Changes in Forest Cover in a Central Himalayan Catchment: Inadequacy of Assessment Based on Forest Area Alone

The Central Himalayan region experiences severe ecological problems as a result of continuous deforestation, which threatens the subsistence population of the region. In the present study, changes in the forest cover of a catchment over a period of 16 years have been quantified. Baliya catchment (7783 ha) contains 2865·47 ha of different types of forest, i.e. sal (Shorea robusta), mixed sal, pine (Pinus roxburghii), pine-mixed broadleaf, mixed oak (Quercusspp.), cupressus (Cupressus torulosa). The process of fragmentation has been studied through changes in forest area and biomass. There has been a sharp decline in biomass, although only a marginal reduction in forest area (3·5%) has occurred. Decline in the stocking density has also been substantial. Forest area with higher crown cover (>60%) declined from 736·32 ha to 292 ha during 1973–1989, indicating the intensity of human interference.