Remote Mountainous Regions Research Articles

Trajectories and drivers signalling the end of agricultural abandonment in Trás-os-Montes, Portugal

Agricultural abandonment has given rise to novel landscape dynamics worldwide. This paper investigates abandonment and post-abandonment dynamics in continental Portugal as a hotspot of landscape change. We mapped the spatial patterns and drivers of recent (1995–2018) land use changes in a remote mountainous region as post-abandonment trajectories, based on detailed land use/land cover data made available by the Portuguese government. We showed that ‘Revegetation’ trajectories, indicative of agricultural abandonment, were still widespread between 1995 and 2007. However, between 2007 and 2018, the landscape was much more stable with ‘Return to agriculture’ as the dominant change trajectory. To understand what drives landscape changes after abandonment, we explored the influence of a wide range of potential biogeophysical and socio-economic drivers on the observed trajectories. We contrasted different landscape outcomes in binary logistic regression models with the potential underlying drivers as independent variables. The regressions revealed that the most significant determinants of these alternating dynamics are existing land use, climate, slope, protection regime and accessibility. The results of the regressions are at times counterintuitive and give important indications of the changing spatio-temporal scales at which these variables exert influence on the landscape outcomes. However, the regression models’ limited accuracies highlight the need for deeper investigation of the socio-economic and historic context of the observed changes. Improved understanding of the (drivers of) alternative dynamics following agricultural abandonment can help inform policy decisions regarding agriculture and cultural landscape preservation.

Women in mountain tourism: exploring the links between women tourism entrepreneurship and women empowerment in Hunza Valley

ABSTRACT Tourism entrepreneurship is crucial to boosting household income and fostering gender equality in Pakistan. However, the involvement of women in mountain tourism entrepreneurship remains rather limited. This study examines the experiences of women entrepreneurs in the Hunza Valley of Pakistan, highlighting their transformative journey into the tourism market despite facing various obstacles. Through qualitative research involving 24 women-led tourism enterprises, the study illuminates the positive outcomes these women have achieved, including greater control over finances, enhanced decision-making power, boosted self-confidence, expanded networks, and overall societal empowerment. The study also identifies internal and external constraints faced by these entrepreneurs, emphasising the need for immediate policy interventions to support women's entrepreneurship in the region. Recognising the catalytic role these women play in promoting gender equality and social innovation, the study advocates for greater recognition and appreciation of their contributions to inspire other women in the region. Based on the study's findings, a framework for women's tourism entrepreneurship is proposed, emphasising the potential of such initiatives to empower women, drive social change, and foster gender equality in remote mountain regions.

GEOSPATIAL TOOLS FOR THE STUDY AND DOCUMENTATION OF THE COMMUNAL CULTURAL HERITAGE IN MOUNTAINOUS AND ISOLATED AREAS. THE CASE STUDY OF DOLO POGONIOU

<p class="ABSTRACT">This paper outlines a method for researching and recording heritage in remote mountainous regions, using the Municipality of Pogoni, Community of Dolo, Greece, as a case study. It details the documentation of various monuments with high accuracy and precise 3D rendered models. Emphasizing the importance of preserving cultural heritage in remote areas, geospatial technologies are integrated to understand artifacts and traditions. The "GeoDolo Portal" provides access to educational and historical content on architectural structures. The findings underscore the importance of geospatial tools in enhancing the documentation process and fostering community engagement for sustainable heritage conservation initiatives.</p>

Understanding ethnic minority students’ motivations to pursue higher music education over time

This longitudinal case study aimed to explore changes in ethnic minority students’ motivations to pursue higher music education during the transition from high school to university. The participants were recruited from the Yi, Mongolian and Tibetan ethnic groups in a remote mountainous region of southwest China. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study indicated that the ethnic minority students were driven both by intrinsic motivations, including a love of and interest and persistence in music, positive musical experiences and musical ability, and by extrinsic motivations, including the desire to earn a university degree by way of studying music, meet the expectations of their local music teachers and family members and repay their hometowns by serving as local music teachers. However, most of the participating ethnic minority students exhibited a shift in their motivations to study music after 2 years of university education. This shift was attributable to various elements, including peer competition, employment pressure, mentor support and the university environment. Based on these findings, we suggest ways to support ethnic minority students transitioning smoothly from high school to university and continuing their music studies.

Survey of a snow petrel nesting site in a remote high mountain region to inform designation of an Antarctic Specially Protected Area

Despite the sensitivity of ecosystems in extreme conditions, only 0.029% of the Antarctic continent is currently granted special protection as Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA). Additionally, protected areas are unevenly distributed and unrepresentative of the biodiversity of Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties are thus striving to establish a more coherent network of protected areas. In this context, the Otto-von-Gruber-Gebirge was identified as an area highly worthy of protection due to its unique ecosystem including one of the largest snow petrel breeding sites, and relative pristine nature. However, in the process of designation, an update of knowledge, particularly of the population status of snow petrel in the area, was recognized to be needed. This study was aimed at estimating a population census of snow petrel breeding pairs in the Lake Untersee catchment, an important subarea of the potentially protected area. Investigations were severely limited by the remoteness and harsh conditions of the area, enabling only a short fieldwork period with limited resources. Thus, a combination of remote sensing and traditional methods was applied. We conducted a ground survey of a smaller reference area, including locating nest sites and assessing nest site characteristics. Snow petrels usually nest in the cavities of large boulders and we thus classified habitat suitability based on boulder presence. To do so, the study area was remotely surveyed by unpiloted aerial vehicles to gain orthophotomosaics in sufficient resolution to distinguish on-ground conditions for breeding. We then calculated nest site densities for the reference area. We also studied nest site data such as nest cavity depth, orientation, and attendance to gain basic knowledge of the characteristics of the breeding site. Finally, we measured a sample of four live snow petrels to determine which morph was present at the site. We were able to obtain nest site data and to extrapolate it, which produced population numbers of 11,765 breeding pairs for the whole study area. This underpins the size of the breeding site and thereby its importance for the species.

Advances in Village Girls’ Education: Revealing Social Change in China

This study is constructed of life course profiles of the educational trajectories of a cohort of rural girls from a village in the mountains of western China during critical educational reform years. Observational date were collected annually from 2000-2022. Findings show that even in remote mountainous region of China, village girls attained surprisingly advanced educational levels. Specifically, 76 percent of the participants had attained education beyond the compulsory level; 92 percent progressed to senior secondary school, and their graduation rate was 94 percent. The entrance rates to tertiary institutions rose to 100 percent of graduates. Notably, a substantial proportion of the participants, constituting 29 percent, persisted in tertiary education, with a notable 17 percent gaining admission to academic tertiary institutions. The case study conducted in Sha’anxi, situated in one of the most remote mountainous regions, illustrates a profound transition in schooling dynamics from rural to urban contexts. This comprehensive transformation prompts a reasonable inference that similar patterns of schooling migration are likely observable in less remote rural areas across China. Consequently, there arises a compelling argument for the integration of educational provisions in migrant “urban villages” and “peri-urban rural developments” into the municipal school systems, ensuring equitable allocation of resources to these under-resourced areas. Especially in light of China’s significant aging population skewness, the integration of urban migrant educational provisions becomes even more imperative.

Mapping the Ophiocordyceps sinensis value chain: actors, profits and social institutions in south-west China

AbstractCommercial use of wildlife is booming. However, knowledge of trade, price structure and benefit distribution mechanisms remain limited for many endemic, threatened and economically valuable species, impeding efforts to develop conservation intervention schemes in line with sustainable objectives. We illustrate the nature of commercialization of the caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, collected in a high-altitude Tibetan region. Using the value-chain approach, we document how caterpillar fungus is collected in a remote mountainous region and traded across a wide range of middlemen until it finally reaches high-end markets in urban centres. Mapping the caterpillar fungus value chain helps identify the actors involved and the social institutions (i.e. the rules, norms and arrangements that shape people's behaviours) facilitating access to markets and influencing profit distribution and price structure. We present the complex dynamics of this commercialization process, providing a holistic value-chain analysis that encompasses actors, profits and institutions.

Synergistic adaptive control of virtual inertia and damping coefficient in virtual synchronous generators for standalone microgrid applications

The current control methods for virtual synchronous generators (VSG) in regulating inverter frequency in standalone microgrids at border posts and remote mountainous regions remain suboptimal. This study introduces a small-signal VSG model to elucidate the intrinsic dynamics of the virtual inertia and damping coefficient, along with their coupled interrelationship. A novel VSG control approach is proposed, featuring synergistic adaptive regulation of both virtual inertia and damping coefficient. This approach is designed to optimize the interaction of the virtual inertia and damping coefficient with the frequency difference and rate of frequency variation, within a predefined operational range. Additionally, it adaptively modulates these parameters to mitigate further frequency reductions, taking into account the frequency difference and active power when deviations occur outside the predefined range. The experiments demonstrate that this approach effectively moderates the rate of frequency change, diminishes frequency departure velocity for approximately 4 times the original during disturbances, expedites frequency stabilization post-disturbance, the stabilization time is reduced by at least half of the original and prevents excessive frequency deviations. The implementation of this method significantly enhances the response speed and accuracy of frequency control in standalone microgrids, contributing to improved overall system stability.

Sustainability assessment of small hydropower from an ESG perspective: A case study of the Qin-Ba Mountains, China

Small hydropower (SHP) has made significant contributions to economic and social development in rural and remote mountainous regions. However, the adverse ecological-environmental impacts resulting from the SHP sector and challenges in hydropower management have become major areas of concern. From an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) perspective and using three SHP stations (GXD, WZL, and SJB) in the Qin-Ba Mountains as case studies, we constructed a sustainability assessment system comprising 18 indicators across three dimensions. The hesitant fuzzy linguistic term sets (HFLTSs) and cloud models were employed to determine the sustainability level of SHP by characterizing the hesitancy of the evaluator and the uncertainty of the evaluated data. (1) The ecological-environmental protection (E) dimension was assigned the greatest weight, followed by the dimensions of social responsibility contribution (S) and corporate governance management (G). The weights of certain indicators, including the water qualification rate, river morphology maintenance, guaranteed rate of instream flow, comprehensive utilization, and production safety standardization grade were relatively high, conforming to the current context of green development prioritization in which ecological-environmental protection is of the utmost importance. (2) The overall sustainability levels of all three SHP stations were “good”, with the E-dimension contributing the most and the G-dimension contributing the least to the sustainability goal. (3) The GXD, WZL, and SJB stations were ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in terms of their sustainability scores. This study provides an innovative perspective for the sustainability assessment of SHP. The evaluation method can be generalized to encompass multi-attribute decision-making problems. The findings of this study can aid in addressing the shortcomings associated with SHP development and promote sustainability within the SHP industry.

Digitally mapping soil carbon of the uThukela headwater catchment in the Maloti-Drakensberg, a remote Afromontane mountain region

ABSTRACT Although regional soil mapping is commended, site-specific studies are required for mapping and quantifying soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at a landscape scale for management and rehabilitation purposes. Site-specific studies are especially important in remote mountainous areas where soil data are largely absent. The aim of this study was to quantify and map the SOCs of an alpine region in the Maloti-Drakensberg. The samples collected in-field along with digital soil mapping techniques were used to map the SOCs. The models were SoLIM’s rule based (RB) and sample based (SB), random forest (RF), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), regression kriging with cubist (RK-CB) and universal kriging. From the results, the mean SOC for the validation dataset of the study area was 12.44 kg organic carbon (OC) m−2. The best model was RK-CB (mean = 12.43 kg OC m−2), with R 2 and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.61 and 4.01 kg OC m−2, respectively. The underperforming model was SoLIM-RB (mean = 13.27 kg OC m−2), with R 2 = 0.27 and RMSE = 5.75 kg OC m−2. The RK-CB model from this study significantly outperformed a region-scaled model, proving that site-specific studies in small catchments should be preferred to, especially if there are no soil data available for that area.

Undertaking wildlife surveys with unmanned aerial vehicles in rugged mountains with dense vegetation: A tentative model using Sichuan Snub-nosed monkeys in China

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have broad applications. However, their use for wildlife surveys in rugged mountains with dense vegetation is uncommon. Therefore, developing appropriately designed methods, selecting suitable facilities, establishing effective monitoring processes, and managing databases that align with a region’s distinctive geographic landscapes, environments, ecology, and habitats are essential. This study focuses on the Giant Panda National Park in China’s densely vegetated Qinling Mountains to carry out surveys using UAVs to assess the Sichuan snub-nosed monkey population size (Rhinopithecus roxellana) over an area of 30,000 ha. The results indicate that eight distinct groups were identified, totaling 648–755 individuals. Thus, this study offers proof-of-principle for using UAVs for surveying wildlife in remote mountainous regions with complex landscapes and dense vegetation and demonstrates how UAVs can be used in animal monitoring and conservation. Furthermore, the study highlights the broader potential application of UAVs in other remote mountainous regions, where animal demographic information is urgently needed to establish database-driven conservation strategies.

Microbial Architects of the Cold Deserts: A Comprehensive Research of Biological Soil Crusts in the High-Altitudinal Cold Deserts of the Western Himalayas

Our research has focused on Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs) in the Western Himalayas, specifically in Tibetan Plateau and Karakoram (Ladakh, India) along the elevation gradient spanning a range of 4300–6000 m a.s.l. where habitats like cold deserts, steppes, alpine and subnival vegetation, as well as primary successional stages behind retreating glaciers are present. These regions are characterised by extensive development of BSCs, with cyanobacteria as the dominant component. BSCs are of great significance for the sustainability and development of ecosystems of arid regions worldwide. Their activity is limited to brief periods when precipitation or dew hydrates microbial cells, enabling metabolic activity. Despite the crucial role played by these phototrophic microbial communities in arid and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide, remote mountain regions like the Tibetian Tibetan Plateau and Karakoram have received limited attention in this regard. More than 15 years long research allowed us to determine several critical aspects of BSCs’ activity and performance: We conducted laboratory and in-situ experiments Fig. 1 to assess the potential photosynthetic and heterotrophic activity of BSCs from high-altitude cold deserts. The experiments involved measuring the production and consumption of CO2 and O2 by BSCs under various temperature and moisture conditions, as well as light intensity. By manipulating these factors, we could differentiate the activities of heterotrophs and autotrophs within the BSCs. The results of these experiments were then analysed in the context of soil nutrient stoichiometry, phylogenetic structure, and microbial community biomass. Using these data, we developed a mechanistic mathematical model to predict the overall metabolic activity of BSCs in response to the major climatic drivers: temperature and moisture. This knowledge could help us to predict the reaction of BSC to climatic changes and reveal if the arid areas in Western Himalayas will act as CO2 sources or sink. We further investigated the composition and content of pigments in microbial soil communities across various habitats along the elevation gradient in the Tibetan Plateau (Rehakova and Capkova 2019). Soil microbes have evolved complex metabolic strategies, such as producing photoprotective and photosynthetic pigments, to survive the environmental stress caused by high UV radiation, fluctuating temperatures, and drought. We also examined the effects of environmental factors such as altitude, mountain range, and soil physico-chemical parameters on the composition and biovolume of phototrophs which dominate the BSc in the studied region (Řeháková 2011, Janatková and Řeháková 2013). This was accomplished through multivariate redundancy analysis and variance partitioning. Interestingly, the phylogenetic diversity and morphotypes’ composition were similar between the Karakoram and Tibetan Plateau (Čapková 2015). Our investigation represents the first recorded assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cyanobacterial communities within biological soil crusts in the Western Himalayas, specifically at altitudes exceeding 5000 m. We conducted laboratory and in-situ experiments Fig. 1 to assess the potential photosynthetic and heterotrophic activity of BSCs from high-altitude cold deserts. The experiments involved measuring the production and consumption of CO2 and O2 by BSCs under various temperature and moisture conditions, as well as light intensity. By manipulating these factors, we could differentiate the activities of heterotrophs and autotrophs within the BSCs. The results of these experiments were then analysed in the context of soil nutrient stoichiometry, phylogenetic structure, and microbial community biomass. Using these data, we developed a mechanistic mathematical model to predict the overall metabolic activity of BSCs in response to the major climatic drivers: temperature and moisture. This knowledge could help us to predict the reaction of BSC to climatic changes and reveal if the arid areas in Western Himalayas will act as CO2 sources or sink. We further investigated the composition and content of pigments in microbial soil communities across various habitats along the elevation gradient in the Tibetan Plateau (Rehakova and Capkova 2019). Soil microbes have evolved complex metabolic strategies, such as producing photoprotective and photosynthetic pigments, to survive the environmental stress caused by high UV radiation, fluctuating temperatures, and drought. We also examined the effects of environmental factors such as altitude, mountain range, and soil physico-chemical parameters on the composition and biovolume of phototrophs which dominate the BSc in the studied region (Řeháková 2011, Janatková and Řeháková 2013). This was accomplished through multivariate redundancy analysis and variance partitioning. Interestingly, the phylogenetic diversity and morphotypes’ composition were similar between the Karakoram and Tibetan Plateau (Čapková 2015). Our investigation represents the first recorded assessment of the phylogenetic diversity of cyanobacterial communities within biological soil crusts in the Western Himalayas, specifically at altitudes exceeding 5000 m.

КЫРГЫЗ САТИРАСЫ: ТЕК, ТҮР, ЖАНР МАСЕЛЕЛЕРИ

It can be said that after the October Revolution, namely in the 20s of the twentieth century, a period of great success, controversy and heated discussions began for the former Soviet literature. These materials alone would give grounds for considering them as objects of special scientific research. After all, at that time, the literature of the Union republics was making a new step in professional terms, and with the publication of the first samples of written literature, its theoretical and practical issues were put on the agenda and aroused considerable interest. New concepts for the literature of the 1920s often arose within the framework of the Russian literature of that time, and with great difficulty they reached the remote mountainous regions, especially those like us, whose literature lived and developed in oral form. Its objective reasons are also known to us. Nevertheless, in 1924 the first Kyrgyz national newspaper Erkin Too was published on November 7 and served as a source of our literature. Starting from the first issues of the aforementioned Erkin Toon, some genres of Kyrgyz written literature appeared. Kyrgyz professional satire is also created on the pages of this newspaper. In a satirical work, laughter is necessarily critical and sarcastic. He pokes fun at petty flaws in people's behavior, work, and character with mild humour. Humor can be found in all genres of fiction - novels, short stories, essays, short stories, dramas, feuilletons, fables and others.

Genetic screening of an endemic mutation in the DYSF gene in an isolated, mountainous population in the Republic of Dagestan.

Dysferlinopathy has a high prevalence in relatively isolated ethnic groups where consanguineous marriages are characteristic and/or the founder effect exists. However, the frequency of endemic mutations in most isolates has not been investigated. The prevalence of the pathological DYSF gene variant (NM_003494.4); c.200_201delinsAT, p. Val67Asp (rs121908957) was investigated in an isolated Avar population in the Republic of Dagestan. Genetic screenings were conducted in a remote mountainous region characterized by a high level of consanguinity among its inhabitants. In total, 746 individuals were included in the screenings. This pathological DYSF gene variant causes two primary phenotypes of dysferlinopathy: limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) type R2 and Miyoshi muscular dystrophy type 1. Results indicated a high prevalence of the allele at 14% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12-17; 138 out of 1518 alleles), while the allele in the homozygous state was detected in 29 cases-3.8% (CI: 2.6-5.4). The population load for dysferlinopathy was 832.3 ± 153.9 per 100,000 with an average prevalence of limb-girdle muscular dystrophies ranging from 0.38 ± 0.38 to 5.93 ± 1.44 per 100,000. A significant burden of the allele was due to inbreeding, as evidenced by a deficiency of heterozygotes and the Wright fixation index equal to 0.14 (CI 0.06-0.23).

Root Seeking and Remote Sensing with the Bunun in the Mountains of Taiwan

AbstractMany Indigenous groups in Taiwan, including the Bunun, inhabited remote mountainous regions. Beginning in the 1930s, all mountain settlements were relocated to lower-lying areas by the colonial authorities. These groups lost the territories where they used to hunt, practice slash-and-burn agriculture, and carry out other social and cultural practices. Having being separated from their ancestral lands for decades, their knowledge of their former settlements and traditional ways of life is gradually disappearing. In recent years, there is a tendency among the younger generation of Indigenous people to organize and participate in roots-seeking expeditions. As their knowledge about the former settlements is limited, they seek help from the elderly—and archaeologists. Since 2014, I have collaborated with Bunun communities, recording their ancestors’ lands in the Lakulaku River Basin by joining archaeological surveys on roots-seeking trips. During these surveys, I had to learn Bunun values and gain knowledge of the Lakulaku River Basin via the bodily experience of moving through and being in the landscape with its traditional inhabitants. By applying remote-sensing technologies such as airborne lidar in our surveys, our team managed to identify and record settlements that were unfamiliar to the Bunun.

Dumagat tribes and tourism industry engagement in promoting cultural integrity

Dumagats live in a remote mountainous region on the northern island of Luzon. Indigenous peoples' reliance on local resources decreases as a result of tourism, which increases their reliance on a globalized economy. Respecting and upholding the ownership of objects, customs, and knowledge that are unique to a specific culture or community is known as practicing cultural integrity. The Dumagat and Alta have a close relationship with nature; they continue to live according to their customs and engage in traditional activities including farming, fishing, and hunting. “Subkal’n- is’suwi” that they inherit from their ancestors. Local and indigenous knowledge refers to the understandings, skills, and philosophies developed by societies with long histories of interaction with their natural surroundings. The researchers recommend that the government provide the dumagats livelihood so they can engage in their community like, pig raising, poultry, and crop farming; assimilate traditions in their daily life; Education can boost the self-esteem of the tribe members and change their perspective. Tribal leaders should encourage young tribe members to attend school in order to preserve the cultural integrity of the tribe. Tribe members learn the value of themselves. People ought to leave their comfort zones and look for chances outside of the mountains. The researchers' proposed answer will be to make the best possible use of these promotional variables in order to secure and ensure the preservation of the cultural integrity of the dumagat tribes, which the tribe and the government believe important to promote.

Potential long consequences from internal and external ecology: loss of gut microbiota antifragility in children from an industrialized population compared with an indigenous rural lifestyle.

Human health is strongly mediated by the gut microbiota ecosystem, which, in turn, depends not only on its state but also on its dynamics and how it responds to perturbations. Healthy microbiota ecosystems tend to be in criticality and antifragile dynamics corresponding to a maximum complexity configuration, which may be assessed with information and network theory analysis. Under this complex system perspective, we used a new analysis of published data to show that a children's population with an industrialized urban lifestyle from Mexico City exhibits informational and network characteristics similar to parasitized children from a rural indigenous population in the remote mountainous region of Guerrero, México. We propose then, that in this critical age for gut microbiota maturation, the industrialized urban lifestyle could be thought of as an external perturbation to the gut microbiota ecosystem, and we show that it produces a similar loss in criticality/antifragility as the one observed by internal perturbation due to parasitosis by the helminth A. lumbricoides. Finally, several general complexity-based guidelines to prevent or restore gut ecosystem antifragility are discussed.

Collaborative Referral Model for Hepatitis C Screening and Treatment in a Remote Mountainous Region of Taiwan during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Community-based screening for the hepatitis C virus (HCV) decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed a collaborative referral model between a primary clinic (Liouguei District Public Health Center, LDPHC) and a tertiary referral center to increase HCV screening and treatment uptake in a mountainous region of Taiwan. Once-in-a-lifetime hepatitis B and C screening services established by the Taiwan National Health Insurance were performed at LDPHC. Antibody-to-HCV (anti-HCV)-seropositive patients received scheduled referrals and took a shuttle bus to E-Da hospital for HCV RNA testing on their first visit. Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) were prescribed for HCV-viremic patients on their second visit. From October 2020 to September 2022, of 3835 residents eligible for HCV screening in Liouguei District, 1879 (49%) received anti-HCV testing at LDPHC. The overall HCV screening coverage rate increased from 40% before referral to 69.4% after referral. Of the 79 anti-HCV-seropositive patients, 70 (88.6%) were successfully referred. Of the 38 HCV-viremic patients, 35 (92.1%) received DAA therapy, and 32 (91.4%) achieved sustained virological response. The collaborative referral model demonstrates a good model for HCV screening and access to care and treatment in a Taiwan mountainous region, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sustained referral is possible using this routine referral model.

Nutritional and mineral analysis of the ultimate wild food plants of Lotkuh, Chitral, the Eastern Hindukush Pakistan

Wild food plants (WFPs) are designated as functional foods owing to their nutritional potential and as a source of bioactive compounds vital for human health. In times of geopolitical upheaval and nutritional imbalance in mountainous areas of the world, the contribution of WFPs is extraordinary. Lotkuh is a remote mountainous region in the Eastern Hindukush that supports distinctive global plant biodiversity. The documentation and nutritional analysis of the wild edible plants have not yet been subjected to scientific investigation, even though WFPs make up a significant component of the inhabitant’s diet. The current study is the first scientific investigation of the nutritional profile of 16 WFPs in the Hindukush region of Pakistan. Plants were collected from different parts of the study area and were subjected to proximate analysis adhering to the standard protocols of AOAC international. Proximate analysis revealed higher moisture in Rheum webbianum (91.5 g/100 g FW) and Oxyria digyna (90.5 g/100 g FW), while Elaeagnus angustifolia had the lowest (25.4 g/100 g FW). Mentha longifolia and Pinus gerardiana had (23.2 g/100 g) and (14.0 g/100 g) protein, whereas Berberis lyceum contained (3.6 g/100 g). Pinus gerardiana had the highest lipid (56.50 g/100 g), followed by Hippophae rhamnoides (45.50 g/100 g), and Berberis lyceum (0.91 g/100 g). Crataegus songarica with high carbohydrate (87.50 g/100 g) was followed by Eremurus stenophyllus (80.83 g/100 g), whereas Berberis lyceum had the least (18.51 g/100 g). High crude fiber (19.33 g/100 g) was found in Ziziphora clinopodiodes followed by Cotoneaster nummularia with (15.50 g/100 g). Pinus gerardiana and Prunus prostrata had low fiber of 1.387 and 1.377 g/100 g. Vitamin C was high in Mentha longifolia (90.63 mg/100 g), Eremurus stenophyllus (86.96 mg/100 g), and Ziziphora clinopodiodes (90.45 mg/100 g). Ca concentration was (948.33 mg/100 g) in Oxyria digyna followed by Cotoneaster nummularia whereas the lowest Ca (20.03 mg/100 g) was recorded in Diospyros lotus. Mg was high in Oxyria digyna (994.00 mg/100 g) and lowest (10.01 mg/100 g) in Diospyros lotus. Berberis lyceum (54.30 mg/100 g), Oxyria digyna (34.33 mg/100 g), and Rheum webbianum (26.04 mg/100 g) had the maximum iron. Mn was high in Berberis lyceum (14.33 mg/100 g), Pinus gerardiana (6.33 mg/100 g), and Elaeagnus angustifolia (4.60 mg/100 g). Prunus prostrata (12.16 mg/100 g), Oxyria digyna (10.30 mg/100 g), and Pinus gerardiana (4.16 mg/100 g) were the leading in Zn concentration whereas Ziziphora clinopodiodes (0.22 mg/100 g). The current study establishes the hitherto unidentified nutritional profile of the WFPs in the area. The prospect of nutritional research on WFPs in the Eastern Hindukush is established by this study.

Exploring Soil Particle Size Fraction and Spatial Redistribution of 137Cs in Sloping Landscapes with Different Lynchet Heights of Terracing Hedgerows in the Remote Mountain Region of Southwestern China

Soil erosion is a global environmental problem related to anthropogenic activities which are influenced by natural factors. The sloping cultivated lands, with serious soil erosion, constitute a significant proportion of the landscape in the remote mountain regions of southwestern China. The traditional soil conservation strategy, involving a certain height of lynchets on the edge of the terracing hedgerows of the sloping lands, plays an effective part in soil and water conservation. A typical sloping landscape with a lynchet of terracing hedgerows was chosen in this study. The objective of this study was to explore soil particle size fraction and spatial redistribution of 137Cs in sloping landscapes with different lynchet heights of terracing hedgerows. The results showed that fine-grained sediments were deposited in front of the lynchet of terracing hedgerows, especially particle sizes grouped at <0.002 mm clay and 0.002–0.02 mm silt. The 137Cs concentration profiles of the lynchet from the upper to the lower sloping landscape showed first increasing and then decreasing trends when the soil depth increased. 137Cs inventory generally increased along with the whole sloping landscapes. Moreover, the results suggested that the mean 137Cs inventory and erosion rate could be represented by the average value of the middle slope position. The highest value of annual erosion modulus reached 4917.06 t km−2 a−1 on the upper site of the sloping lands. Moreover, the annual erosion modulus was synchronously reduced from the upper to the lower sloping landscape and the erosion rate had a similar trend. Meanwhile, the K values of soil erodibility changed from 0.0338 t hm2 h (hm−2 MJ−1 mm−1) to 0.0375 t hm2 h (hm−2 MJ−1 mm−1) along the slope length. There was a logarithmic relationship between the K value and the 137Cs inventory. Therefore, it is useful to study spatial patterns of soil erosion in different slope positions with different heights of lynchet of terracing hedgerows of the whole sloping landscape. Moreover, it is important to implement a soil conservation strategy in the remote mountain regions of China.