The nomadic pastoral indigenous communities of the Ladakhi people share roots with Tibetan culture in terms of food, clothing, religion, festivals, and habits, and rely widely on plant resources for survival and livelihood. This survey was conducted during 2019–2021 to document the indigenous knowledge about plant resources of the Balti, Beda, and Brokpa communities of the Ladakh region, trans-Himalayas. Open- and close-ended semi-structured interviews (N = 184) and group discussions (N = 17) were used to collect the data. Quantitative data was further analyzed using various statistical tools. A total of 105 plant species belonging to 82 genera and 39 families were used as medicine, fuel wood, fragrance, oil, food, flavor, fodder, decoration, and dye. Among these, medicinal use was most prevalent, with 70% of use reports, followed by fodder and fuel wood. Leaves (27%) were the most preferred plant part used, followed by roots and flowers. The principal component analysis revealed five clusters of ethnobotanical usage, i.e., food, medicine, fuel wood, fodder, and fragrance, oil, dye, and flavor. The maximum number of plant species used was reported by the Brokpa, while the Beda reported the minimum number of plant species uses. Delphinium brunonianum, Waldheimia tomentosa, and Juniperus indica played a significant role in the cultural and religious ritual aspects, whereas Allium przewalskianum, Waldheimia tomentosa, Juniperus indica, and Hippophae rhamnoides were commonly used as a livelihood source among Ladakhi communities. The local people collected most plants (65%) for self-consumption, while the rest (35%) were sold in markets as a source of income. The sustainable utilization and management of plant resources by local people is a strategy to boost livelihoods and food security and alleviate poverty.

Background: A fair amount of ethnobotanical knowledge of wild plant species is still held by the native people of the Himalayan mountainous region. The present study quantified the ethnobotanical usage of plants in a remote tehsil (Karnah) of district Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, evaluating the traditional medicinal plants use against various diseases.Methods: This study was conducted in 2019 and 2020 to collect information regarding different ethnomedicinal uses of plant species growing in the region through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Multivariate ecological community analysis was used to find the relationship between ethnobotanical usage and plant species.Results: Floristically, a total of 29 plant species belonging to 25 genera were used as medicine. Asteraceae was the largest family with 14% species. The results of preference analysis showed a significant difference in plant part usage (χ 2 =70.587, df=9, p<0.001). The highest priority of local people was for leaves (38%). The most frequently usage was against stomach problems (20%). The dendrogram generated five distinctly separate clusters based on the usage of wild plant as traditional medicines against various diseases. A majority of the local people (81.33%) used traditional medicines and 49.23% regarded traditional medicines as always effective. Conclusions:This study provides a useful self-care tool for the native people of the Kashmir Himalayas and other similar Himalayan mountainous region. Further, this study will help in developing scientifically-informed strategies for conservation of medicinal resources and sustainable use of plant diversity in this part of Himalayan region.

Traditional diets exist in all cultures and geographic regions, and they often represent healthy eating options. Traditional culinary preparations have, however, often undergone profound change, even in the isolated Himalayan region. Therefore, we adapted methods to identify traditional plant foraging activities to better understand their significance in food system sustainability, as well as to promote innovative local gastronomies. Information on wild food and foraging practices was gathered from varied ethnic groups such as Kashmiri, Gujjars, Pahari, Dogra, Bakarwal, Balti, Beda and Brokpa through interviews (n = 716) and group discussions (n = 67) in four bio-geographic regions of the Jammu and Kashmir Himalayas (J&KH). The data were subjected to ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) via R software Ver. 4.0.0. We documented 209 food species, of which 73% were plants and 27% animals, used by the inhabitants of four bio-geographic regions of J&KH. The highest number of food plant species was recorded in Indian Kashmir, followed by Jammu, Azad Kashmir and Ladakh (81, 65, 60 and 27 species, respectively), and the maximum number of animal species was reported in Indian Kashmir, followed by Azad Kashmir, Ladakh and Jammu (33, 21, 19 and 17 species, respectively). The Azad Kashmir and Indian Kashmir regions showed greater similarity, whereas the least overlap was observed between Kashmir and Ladakh. The PCA showed considerable variation between different regions, and specific groups of species were more related to one specific region than others. The reported uses of Abies pindrow, Acacia modesta, Bergenia ciliata, Bergenia stracheyi and Juglans regia among plants, and Jynx torquilla, Streptopelia orientalis and Tadorna ferruginea among animals, are novel for the gastronomy of this part of the Himalayan region. We also recorded for the first time from this region seven unique food preparations of wild animals. This study documented extensive traditional knowledge on the usage of wild species, and is the first scientific description of wild food species and their vernacular names in the Western Himalayas, Jammu and Kashmir. Our findings can contribute significantly to combating food insecurity by revitalizing and reconsidering the rich bio-cultural food heritage around which local traditional communities have developed their food systems.

Plant resources have always been valuable in human life, and many plant species are used in medicine, food, and ritual, and resource utilization is closely related to cultural diversity. Our study was conducted from June 2019 to April 2021, during which we aimed to document the local knowledge of plant resources of five ethnic groups, i.e., the Gujjar, Bakarwal, Kashmiri, Pahari, and Dogra communities of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) region, Western Himalayas. Through semi-structured interviews (N = 342) and group discussions (N = 38), we collected data on the ethnobotanical uses of plant resources. The data was subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis and ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) via, R software of version 4.0.0. Traditional uses were classified into three groups, i.e., single-, double-, and multi-use groups. The study recorded a total of 127 plant species, belonging to 113 genera and distributed among 64 botanical families. The dominant plant families were the Asteraceae, with 8% of all species, followed by Lamiaceae (6%), Polygonaceae (5%) and Ranunculaceae (4%). The recorded plant taxa were frequently used for medicine (51.4% responses), followed by food (14.9%), and fodder (9.5%). Principal component analysis (PCA) separated three groups of provisioning services depending on plant consumption preference levels. Comparative analysis showed remarkable similarities in plant uses (food, medicinal) among the Gujjar and Bakarwal ethnic groups, as both groups share a common culture. Some plants like Azadirachta indica, Brassica campestris, Ulmus wallichiana, Amaranthus blitum, and Celtis australis were also used for magico-religious purposes. We also recorded some medicinal uses that are new to the ethnobotanical literature of the J&K Himalayas, such as for Betula utilis, Sambucus wightiana, and Dolomiaea macrocephala, in our case for example local medicinal recipe, which is derived from Dolomiaea macrocephala, often known as Nashasta, used to treat weakness, back pain, and joint pain. Similarly, we also recorded new food uses for Eremurus himalaicus. Moreover, we also observed some plants for instance, Fragaria nubicola, Betula utilis and Juniperus communis have spiritual significance (i.e., amulets and scrolls) for this part of the Himalayan region. The present study provides a useful tool for resource management and can help in developing scientifically informed strategies for the conservation of plant resources.

Background: Traditional knowledge plays an important role in the conservation of floral diversity and is often used for the treatment of numerous diseases in local medicinal systems. Diverse cultural groups in the Himalayan regions have their own local indigenous healthcare systems, with medicinal plant applications that differ depending on geography and ecology. Therefore, it is important to understand plant ecological behavior for prioritizing conservation efforts and comprehending the impact of climate change on plant phenological traits. Methods: Ethnopharmacological data was collected through interviews and group discussions using semistructured and close-ended questionnaires from different ethnic groups i.e., Gujjar, Bakarwal, and Kashmiri. The data was subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis and ordination techniques (Principal Component Analysis) using multivariate software.Results: The present investigation documented a total of 32 plant species belonging to 31 genera in 23 families.Across the 23 families, the distribution of species was unequal, half of the species belonged to just 6 families (Asteraceae, Berberidaceae, Lamiaceae, Ranunculaceae, Solanaceae and Amaranthaceae) while the remaining half belonged to 17 families. Amongst the parts of plants, roots were the most utilized plant part with 25% of usage followed by whole plant (22%). Gastro-intestinal disorders were treated with most species (18%), followed by pulmonary infections (13%). A heat map showed two distinctly separated clusters based on the degree of intensity of flowering timing of the flora and month. Based on the conservation assessment, out 19% of all species observed fell in the Critically Endangered category of IUCN, followed by 6% in the Vulnerable category.Conclusions: This study provides the ethnopharmacological and ecological scope of the plants of the Kashmir in the northern Himalaya. There is need to develop strategies to conserve and sustainably harvest these plants in order to maintain their long-term benefits in the medicinal field.