Exploration of Plant Species Diversity with special emphasis on medicinal plants of Nagar valley Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan

Abstract

Being rich in medicinal plant resource traditional herbal remedies have been utilized in Nagar valley since ancient times and have gained large acceptance throughout the country. Plant resources are used for the aliment of different health problems viz., blood pressure stomach disorder, diabetes, asthma, jaundice, respiratory problems, against kidney stone, and urine problem. To generate baseline data of existing plant species with special emphasis on medicinal and traditional use based on indigenous knowledge. Quadrat method was used for phytosociological analysis giving special emphasis to medicinal plant species used in excess. Importance Value Index (IVI), Two Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) were used for vegetation classification. The analysis was performed in PCORD (ver: 5.0). The medicinal usage of plant species was documented by conducting a survey through questionnaires and interviews. We identified four ecological zones viz., Agro-ecological zone, Dry rocky mountainous zone, Subtropical/desert zone and Sub-alpine zone on the basis of altitude and vegetation types. A total of 42 species from 24 plant families were recorded. It showed the importance of the Compositae family (eight species) followed by Rosaceae family (six species) as an important remedial sources for curing digestive and rheumatic problems, blood pressure, and respiratory disorders. Our findings indicate that many plants are being used excessively as remedial source to cure various diseases. This has put pressure on plant resource bringing them under threat. People lack of knowledge, overgrazing and climate change are also major drivers.