice mass to sunlight for longer duration and consequent retreat of glaciers. This retreat of glaciers, further cause several hydrological and climatic implications. In this study, efforts were made to perform source apportionment of the LAIs found in the surface snow samples, collected from the three glaciers located in the Indian Western Himalayas (IWHs). Ionic composition of the snow samples derived from ion chromatography was further analyzed using two receptor models viz., principal component analysis (PCA) and positive matrix factorization (PMF). It was observed that biomass burning, vehicular emissions, dust emissions and coal combustion were the major sources of the LAIs in the IWHs. The PMF analysis, estimated that biomass burning and vehicular emissions contributed ~30% each in the emission of the LAIs. Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT)-based back trajectories for 7-days were plotted to identify locations of the sources of the LAIs. Back trajectories were observed to pass through agricultural, forest-covered and urban areas. The observations made, during this study, would help local authorities in identifying the hot spots of the LAIs’-emissions, on the basis of which region-specific policies could be framed to mitigate the anthropogenic emissions of the LAIs.

Transcribing molecular and climatic data into conservation management for the Himalayan endangered species, Taxus contorta (Griff.)

Owing to the changing climatic scenario globally, and human overexploitation, the risk of extinction of Himalayan endangered species has increased many folds. Taxus contorta, an endangered gymnosperm has reached a decisive state in the Western Himalayas, thus, demands immediate attention to rescue it. This study aims to elucidate population and landscape genetics of T. contorta to plan a successful conservation strategy. We used SSR genotyping to identify genetic diversity hotspots, and ecological niche modeling to reveal climatic hotspots of T. contorta in the Indian Western Himalayas. We observed a substantial genetic diversity, and a negligible level of inbreeding among T. contorta populations. A genetic bottleneck was observed in several populations. We propose that changing climate can cause a failure of an entire conservation management plan if the shift produces a degraded environment in the future, at the sites of conservation. Further, the conservation management is futile if it fails to enhance or conserve the genetic diversity. We propound that use of germplasm from genetic diversity hotspots for propagation in climatic hotspots, and prioritization of these hotspot patches for conservation would ensure greater genetic variability under a safe environment. This integrative approach of translating molecular and climatic data into conservation planning would save our efforts, time, and capital investment, and ensure greater success in managing the revival of T. contorta in the Western Himalayas.

Bioprocess for co-production of polyhydroxybutyrate and violacein using Himalayan bacterium Iodobacter sp. PCH194

The co-production of industrially relevant biopolymers/biomolecules from microbes is of biotechnological importance. Herein, a unique bacterium, Iodobacter sp. PCH 194 from the kettle lake at Sach Pass in western Indian Himalaya was identified. It co-produces biopolymer polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) and biomolecule (violacein pigment). Statistical optimization yielded dual products in the medium augmented with glucose (4.0% w/v) and tryptone (0.5% w/v) as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The purified PHA was polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), and pigment constitutes of violacein (50–60%) and deoxyviolacein (40–50%). A bench-scale bioprocess in 22.0 L fermentor with 20% dissolved O2 supply produced PHB (11.0 ± 1.0 g/L, 58% of dry cell mass) and violacein pigment (1.5 ± 0.08 g/L). PHB obtained was used for the preparation of bioplastic film. Violacein pigment experimentally validated for anticancerous and antimicrobial activities. In summary, a commercially implied bioprocess developed for the co-production of PHB and violacein pigment using the Himalayan bacterium.

Indicator-Based Assessment of Resilience and Vulnerability in the Indian Himalayan Region: A Case Study on Socio-Economy under Different Scenarios

The Indian Himalayan region is vulnerable to climate change because of its geospatial fragility. The present study gives a framework for the analysis of household and village-level resilience and vulnerability in the Bhagirathi Basin of Indian Western Himalayan region under different climate change scenarios. Villages were selected depending on different biophysical criteria to have a good representation of the study area. Household-level survey using the household economy approach was done in 646 households of 30 villages to collect information on indicators of natural, physical, financial and human capital assets and scores were generated for each category. A cumulative resilience score was obtained for each household and village. Future climate projections on mean annual temperature were also accessed under Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 to estimate the change in mean temperature of the studied villages and probable change in agricultural production. The result shows that most of the villages of Tehri Garhwal are clustered in vulnerable classes in comparison to Uttarkashi villages and vulnerability scores of 11 and 8 villages changed under climate shock and future agricultural production change scenarios, respectively. The study has manifold implications on further research and policy implementation under socioeconomic vulnerability in the Himalayan region.

Assessing Biodiversity and Productivity over a Small-scale Gradient in the Protected Forests of Indian Western Himalayas

ABSTRACT Biodiversity and productivity are the two most important attributes linked to the functioning of forest ecosystems. Understanding how diversity and productivity of a forest ecosystem change at a regional scale is crucial for conservation priority. We present an investigation of the structural attributes of forest with respect to biodiversity and biomass through a case study of Dachigam National Park (DNP), a protected forest in Indian Kashmir Himalaya. Systematic random sampling was performed in 60 forest stands of five different forest types of the study region. To compare the biodiversity and biomass attributes among forest types, we used Gaussian error distribution followed by the chi-square Wald test. We estimated structural attributes of the forest to visualize how they relate to the changing biodiversity across different forest types within DNP. The highest values of aboveground, below ground and total biomass were found in Pinus wallichiana forest, while it was lowest in scrub forest. Pinus wallichiana and Quercus robur tree species stocked the largest amounts of biomass, 24.83% and 17.20% respectively, and is a dominant carbon sink. The study would assist in evaluating the forested ecosystems by considering two important attributes of forests represented by diversity and productivity.