The Himalaya are experiencing the most drastic global climate change outside of the poles, with predicted temperature increases of 5-6uC, rainfall increases of 20-30%, and rapid melting of permanent snows and glaciers. We have established a 1500 km trans-Himalayan transect across Nepal, Bhutan, and the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), China to document the effects of climate change on alpine plants and peoples. Data show that Himalayan alpine plants respond to environmental and climate change variables including elevation, precipitation, and biogeography. People use alpine plants mostly for medicines and grazing. Climate change threatens rare, endemic, and useful Himalayan plant species and is being monitored into the future. Mitigation of climate change in the Himalaya takes place, without conscious reference to climate change, through carbon negative livelihoods informed by traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) including conservation of sacred sites, afforestation, tree crops, and soil carbon sequestration through incorporation of mulch and manure.

Bhutan, a tiny Himalayan country nestled between India and China, is well-known for its rich biodiversity inhabiting variable landscapes across the country's 38,394 km 2 area. With 70.46% of its land covered in forest, a lowest elevation point of around 100 m above sea level (masl) in southern Bhutan, and the highest peak, Gangkhar Phuensum, rising to 7,570 masl, the country provides diverse habitats for a wide range of endemic, endangered, and native flora and fauna. However, documentation of these species of flora and fauna has been limited and unmethodical. Beginning in December 2016, the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) in Thimphu, Bhutan, has coordinated the collation of species checklists provided by a range of taxonomic experts from various institutions in Bhutan. Data was collected from numerous government agencies, colleges, individual researchers, NGOs, peer-reviewed journal articles, theses, books, institutional databases, and museum specimens until

In Bhutan, the genus Pentasacme Wall. ex Wight. had been represented by only one species, Pentasacme pulcherrima Grierson & Long, which is mainly distributed in shaded steep banks and gully walls in subtropical rainforest at 250-550 m above sea level. During the ongoing 100 Trees species seed conservation project in Bhutan with Millennium Seedbank, Kew, specimens of Pentasacme Wall. ex Wight. were collected from warm broadleaved forest slopes of Zhemgang and Mongar districts at elevation of 680-705 m. These specimens were later identified as Pentasacme wallichii Wight., which is a new record to Bhutan. A description, key to species, and other information of the species are provided to simplify its identification.

Pteris griffithii Hook., one of the rarest fern species on the Indian subcontinent, is reported from Bhutan for the first time. The identity of this species was confirmed through morphological determination at the National Herbarium (THIM) of the National Biodiversity Centre (NBC) of Bhutan. It was found only in one location, in Gyelpozhing in eastern Bhutan, at an elevation of 521 m a.s.l. on 10 January 2016. Given that a very limited study of this species was conducted, the knowledge baseline with regard to its distribution is poor. It is also reported that this species has not been found for several years. The species is also considered to be very rare or critically endangered in some countries; however, there are no assessments on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List for this particular species. This paper attempts to provide baseline information considering its rarity and data deficiency. This species is also reported from the adjacent neighboring Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as very rare, and also from Myanmar; however, confirmation of its presence in China is not clear at this time. Therefore, considering its data deficient status, we attempt to document it scientifically to create a knowledgebase pertaining to this particular species. Concurrently, this species merits further research to understand its distribution patterns in Bhutan and any related anthropogenic threats.

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