Species richness normally decreases with increasing elevation. However, a hump and a plateau have been documented in species richness curves in the Nepal Himalaya. We sampled species richness and composition in 80 plots located in the north and south aspects of the dry valley of Manang, a trans-Himalayan inner valley of Nepal, between 3000 and 4000 masl. We used regression and ordination to relate species richness and composition to the physical environment. Pinus wallichiana, Juniperus indica, Abies spectabilis, Betula utilis and Salix species are the dominant tree species. B. utilis is found only in the moist north aspect and Juniperus species are more common in the dry south aspect. Moisture is the most important determinant of species richness and composition. At the local level, our results show a plateau in species richness at the elevation range of 3000–4000 masl. There were significantly more species on the north aspect than on the south. Key words: aspect, altitude, beta-diversity, ordination, species richness, soil moisture Himalayan Journal of Sciences Vol.4(6) 2007 p.57-64

An attempt was made to explore, identify, and document medicinal plants used in dermatological and cosmetic disorders by the people of Arghakhanchi district of western Nepal. The study was conducted during 2006-2008 using semi-structured, open-ended questionnaires, informal interviews, and group discussion with traditional healers and persons of different age and occupation having knowledge about plants and plant based remedies. A total of 31 plant species belonging to 24 families were identified and documented. Arghakhanchi district has a rich repository of medicinal plants. The indigenous traditional knowledge has been transmitted orally for years is becoming extinct, with the introduction of modern and alternative facilities of treatments in the district. Hence, these traditional practices need proper documentation and this reinforces the need for screening new active compounds. These documented plant species may be used for development of new, cheep, and effective medicines in future.

Fodder shortage (quality as well as quantity) has been found through outmid hills of Nepal. The tree fodder is particularly important as a green, nitrogen supplement to poor quality crop residues during the dry season when feeds are scarce. The nutritional values of fodders differ according to species and season therefore farmers prefer different species for different seasons to feed their livestock. The choice or preference of fodder species by farmers reflects their traditional knowledge on nutritional values, palatability, cultivation easiness and seasonal variability of tree fodder in local environment. The paper highlights an indigenous knowledge system that relates to the quality of tree fodder used by farmers in mid hills of Nepal. In total 69 plant species have been recorded as tree fodder and out of them ten best tree fodders have been listed on the basis of preferences and priority by farmers. Information was gathered through a semi structured open questionnaire by interviewing 85 respondents of different age groups of Arghakhanchi district. Though Focus species was the most abundant among tree fodder, Grewia optiva (locally known as 'phorso') was found the most preferable tree fodder species in the study area.

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