Total Utility Values and Extraction of Some Ecological Important Plant Species in the Timberline Zone of NDBR, Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya.

The present investigation deals with the total utility value of some ecologically important plant species and their collection from the timberline zone of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR). The study was carried out in the timberline zone of Niti valley in district Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India. The inhabitants of the valley have tremendous traditional knowledge of plants species and their medicinal uses. Present study exhibited 30 ecological important plant species belonging 18 families for curing 42 different kinds of ailments in the selected villages of Niti valley. The maximum total use value (70.92 %) was recorded for Betula utilis, followed by Taxus baccata (66.67 %) from the region. The present investigations reveal that 41% of the documented plant species in the study area are threatened. Of the 20 threatened plant species, 14 are endangered, 3 critically endangered, 2 vulnerable and 1 species are Rare as per the IUCN threat assessment. The inhabitants collected different plants species for some common health problems, traditional customs, and economic purposes.