High-altitude research stations to track impact on flora,fauna

High-altitude research stations will be set up in seven districts of the state where separate teams will study the “vertical or horizontal shift” in the growing patterns of plants and trees for next five years. Impact of the shift of flora on the directly-related fauna — insects,butterflies and birds — will also be tracked.

The project is all set to take off from January 2010 as a joint venture of the Himachal Pradesh forest department,the Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT),Palampur,and the Himalayan Forest Research Institute,Shimla.

“In the beginning,the project will study the impact of climate change on the transition-zone flora for five years. Its results will determine the need for continuing the project for another five years,” said Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Vinay Tandon. A similar effort was experimented in European countries to study the impact of climate change across the Alps.

In the recently concluded conference organised by forest department,environment expert Dr N H Ravindranath of the Centre for Ecological Sciences,Indian Institute of Science,Bangalore,had emphasised that as the temperature in north-west zone of the country would rise by five to six degrees Celsius in the next 50 years,Himachal would be affected. He had also advocated tracking of the behaviour of plants and as there would be an altitudinal shift in the growing pattern of various species,of which pine would be most vulnerable.

Under the new project,the transition zone across Shimla,Kullu,Sirmour,Chamba,Mandi,Kinnaur and Kangra districts will be divided into various research plots,where plantation of bhojpatra (birch),fir,spruce and oaks will be carried out on experimental basis. Currently,these species grow in mid-hills. The alpine pastures in Himachal start beyond the height of 9,000 to 9,500 feet.

Parallel to studying the sustenance of these plants in this transition zone,the forest department will also study the impact of this shift on breeding and life cycle of various insects,butterflies (pollinators) and birds.

“Study of the impacts of climate change on flora in respect to faunal linkages will help draw some idea about the pertinent conflict that would surface in the two interdependent things,” explains Tandon.

Preparing nurseries for the proposed experimental plantations will take off soon along with plot survey in the alpine pastures after winters.