Valley of Flowers National
Park, Chamoli – Flora & Fauna
The national park is known for
its scenic beauty comprising endemic alpine shrubs and different colorful
flowers, milky white streams, snow-clad peaks and pristine air. This richly
diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including
the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, musk deer, brown bear, red
fox and blue sheep. Birds found in the park include Himalayan
monal pheasant and other high-altitude birds.
Flora:
The national park has gained
importance as a region containing a diversity of alpine flora, representative
of the Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows ecoregion. The rich
diversity of species reflects the valley's location within a transition zone
between the Zanskar and Great Himalayas ranges to the north and
south, respectively, and between the Eastern Himalaya and Western Himalaya
flora. A number of plant species are considered threatened.
Several have not been recorded
outside of Uttarakhand. Two have not been recorded in Nanda Devi National Park.
The diversity of threatened species of medicinal plants is higher than has been
recorded in other Indian Himalayan protected areas. The valley has three types
of sub-alpine zones as follows: foothills alpine between 3,200 m and
3,500 m which is the upper height limit for trees, lower alpine between 3,500 m
and 3,700 m, and higher alpine above 3,700 m.
The habitats include valley
bottom, river bed, small forests, meadows, eroded, scrubby and stable slopes,
moraine, plateau, bogs, stone desert and caves. The lower surrounding hills in
the buffer zone are thickly forested. The Forest Research Institute in 1992
recorded 600 species of angiosperms and 30 pteridophytes in the valley and
surroundings, discovering 58 new records for the valley of which 4 were new for
Himalayan state.
Of these plants, 5 out of 6
species globally threatened are not found in Nanda Devi National
Park or elsewhere in Uttarakhand: Aconitum falconeri, A.
balfouri, Himalayan maple (Acer caesium), the blue Himalayan poppy (Meconopsis
aculeata) and Saussurea atkinsoni. 31 species of rare and endangered
categories were observed within the national park in 1998. The dominant family
in Valley of Flowers is Asteraceae with 62 species. 45 medicinal plants
are used by local villagers and several species, such as Saussurea
obvallata (brahma kamal) are collected as religious offerings to
goddesses Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi.
The site is designated a Centre
of Plant Diversity. Characteristic of the sub-alpine zone are high altitude
forests which help to retain moisture and snow and support a large number of
floral and faunal communities. It is dominated by the uncommon Himalayan
maple Acer caesium (VU), west Himalayan fir Abies pindrow,
Himalayan white birch Betula utilis, and Rhododendron
campanulatum with Himalayan yew Taxus wallichiana, Syringa
emodi and Sorbus lanata.
Some of the common herbs
are Arisaema jacquemontii, Boschniakia himalaica, Corydalis
cashmeriana, Polemonium caerulium, Impatiens sulcata, Geranium
wallichianum, Galium aparine, Morina longifolia, Inula
grandiflora, Nomochoris oxypetala, nemone rivularis, Pedicularis
pectinata, P. bicornuta, Primula denticulate and Trillidium
govanianum. In trampled areas where past livestock congregated, Himalayan
knotweed Polygonum polystachium is a rampant weed.
Flowers:
The Valley of Flowers has many
different colourful flowers, taking on various shades of colours as time
progressed. The flowers were surveyed and inventoried in 1987 by
the Botanical Survey of India, in 1992 by the Forest Research
Institute and in 1997 by the Wildlife Institute of India which
found five species new to science. Flowers mostly orchids, poppies,
primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones carpet the ground. Sub-alpine forests
of birch and rhododendron cover parts of the park's area.
A decade long study by C.P.
Kala from 1993 onward concludes that the Valley of Flowers is endowed with
520 species of higher plants
(angiosperms, gymnosperms and pteridophytes), of these 498 are flowering
plants. The park has many species of medicinal plants including Dactylorhiza
hatagirea, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Aconitum violaceum, Polygonatum multiflorum, Fritillaria
roylei and Podophyllum hexandrum.
Fauna:
The density of wild animals in
the valley is not high, but all the animals found are rare or endangered. Prior
to 2004, a total 13 species of mammals are recorded for the park by CP
Kala and its vicinity although only he sighted 9 species
directly: northern plains gray langur Semnopithecus entellus, red
giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista, Himalayan black
bear Ursus thibetanus (VU), red fox Vulpes
vulpes, Himalayan weasel Mustela sibirica, and
Himalayan yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula, Himalayan
goral Naemorhedus goral, Himalayan musk deer Moschus
leucogaster, Indian spotted chevrotain Moschiola
indica, Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus (VU) and serow Capricornis
sumatraensis (VU).
The tahr is common, the serow,
goral, musk deer and bharal, blue sheep are rare. An October 2004 faunal
survey established the presence of snow leopard Panthera uncia (EN)
in the national park. The common leopard Panthera pardus is spotted from
lower parts of the valley closer to the villages. Local people have also
reported evidence of brown bear Ursus arctos and bharal
or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur.
Reptiles:
Among the reptiles, most often
seen are the high altitude lizard Agama tuberculata, Himalayan ground
skink Leiolopisma himalayana and Himalayan pit viper Gloydius
himalayanus. Along with the flowers are wild bees and many species of butterfly
which need to be more researched. A few of the more evident species are lime
butterfly Papilio demoleus, common yellow swallowtail Papilio
machaon, common Mormon Papilio polytes romulus, spangle Papilio
protenor protenor and common blue
apollo Parnassius hardwickei.
Birds:
The entire Nanda Devi Biosphere
Reserve lies within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA) but
there have been no surveys specific to the Valley. 114 species were seen in
1993 in Nanda Devi Park. Species frequently seen in the valley include
lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, Himalayan vulture Gyps
himalayensis, Yellow-billed and Red-billed
choughs Pyrrhocorax graculus and P. pyrrhocorax, koklass
pheasant Pucrasia macrolopha, the nationally listed Himalayan monal pheasant
Lophophorus impejanus, found
in rhododendron thickets, scaly-bellied and yellownape
woodpeckers Picus squamatus and P. flavinucha, great and blue-throated
barbets Megalaima virens and M. asiatica, snow pigeon Columba
leuconota and spotted dove Stigmatopelia chinensis. Seven
restricted-range bird species are endemic to this part of the EBA.
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