About the Book
This new two-volume set pays tribute to the incredibly diversified Himalaya. It presents and assesses the various threats and challenges to Himalayan biodiversity while also documenting the multifaceted approaches for conservation and sustainable management of biological resources in the Himalayan region.
Volume 1: Utilization, Conservation, and Management of Plant Resources focuses on the flora of the area, exploring the diversity, distribution, utilization, threat status, and conservation of medicinal, edible, and other economic plant resources of the region. The chapters consider the impact of traditional as well as scientific knowledge on the conservation of floral wealth in the region and recognizes the importance of maintaining and preserving the plant diversity. The chapters cover diverse topics, including the traditional medicinal uses, pharmacological activity, and phytochemistry of selected plants and mushrooms. The book also proposes several biotechnological interventions and propagation strategies for some endangered plants. The threats posed by non-native invasive plants to the region’s diverse biodiversity are examined as well, as is the very real and destructive impact of climate change. Conservation and management strategies for endangered plants of the Himalaya are also covered.
Volume 2 focuses on the utilization, conservation, and management of animal resources in the Himalayan region. Chapters cover traditional knowledge of insects and animals for food and medicinal purposes. The rich faunal biodiversity of the region is vulnerable to a number of threats. Discussed in the volume are adverse changing climatic conditions; the overuse of chemical and synthetic pesticides; eco-tourism, wildlife tourism, and hunting tourism; radiation from cell phone towers; invasive/alien animal and plant species; habitat destruction; etc., and how they impact the region. Sustainable mitigation and conservation strategies are described as well, offering hope for preservation of the rich biodiversity of the Himalaya.
The information in these volumes will be an invaluable asset for economic botanists, horticulturists, plant breeders, ethnobotanists, biotechnologists, environmentalists, policy planners, and laymen alike interested in understanding and preserving the abundant biodiversity of the Himalaya.
Table of Contents:
VOLUME 1: UTILIZATION, CONSERVATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF PLANT RESOURCES 1. Indigenous Uses, Therapeutic Potential, and Conservation Challenges of Threatened Medicinal Plants in the Indian Himalayan Region 2. Non-Native Invasive and Native Range Shifter Plant Species in Alpine Himalaya: A Major Threat to Biodiversity of Alpine Meadows 3. Wild Edible Plants of North Western Indian Himalaya: Exploring the Culinary Heritage and Nutritional Potential 4. Conservation and Management of Himalayan Plant Biodiversity 5. Impact of Climate Change on Himalayan Biodiversity 6. Biotechnological Interventions and Propagation Strategies of Some Endangered Plants of the Himalaya 7. An Overview of Wild Edible Plants of North Eastern States of Indian Himalaya 8. Medicinal Uses, Pharmacological Activity, and Phytochemistry of Some Himalayan Herbs 9. Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Berginia ciliata (Haw.) Stern 10. Some Ethnomycological Aspects of Mushrooms in North Western Himalaya 11. Algal Biodiversity in North Western Region of Indian Himalaya 12. Ethnobotanical Exploration, Therapeutic Assessment, and Conservation Status of Himalayan May Apple 13. Bamboo Diversity in the Himalayan Region of India VOLUME 2: UTILIZATION, CONSERVATION, AND MANAGEMENT OF ANIMAL RESOURCES 1. Indian Traditional Knowledge in Relation to Animal Origin Products with Special Reference to Insects 2. The Himalayas: A Hotspot of Biodiversity 3. Effect of Changing Climatic Conditions on Faunal Diversity of Northwestern Himalaya 4. Impact of Chemical and Synthetic Pesticides on Himalayan Insect Diversity 5. Impact of Anthropogenic Activities on Faunal Diversity of the Snow-Covered Himalayan Range 6. Conservation Strategies for Threatened Faunal Diversity of Himachal Pradesh 7. Eco-Tourism: Frenemy of Himalayan Diversity 8. Effect of Invasive/Alien Animal Species in the Himalayan Faunal System 9. Impact of Mobile Tower Radiation on Himalayan Fauna 10. Socio-Economic Evaluation of Insect Products with Special Reference to Himalayan Honeybees 11. Cordyceps militaris: An Entomopathogenic Fungus as a Promising Solution for Conservation of Himalayan Cordyceps 12. Hunting, Habitat Destruction, and Human Fun as Potential Threat to Himalayan Diversity 13. Narpuh Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghalaya: Status, Challenges, Sustainable Benefits and Future Perspectives
About the Author :
Rajesh Kumar, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosciences at Himachal Pradesh University, Summerhill, Shimla, India. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and research, Dr. Kumar has been teaching animal physiology and applied zoology to postgraduate students and also supervises PhD, MPhil, and MSc students for their research work. His own research activities also include environmental toxicology, waste management, and the impact of environmental degradation on animal physiology. He is an expert lecturer at beekeeping training/extension activities. Dr. Kumar has successfully completed two major research projects and two startup projects sponsored by government agencies and has published many research articles, book chapters, abstracts, and conference papers as well as several books and monographs. He has successfully organized about 20 seminars and conferences and delivered more than 30 invited talks and extension lectures in different institutions. He has received a fellowship for the year 2009-2011 from the University Grants Commission for working on honey/honeybees. He is a life member of the Indian Science Congress, National Bee Board, Applied Zoologists Research Association, and Society for Science & Environmental Excellence, and an affiliate member of the International Society of Zoological Sciences. Dr. Kumar is a fellow of Himalayan Science and Technology. He has earned 12 awards for his excellent research in honeybees/physiology to date. Dr. Kumar is also a reviewer of several journals of national and international repute. Dr. Kumar earned his master’s degree and PhD in Zoology at Jiwaji University, India.
Suresh Kumar, PhD, is presently working as an Associate Professor in the Department of Bio-Sciences, H.P. University, Shimla, India. He has more than 12 years of experience in teaching as well as research. His thrust areas include floristics, ethnobotany, and biodiversity. Dr. Kumar has published 10 books and more than 20 research papers in various journals of national and international repute. Presently, he has been guiding several students for their PhD degrees. He has participated in many conferences and seminars and has delivered invited talks as a resource person at various institutions. He is a member of the Indian Science Congress and many other scientific agencies. He is an associate editor as well as a reviewer for various journals in the field of botany. His work has received more than 250 Google Scholar citations; he has an h-index=7 and i10 index=6. He has qualified UGC-CSIR (NET) and completed his doctoral degree at H.P. University, Shimla, India, where he was awarded a Junior Research Fellowship for the period 2005-07 and a Senior Research Fellowship for the period 2007-09.
Review :
“Rich and diverse in content . . . presents an extensive range of chapters on different key aspects associated with Himalayan plant diversity . . . considering the rich floristic diversity, high endemism, and vulnerability to the emerging threats to these ecologically fragile and sensitive ecosystems . . . A detailed account on existing studies with reference to floristics, ecology of habitats, the status of medicinal and threatened species . . . A wonderful endeavor.”
—From the Foreword by Anil Prakash Joshi, PhD, Founder, Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organization (HESCO), Dehradun, India
