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About Kishtwar National
Park
Physical
Features The national park encompasses the cachments of the
Kiar, Nanth and Kibar nalas, all of which drain south-west into Marwa
River which joins the Chenab River just above Kishtwar Town. The
terrain is generally rugged and steep, with narrow valleys bounded by
high ridges opening out in their upper glacial parts. The area lies in
the Central Crystalline belt of the Great Himalaya. Rocks are strongly
folded in places and composed mainly of granite, gneiss and schist,
with the occasional bed of marble. The shallow, slightly alkaline
soils are mostly alluvial with gravel deposits (Kurt, 1976; Bach a,
1986).
Climate The influence of the monsoon is weak. Mean
annual rainfall at Palmar and Sirshi (1,761m), located near the
periphery of the national park, is 827mm and 741mm, respectively.
Preciptation is maximal and in excess of 100mm per month in March and
April, and again in July and August. Most snow falls in December and
January when the whole area becomes snowbound. Mean maximum and
minimum temperatures recorded at Sirshi are 13*C and -7*C in January
and 35*C and 11*C in July, respectively (Kurt, 1976; Bacha, 1986).
Vegetation Based on the revised classification of Champion
and Seth (1968), some 13 vegetation types are represented (Bacha,
1986). In general, silver fir Abies pindrow and spruce Picea
wallichiana, mixed with cedar Cedrus deodara and blue pine Pinus
griffithii are predominant from 2,400m to 3,000m. Notable is the small
expanse of chilgoza pina P. gerardiana in the Dachan Range. At lower
altitudes (1,700-2,400m) occur nearly pure stands of cedar and blue
pine, and moist temperate deciduous forest, represented by
horsechestnut Aesculus indica, walnut Juglans regia, maple Acer spp.,
poplar Populus ciliata, hazel Corylus cornuta, bird cherry Padus
cornuta, ash Fraxinus cornuta and yew Taxus wallichiana. The
sub-alpine zone, from 3,000m to the tree line at 3,700m, supports
mostly silver fir and birch Betula utilis forest and this merges with
birch-rhododendron Rhododendron campanulatum scrub, above which is
alpine pasture.
Fauna Faunistically, the area is reputedly among the
richest in the Himalaya (Ranjitsinh, 1979). Bacha (1986) lists 14
species of large mammals that are present. Notable species include
brown bear Ursus arctos, leopard Panthera pardus (V), snow leopard P.
uncia (E), Himalayan musk deer Moschus chrysogaster (V), hangul Cervus
elaphus hanglu (E) and ibex Capra ibex sibirica. In addition to those
listed, wild boar Sus scrofa, Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjac, serow
Capricornis sumatraensis, Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus, bharal
Pseudois nayaur and possibly markhor Capra falconeriare present (Kurt,
1976, 1978; Ranjitsinh, 1979; Rodgers, in prep.). The brown bear
population is perhaps the largest found anywhere in the Himalaya (Ranjitsinh,
1979). The size of the hangul population is unknown, but it may be
limited to only a few animals (Kurt, 1978).
Some 28 common species of birds are listed by Bacha (1986). Among the
pheasants, Himalayan monal Lophophorus impejanus and koklass Pucrasia
macrolopha are present, but the status of Himalayan snowcock
Tetraogallus himalayensis and western tragopan Tragopan melanocephalus
(E) is not known (Rodgers, in prep.).
Cultural Heritage Racial groups include Thakurs, Kashmiris,
Gujars, Rajputs and Brahmans (Bacha, 1986).
Local Human Population There are ? no permanent settlements
but some 115 families of nomadic graziers, with 15,000 head of
livestock, and an unspecified number of families from nearby villages,
with 10,000 head, have grazing rights in the national park. Some
agriculture is practised in peripheral areas (Bacha, 1986).
Visitors and Visitor Facilities The area is a potential
tourist attraction but there are almost no facilities at present.
Forest rest houses exist at Ekhala and Sirshi. An additional two, with
catering facilities for tourists, are planned for the tract between
Sirshi and Yurdu (Bacha, 1986).
Scientific Research and Facilities None
Conservation Management Kishtwar is arguably the most
important cis-Himalayan area in the state on account of its fairly
large size and diverse mammalian fauna, including a number of rare and
endangered species. Its forests were exploited to their severe
detriment up until 1948, since when logging has been scientifically
managed and finally ceased with the establishment of the national park
(Bacha, 1986).
The national park has recently been earmarked as one of seven snow
leopard reserves under a project launched by Central Government and
aimed at conserving the species, its prey populations and its fragile
mountain habitat (ref.). A management plan has been prepared for the
period 1986-1987 to 1989-90 (Bacha, 1986), according to which the
national park will be zoned into core and buffer areas of 27,500ha and
15,000ha, respectively. No grazing will be allowed in the core zone;
existing grazing rights being compensated for through payment and
provision of alternative grazing grounds. |
