BookArshad Mehmood Abbasi, Rainer W. Bussmann, editors.
Summary: Natural resources and associated biological diversity provide the basis of livelihood for human population, particularly in the rural areas and mountain regions across the globe. Asia is home to the world's highest mountain regions including the Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindukush. These regions are renowned around the globe because of their unique beauty, climate, and biocultural diversity. Because of geoclimatic conditions, the mountains of Asia are medicinal and food plant diversity hot spots. The indigenous communities residing in the valleys of these mountains have their own culture and traditions, and have a long history of interaction with the surrounding plant diversity. Local inhabitants of these mountains areas possess significant traditional knowledge of plant species used as food, medicine, and for cultural purposes. So far, many workers have reported traditional uses of plant species from different regions of Asia including some mountain areas; however, there is not one inclusive document on the ethnobotany of mountains in Asia. This book provides a comprehensive overview on ethno-ecological knowledge and cross cultural variation in the application of plant species among various communities residing in the mountains of Asia; cross cultural variation in traditional uses of plant species by the mountain communities; high value medicinal and food plant species; and threats and conservation status of plant species and traditional knowledge. This book should be useful to researchers of biodiversity and conservation, ethnobiologists, ethnoecologists, naturalists, phytochemists, pharmacists, policy makers, and all who have a devotion to nature.
Contents:
Medicinal, Nutritional, and Spiritual Significance of Plants in Bhutan: Their Biodiscovery Potential and Conservation Status
Ethnobotany of the Himalayas--Kashmir, India
Food from Forest: Diversity of Wild Vegetables Used by Pwo People Thailand
Study of Medicinal Plants of the Chitral Gol National Park (CGNP) with Special Emphasis on Future Conservation and Sustainability
Ethnobotany of Western Himalayan Region, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Floral Composition, Sustainable Utilization, and Conservation of Important Medicinal Plants in the Ayubia National Park, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Ethnomedicinal Uses of Plant Species from the Himalayas
Plant Resources and Their Uses in Salt Range, Pakistan
Ethno-Medicinal Uses of Wildlife in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Medicinal Plants of Tharu Community in Swathi Village, Nawalparasi District Nepal
Ethnomedicinal Uses of Animals in Vicinity of Ayubia National Park, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Pakistan
Ethnobotany of Karakorum, Pakistan
Ethnobotany of Mountain Region of Himalaya, District Poonch, Azad Kashmir
Diversity and Uses of Wild Animals in Bagh, AJ&K, Pakistan
Ethnobotanical Appraisal of Medicinal Plants from Bajaur; A Remote Area of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan
Folk Formulations of Asteraceae Species as Remedy for Different Ailments in Lesser Himalayas, Pakistan
Medicinal Flora and Cultural Values of Arkot-Biakand Valley Hindu Kush Region Swat, Pakistan
Healthcare Choices and Use of Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Study in Kanda Area of Bajhang District, Kailash Sacred Landscape, Nepal
Exploration, Conservation, and Utilization of Ethnobotanical Knowledge: Sri Lankan Perspective.