Wild plant resources used as food in Spiti Valley: A cold arid zone of Himachal Pradesh, India

Abstract

An attempt has been made to explore the wild edible plants (WEPs) of Spiti Valley, a cold desert region in Trans Himalaya. The Spiti Valley is inhabited by the Bhotia or Bhot tribal community and largely depends on wild resources to meet day-to-day needs. During the study, extensive field surveys were conducted from 2012 to 2017 in different localities of the valley. A total of 65 plant species belonging to 45 genera and 21 families were collected. A questionnaire was developed and first-hand information was gathered by conducting interviews of native people. These plants were consumed either raw and/or cooked. Leaves were the most harvested parts (37 sps.) followed by fruits (11 each sps.), roots (10 each sps.), seeds (6 sps.), inflorescence (4 sps.), aerial part (3 sps.), whole plant (3 sps.), bulb (2 sps. each). The habitat of most of the plant species has shrunk due to environmental degradation primarily due to heavy livestock grazing, the uncontrolled and unscientific harvest of species, unregulated tourism, and the construction of roads etc. Thus, community participation is the suggested solution for the conservation and sustainable use of the wild edible plants in the study area.