Endemic species in the high Himalayas, Eastern Nepal, seeking conservation.

Heliyon

Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China.

Published: October 2024

Prunus species play an important role in preserving the Nepal's unique identity; such as three endemic species of Prunus, , , and , represent the country's local area. An ecological and social survey of . and . was conducted. To analyze these species' regeneration status and population structures, the density of seedlings, saplings, and adult trees were compared, and created a diameter size class diagram. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the average values of seedlings, saplings, and adult trees between two species. To determine the ethnobotanical importance of a species, the relative frequency of citation (RFC) was calculated for various use categories. We classified both species as trees as the average diameter at breast height (DBH) of . was 19.55 ± 14.66 cm with an average height 5.05 ± 2.28 m, while that of . was 14.5 ± 7.93 cm with an average height of 4.89 ± 1.66 m. . had an average 32 ± 31 adult trees, 16 ± 15 saplings, and 21 ± 18 seedlings per 0.1 ha, while . had 12 ± 5 adult trees, 2 saplings, and 6 ± 4 seedlings per 0.1 ha. The number of seedlings and saplings at the plot level differed significantly between species (W = 75.5, p- = 0.05, and W = 84, p = 0.01, respectively). Both had humped-shaped diameter at breast height size class distribution. However, . had a more apparent hump-shaped diameter at breast height distribution than . , indicating that . has more unsustainable regeneration issues. . was locally recognized as a separate species from . , whereas . was not. . have seven different use categories, with wood and fuel wood being the most frequently cited, with RFC value 1. Rapid vulnerability assessment (RVA) showed both species are having high conservation threats. In situ conservation measures are suggested to address the issue of poor regeneration and disturbances.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11619989PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38168DOI Listing

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