Resources Himalaya Foundation and Environmental Graduates in Himalaya successfully organized our monthly talk program, Pralad Yonzan Conservation Forum (PYCF) with Dr. Lila Nath Sharma, Researcher and Program Officer at ForestAction Nepal, on September 10, 2021. Dr. Sharma is currently involved as a Project Manager in the project “Uprating community forest in Nepal: Enhancing livelihood and Biodiversity,” funded by Darwin Initiative, UK. He gave a talk on the topic “Human and non-human drivers of fine scale pattern of tree diversity in Jalthal remnant forest”.
The talk was emphasized on the status of tree diversity in Jalthal remnant forest of Nepal, with particular focus on tree species composition and richness, and associated environmental variables. Study identified that tree species were found to be rich in mixed forest and core area of forest. As for the micro-topography, small scale slopes impacted the tree species diversity. Additionally, invasive species coverage was found higher along the trail and was declined with the distance from the forest boundary. Talk highlighted that the anthropogenic factors are more responsible than the non-anthropogenic factors for the tree diversity in the Jalthal forest. As the core areas Jalthal forest consisted of more species including rare and unique ones, study concluded that there is a greater need for conservation in such areas and a more nuanced analysis to understand more on the species diversity.