Decline in timber and fuel wood species diversity driven by anthropogenic disturbance: a multivariate approach in Sarban Hills (Abbottabad), Pakistan
Abstract
F. Ijaz, Z. Iqbal, I. Ur Rahman, A. Afzal, N. Ali, M. Shah, M. Shah, I. Ahmed
Sarban Hills (Abbottabad) is an unexplored area so it is imperative to introduce region in cultural terms for the first time. Field surveys of study area were carried out during 2012-13 to document the timber and fuel wood species. Specimen of each plant species were collected, dried, pressed, poisoned, mounted on standard herbarium sheets and identified with the help of Flora of Pakistan. The local inhabitants were interviewed through semi structured questionnaire. Data noted and transferred to the excel spreadsheet (MS-2010) were used for multivariate analyses through various softwares. A total of 26 plant species belonging to 23 genera and 16 families were recorded from study area out of these 61% were cited as fuel wood and 39% timber wood plant species. Tree species dominates the plant habit with 69% and Moraceae as the most dominant family with 5 species. Twenty-six plant species clearly depicted by two main hierarchal branches which further represent three clusters of plant species. Plot matrix reveals the presence and absence of species in both cultural categories i.e., fuel wood and timber wood. Furthermore, neighbor join clustering illustrates the categorization pattern of plant species on the basis of their cultural uses. The cultural variables behave differently on different axes. Both the axes were dominated by timber wood. Study reflects the overall cultural use scenario with special reference to multivariate approaches cultural terms for the first time. The residents of the area living in the area of forests have an easy access to plants that’s why they prefer wood as source of energy. They extensively cut down the trees due to which the pressure on natural resources increases day by day which further led the local floral diversity to distruction. The conservation strategies must be implemented in the study area to save the God gifted natural wealth.
Keywords: Biodiversity; timber wood; fuel wood; Sarban Hills; Pakistan
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