Swertia chirayta, a Threatened High-Value Medicinal Herb: Microhabitats and Conservation Challenges in Sikkim Himalaya, India

• Main Authors: Bharat Kumar Pradhan, Hemant Kumar Badola
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Mountain Society 2015-11-01
• Series: Mountain Research and Development
• Subjects: chirayta; disturbance; habitat pliability; management; population; regeneration; vulnerability; Sikkim
• Online Access: http://www.bioone.org/doi/full/10.1659/MRD-JOURNAL-D-14-00034.1
• ISSN: 0276-4741; 1994-7151

Assessing the impact of threats, identifying favorable growing conditions, and predicting future population scenarios are vital for the conservation and management of threatened species. This study investigated the availability, microhabitat characteristics, threat status, and community associations of Swertia chirayta, a highly threatened Himalayan medicinal herb, in 22 populations in Sikkim, India, using the vertical belt transect method. Of the 14 microhabitats identified, open grassy slope emerged as the most favorable and wet grassy slope as the least favorable for S. chirayta. The species was dominant in 8 of the 10 major plant communities identified. Among 9 major types of disturbance identified, human movement and collection of non-timber forest products appeared as the biggest threats to S. chirayta. Disturbances significantly affected the availability of the species. S. chirayta, though under high anthropogenic threat, maintains high microhabitat pliability, which is vital for its conservation and management, provided immediate conservation measures are taken.