Study confirms presence of near extinct Hangul population outside Dachigam NP in Kashmir Valley

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Image Credit: Lovenaimals.com

All may not be lost for the near extinct Kashmir red deer, Hangul, with just around 200 individuals surviving within the 141 square kilometers of Dachigam National Park in Jammu and Kashmir. A new study confirms the presence of Hangul population outside the National Park and also shows evidence of other suitable habitats for Hangul in Kashmir Valley. 

Soma plant a fit veggie for troops in cold deserts, says Indian Defence research

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Indian troops deployed in the drastic terrains of the cold desert in Leh may look forward to get a new item in their menu, as the defense researchers find that Soma (Rumex patientia), a common plant found in high altitudes, can be used as a vegetable. According to researchers at the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), a division of the Defence Research and Development Organisation ( DRDO), Soma is fit to be used as a vegetable in cold desert areas where cultivation of common vegetables are not supported.

Rumex patientia (Image Courtesy: Current Science)

According to a research correspondence published by DIHAR researchers in Current Science Journal, the leaves of the plant is rich with protein, fats, oil, crude fiber and carbohydrate which makes it a fit as spinach for common people and military personnel in the cold deserts areas like Leh and parts of Himachal Pradesh. “It (the plant) has the potential to meet the green leafy vegetable requirement of local people and troops deployed in Ladakh. It may also contribute towards development of products for helping in acclimatization and improved performance of especially the low-landers under high-altitude cold desert conditions.”, says the correspondence.

 

Soma plant is more productive than actual spinach, says the correspondence. “It grows fast and produces more biomass in a short period than spinach even in stony, sandy and less fertile soils”, it says.

Unlike the dietary benefits, the medicinal properties of the plant are rather known for years. It is used in traditional medicine systems as well. According to the researchers, the roots of the plant were used for the treatment of variety of ailments like pain, inflammation, bleeding, ringworm infection, tumour and constipation in Chinese folk medicine. Practitioners of Tibetan traditional medicine also utilize the plant for medicinal purpose. Several chemical compounds found in the leaves are the reason for the medicinal property, says the correspondence.

The researchers claim that planting soma will be beneficial to the environment also since it fights soil erosion and desertification. “It is beneficial for soil and water conservation, protects desertification and contributes towards land reclamation in the fragile cold arid ecosystem of Ladakh”, says the correspondence. 

While the plant is capable of surviving extreme temperatures, it can grow in arid, water logging conditions also. During April and August, about 300 to 900 grams of leaves can be collected in 7 to 8 pickings from an average plant, according to the researchers. The research correspondence also calls for mass cultivation of the plant in the cold desert areas.

During the study, the researchers have collected 40 seed samples of the plant and has preserved in the National Permafrost Facility at DIHAR. Narendra Singh, J. S. Arya, S. B. Maurya, R. B. Srivastava of Defence Institute of High Altitude Research, Leh-Ladakh have co-authored the correspondence.

Lake Tsomoriri, a crucial Ramsar site under threat from tourism, shows WWF case study

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Drawing stark contrast to the official response at 11th Conference of the Contracting Parties (CoP) to Ramsar Convention taking place in Romania, a WWF case study published by the convention shows that Lake Tsomoriri which is crucial for the breeding of highly threatened Black-necked Crane, Grus nigricollis is under threat from unrestricted tourism activities. 

Lake Tsomoriri
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

The revelation comes at loggerheads to the official report submitted by India to the convention that the condition of Ramsar sites in the country has not changed except some improvements. According to the National Report on the Implementation of The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands submitted by India, there has been no change in the ecological condition of the wetlands in the country, especially Ramsar sites during the last three years. 

“Some of the wetlands have improved in its ecological character through management interventions like Chilka Lake in Orissa by opening up of mouth to allow flushing of saline water which not only helped in increasing fisheries potential, decreasing weeds but also enhanced tourism in the area, directly helping communities to raise their socio-economic status.”, says the National Report on the Implementation of The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands submitted at the convention.

However, according to the case study, the 120 km2 wide lake situated at an altitude of 4595 meters in a critical area in the migration routes of some 40 species of birds is plagued by tourist facilities built around the site without the necessary EIAs. 

Black-necked Crane
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Moreover, the site known to be the breeding ground of highly threatened birds like Black-necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) and Bar-headed Goose (Anser indicus) is crowded by tourists right during the breeding season. Due to the unplanned tourist activities, “tourism camps have been located in areas where there is a high risk of disturbing wildlife” and “wastes, pollution, and environmental damage are increasing around trekking routes and campsites”, says the study.  

The region which is also supporting rare mammals like Himalayan blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), Tibetan argali (Ovis ammon hodgsoni), Kiang (Equus kiang), Tibetan Wolf (Canis lupus chanko), Lynx (Lynx isabellina), and Snow leopard (Uncia uncia) has become more accessible with the presence of a metaled road. 

Tourist operators often arrange jeep safari for the tourists which according to the case study, has caused “off-road driving of jeeps over the pastures causing soil compaction and damage to vegetation, reducing productivity, and opening the fragile soils to erosion. There are also reports of jeeps being used to chase kiangs and other species.”

According to an estimate, at least 20,000 tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit the lake in a year, but often the local community of nomadic shepherds called Changpas is not benefitted. Instead, the pastures for their cattle are grazed by horse packs accompanying the tourists, which results in social tension, says the study.

Lake Tsomoriri, 
©Pankaj Chandan / WWF-India

Read more on Ramsar CoP11 coverage by IBT