Conservation of Himalayan medicinal plants: Harvesting patterns and ecology of two threatened species, Nardostachys grandiflora DC. and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Pennell) Hong

Himalayan medicinal plants are threatened by large scale exploitation for trade. Research applicable to their sustainable use is largely lacking. We analyze the effects of different harvesting patterns on the population ecology of two highly threatened Himalayan medicinal plants, Nardostachys grandiflora (Valerianaceae) and Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora (Scrophulariaceae), in Shey-Phoksundo National Park and in its buffer zone in northwestern Nepal. We first documented local harvesting approaches of two major user groups, amchi (traditional doctors trained in Tibetan medicine), who harvest plants in a selective manner for local health care purposes, and commercial collectors, who harvest unselectively and at much higher intensity for trade. We then applied the selective harvesting approach of amchi in an experiment to test the effects of different harvesting levels on the population ecology of these two species. These experiments revealed a positive effect of low harvesting levels on plant density, but recruitment and survival rates decreased with increasing harvesting levels. We also analyzed the effect of high harvesting pressure for trade on the population ecology of N. grandiflora. Recruitment and survival rates were higher in N. scrophulariiflora than in N. grandiflora; the latter species is more vulnerable to harvesting than the former. The difference between them in sustainability of harvest is related to differences in their strategies of vegetative reproduction and in harvesting practices associated with these strategies. Management of Himalayan medicinal plants can be improved by taking harvesting patterns, plant life forms and growth patterns into consideration.