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The nomadic pastoral indigenous communities of the Ladakhi people share roots with Tibetan culture in terms of food, clothing, religion, festivals, and habits, and rely widely on plant resources for survival and livelihood. This survey was conducted during 2019–2021 to document the indigenous knowledge about plant resources of the Balti, Beda, and Brokpa communities of the Ladakh region, trans-Himalayas. Open- and close-ended semi-structured interviews (N = 184) and group discussions (N = 17) were used to collect the data. Quantitative data was further analyzed using various statistical tools. A total of 105 plant species belonging to 82 genera and 39 families were used as medicine, fuel wood, fragrance, oil, food, flavor, fodder, decoration, and dye. Among these, medicinal use was most prevalent, with 70% of use reports, followed by fodder and fuel wood. Leaves (27%) were the most preferred plant part used, followed by roots and flowers. The principal component analysis revealed five clusters of ethnobotanical usage, i.e., food, medicine, fuel wood, fodder, and fragrance, oil, dye, and flavor. The maximum number of plant species used was reported by the Brokpa, while the Beda reported the minimum number of plant species uses. Delphinium brunonianum, Waldheimia tomentosa, and Juniperus indica played a significant role in the cultural and religious ritual aspects, whereas Allium przewalskianum, Waldheimia tomentosa, Juniperus indica, and Hippophae rhamnoides were commonly used as a livelihood source among Ladakhi communities. The local people collected most plants (65%) for self-consumption, while the rest (35%) were sold in markets as a source of income. The sustainable utilization and management of plant resources by local people is a strategy to boost livelihoods and food security and alleviate poverty.

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Background: A fair amount of ethnobotanical knowledge of wild plant species is still held by the native people of the Himalayan mountainous region. The present study quantified the ethnobotanical usage of plants in a remote tehsil (Karnah) of district Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, evaluating the traditional medicinal plants use against various diseases.Methods: This study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 to collect information regarding different ethnomedicinal uses of plant species growing in the region through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Multivariate ecological community analysis was used to find the relationship between ethnobotanical usage and plant species.Results: Floristically, a total of 29 plant species belonging to 25 genera were used as medicine. Asteraceae was the largest family with 14% species. The results of preference analysis showed a significant difference in plant part usage (χ 2 =70.587, df=9, p<0.001). The highest priority of local people was for leaves (38%). The most frequently usage was against stomach problems (20%). The dendrogram generated five distinctly separate clusters based on the usage of wild plant as traditional medicines against various diseases. A majority of the local people (81.33%) used traditional medicines and 49.23% regarded traditional medicines as always effective. Conclusions:This study provides a useful self-care tool for the native people of the Kashmir Himalayas and other similar Himalayan mountainous region. Further, this study will help in developing scientifically-informed strategies for conservation of medicinal resources and sustainable use of plant diversity in this part of Himalayan region.

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Zootherapy is accepted all around the globe not only in ancient cultures but different animal derived medicines are also part of the practice in the modern health care systems. The present study assessed the traditional ethnozoological usage of wild animals by local inhabitants in Ladakh region, India, and the reference data for scientific approaches for protection of faunal diversity in trans-Himalayas. The ethnozoological documentation of the animals in Ladakh was carried out through semistructured and close-ended questionnaire surveys and interviews. Multivariate ecological community analysis was used to elucidate the relationship between ethnozoological usage and animal species. Our results showed three animal usage clusters with 32% similarity. Moreover, the similarity in animal usage between digging tools, trophy, handle of tools, decoration, and matting, showed less than 32% of similarity. The highest priority of local people was for food followed by decoration and medicinal usage. The most frequently used animal parts were meat followed by fur and horn. Medicinal uses of 48% of the reported species, i.e., Alectoris chukar (chukar), Cuon alpinus (Asiatic wild dog), Lepus oiostolus (hares), Marmota himalayana (marmots), Ovis aries vignei (Ladakh urial), Pantholops hodgsonii (Tibetan antelope), Procapra picticaudata (Tibetan gazelle), Pseudois nayaur (blue sheep), Tetraogallus himalayensis (Himalayan snow), Tetraogallus tibetanus (Tibetan snow cock), and Lutra lutra (common otter) were reported for the first time from this region. Our study provides innovative information regarding the ethnozoological knowledge in the Ladakh region and reference data for policymakers, researchers, land managers, common public, and the other stakeholders to develop logical and scientific approaches for sustainable use of faunal diversity in hotspot regions like trans-Himalayas and other similar biodiversity-rich sites.

Background: Traditional knowledge plays an important role in the conservation of floral diversity and is often used for the treatment of numerous diseases in local medicinal systems. Diverse cultural groups in the Himalayan regions have their own local indigenous healthcare systems, with medicinal plant applications that differ depending on geography and ecology. Therefore, it is important to understand plant ecological behavior for prioritizing conservation efforts and comprehending the impact of climate change on plant phenological traits. Methods: Ethnopharmacological data was collected through interviews and group discussions using semistructured and close-ended questionnaires from different ethnic groups i.e., Gujjar, Bakarwal, and Kashmiri. The data was subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis and ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) using multivariate software.Results: The present investigation documented a total of 32 plant species belonging to 31 genera in 23 families.Across the 23 families, the distribution of species was unequal, half of the species belonged to just 6 families (Asteraceae, Berberidaceae, Lamiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Solanaceae and Amaranthaceae) while the remaining half belonged to 17 families. Amongst the parts of plants, roots were the most utilized plant part with 25% of usage followed by whole plant (22%). Gastro-intestinal disorders were treated with most species (18%), followed by pulmonary infections (13%). A heat map showed two distinctly separated clusters based on the degree of intensity of flowering timing of the flora and month. Based on the conservation assessment, out 19% of all species observed fell in the Critically Endangered category of IUCN, followed by 6% in the Vulnerable category.Conclusions: This study provides the ethnopharmacological and ecological scope of the plants of the Kashmir in the northern Himalaya. There is need to develop strategies to conserve and sustainably harvest these plants in order to maintain their long-term benefits in the medicinal field.