Changes in forest cover in a Central Himalayan catchment: Inadequacy of assessment based on forest area alone

Abstract

The Central Himalayan region experiences severe ecological problems as a result of continuous deforestation, which threatens the subsistence population of the region. In the present study, changes in the forest cover of a catchment over a period of 16 years have been quantified. Baliya catchment (7783 ha) contains 2865.47 ha of different types of forest, i.e. sal (Shorea robusta), mixed sal, pine (Pinus roxburghii), pine-mixed broadleaf, mixed oak (Quercus spp.), cupressus (Cupressus torulosa). The process of fragmentation has been studied through changes in forest area and biomass. There has been a sharp decline in biomass, although only a marginal reduction in forest area (3.5%) has occurred. Decline in the stocking density has also been substantial. Forest area with higher crown cover (> 60%) declined from 736.32 ha to 292 ha during 1971-1989, indicating the intensity of human interference.