Dwindling status of a community managed forest in the Dhauladhar mountain range of western Himalaya

Community managed forest is one of the striking features of Himalayan forest ecosystems that not only help in their conservation but also in nurturing the well-being of adjoining communities. However, during the past few decades, human impacts have affected the sustainability of such ecosystems. Recognizing this, the present study was conducted to assess the ecological status of a community managed ‘Bohal spring-shed’ forest in the foothills of Dhauladhar mountain. Stratified random sampling was conducted to collect primary data on plants. Altogether, 61 vascular plant species belonging to 33 families were reported from the area. A marked difference in the distribution of life forms (herb and shrub) was reported between the disturbed and undisturbed sites in the spring-shed forest. Diversity indices revealed that for herbs α-richness, α-diversity, and evenness was significantly higher (p≤0.05) in undisturbed site whereas for shrubs they were higher in disturbed site. However, tree diversity did not vary significantly between the sites. The percentage cover of Ageratina adenophora was significantly higher at the disturbed site (p≤0.05). The seedlings and saplings revealed a non-significant distribution pattern, however, girth-class distribution revealed a higher frequency of young individuals in the undisturbed site. Similarly, soil properties also varied significantly between disturbed and undisturbed sites (p≤0.05). Soil pH, bulk density, and available sodium were higher at the disturbed site while the organic matter, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, available calcium and available magnesium were high at the undisturbed site. Total biomass and carbon content were also higher in the undisturbed site. The present study concludes that disturbance has led to changed vegetation assemblages in the present area that might affect the ecosystem services rendered by this community managed forest. Therefore, long-term monitoring of the forest is desired with a special focus on alien species.