Prof. B.L. Koul
Much of the forest cover that used to be the pride of the Himalyas and adorn them with rapturous charm, has disappeared, thanks to the unchecked activites of some unscrupulous people who through an indiscriminate felling of trees denuded the mountains and hills rendering them ecologically useless and counter productive. As a natural corollary to the ruthless deforestation, many species of wildlife in the Himalayas in general and in the Kashmir Himalayas in particular, are facing the threat of extinction.
The three main constituent regions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir are the Sub Himalayan Jammu, The Himalayan Kashmir and the Trans-Himalayan Ladakh. These three regions can be likened to the three steps of a terrace, the lower step being the Jammu region, the middle one as the Kashmir valley and the upper one as Ladakh. In the Jammu region we have a range of hills known as Siwaliks and to the north of the Siwaliks are the middle mountains called as the Lesser Himalayas or the Pir Panjal range. The Kashmir valley is enclosed by the Pir Panjal range in the south and by the Grater Himalayas in the north. Ladakh is the land of mountain passes with the mountain ranges constituting the mose striking features of the land. These ranges constitute the most striking of the land. These ranges stretch from the south east to the north west and include the Greater Himalayan Range as well besides the Zanskar Range, the Ladakh Range, and the Korakoram Range. Many valleys nestle in the laps of these formidable mountain ranges.
The type of vegetation found in Jammu and Kashmir is typical of western Himalayas, of which the State is a part. A largely mountainous terrain dominates the twin provinces of Jammu and Kashmir and rainfall is sufficient to favour growth of vegetation including trees. But in Ladakh region the cold and arid climate does not favour the growth of forests.
The outer slopes of Siwaliks in the jammu region are covered with evergreen bushes and bear an open scrub forest. The slopes of the middle mountains are also clothed in temperate monsoon forests. Important species of trees found in the region are deodar, chir pine, blue pine, silver fir and oak. The mountain ranges surrounding the valley of Kashmir abound in deodar, blue pine, silver fir, birch trees and alpine brush wood of Juniper and Rhododendron. Besides these types of trees, willows and poplars also bound in the plains of the Valley.
Before, 1947, Jammu & Kashmir state boasted of a well managed forest wealth. However, after independence the forests which till then had been protected from the ravages of deforestation became viticms of vandalism through an indiscriminate felling of trees. According to the figures available, the state has now more than 2 lakh hectares of degraded forests. This is without doubt a matter of great concern, not only in terms of economy but also from the ecological point of view.
With the fast disappearance of forests, wild animals too have fallen an easy prey to poachers and the trigger-happy hunters.
The situation has already assumed alarming proportions, and some of the most beautiful and rare wild species like Hangul, Snow leopard, Spotted deer, Musk deer and Himalayan Monal are threatened with extinction in their respective habitats. Biologically it is a well known fact that a close relationship exists between an organism and its environment and any tampering with the habitat, automactically results in upsetting the natural life of the organism. Besides playing havoc with the natural habitats of wild animals deforestation in Jammu & Kashmir and also brought in its wake floods as a result of soil erosion on the mountain slopes. Construction of dams for generation of electricity alongside of major rivers for instance Chenab River in Jammu province not only degrade the habitat of wildlife but also cause floods, soil erosion and landslides. Frequent land slide on the Srinagar-Jammu and Srinagar-Leh highways are also a direct consequence of ecodegradation of the Kashmir Himalayas, which has been going on unchecked for quite some time now.
In the not so distant past, the state of Jammu and Kashmir boasted of a rich and varied wildlife. Unfortunately due to rapid depletion of the forest cover wildlife have been rendered vulnerable to reckless hunting and poaching. A stage has now come where some of the species of wild animals have come to the verge of extinction thereby finding inclusion in the red book of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unless immediate remedial steps are taken on a priority basis, we shall soon lose some of the finest wildlife specimens in our part of the Himalayas.
Our state has the unique distinction of having the “Hangul: (Cervus elephs hanglu) found nowhere else in the world and it has already become an endangered species.
Similarly, Snow leopard (Panthera uncia), Markhor (Capra falconeri), Musk deer (Moschus moschiferous) are other rare and beautiful animals facing danger of extinction.
Due to the varying type of terrain and climate, ranging from the plains of Jammu and alpine forests and shallow water bodies of Kashmir, to the lunar type mountains of Ladakh a rich bird fauna abounds in Kashmir Himalayans.
These birds include the beautiful pheasants, partridges and water birds. Partridges and pheasants remain confined to dense forests ranging in altitude from 3000 to 15,000 ft. Some birds like Tragopon (Tragopon melanoephalus) and cheer pleasant (Catreus wallichi) have been listed among endangered species in the red book of I.U.C.N.
What can be done ?
Although detailed accounts are available on the geomorphology, Vegetation, fauna and wildlife in Kashmir Himalayas, yet so far no attempt has been made to have a realistic and comprehensive overview of the situation as it exists today. The available data are scattered in different books, journals and periodicals and there is no single publication to which a layman or even an expert can refer. Further, there has been no serious attempt to co-relate the ecodegration of habitat with the existence of wildlife in Kashmir Himalayas.
A serious study needs to be made to co-relate the ecodegradation of wide range of natural habitats to the problems connected with conservation of a variety of fascinating but endangered species of wildlife in Kashmir Himalayas. The study may prove beneficial in evolving steps towards the preservation of our precious wildlife heritage.
(The author is an environmentalist)
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