Biodiversity of the Kashmir Himalaya

Contents: Preface. I. General account: 1. Introduction. 2. Kashmir: physical features. 3. Compendium of flora and fauna. II. Floristic diversity: 4. Floristic elements and vegetation types. 5. Algae. 6. Fungi and lichens. 7. Bryophytes. 8. Vascular plants. 9. Resource potential of flora. 10. Threatened plants. III. Faunistic diversity: 11. Protozoans, annelids and molluscs. 12. Crustaceans (Zooplankton-fauna). 13. Arthropods (Arachnids and Entomo-fauna). 14. Aquatic insects. 15. Beneficial insects. 16. Insects damaging plants. 17. Fishes, amphibians and reptiles. 18. Birds. 19. Mammals. IV. Conservation: 20. Conservation of biodiversity: status and future needs. Literature cited. Index.

"The Valley of Kashmir is bestowed with profound habitat diversity, floristic and faunistic richness and hence has attracted botanists, zoologists, travellers from distant places. The information available on the biodiversity of this biological heaven is still incomplete and the data published so far are scanty, too technical, widely scattered, and difficult to obtain. Presented in this compendium is a consolidated and lucid account of the up-to-date knowledge on biodiversity of the Kashmir Himalaya.

"The present book is the first of its kind on biodiversity of Kashmir and is the outcome of authors’ painstaking efforts to collate scattered information available on floristic and faunistic diversity of Kashmir, and to critically review the previous works in a comprehensive manner.

"It encompasses 20 chapters, highlighting species richness in various groups of plants (algae, fungi, bryophytes, pteridophytes, gymnosperms, angiosperms) and animals (protozoans, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals), economically important bioresources, and threatened flora and fauna. Discussion on the present state of biodiversity conservation and its future needs is also given. The figures accompanying the text and an exhaustive appended bibliography have considerably added to the value of the book.

"The book fulfils the long-felt need of documenting the current status of biodiversity of Kashmir. It will serve as a one-volume library on the biodiversity of Kashmir to a wide range of users, including students, teachers, researchers, naturalists, environmentalists, conservationists, foresters, resource managers, planners, government agencies, and NGOs." (jacket)