Valley of Flowers National Park

Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian national park which was established in 1982. It is located in Chamoli in the state of Uttarakhand and is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and the variety of flora. This richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals, including the Asiatic black bear, Together, they encompass a unique transition zone between the mountain ranges of the Zanskar and Great Himalayas. The park stretches over 87.50 km<sup>2</sup> and is about 8 km long and 2 km wide. Nanda Devi National Park Reserve is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

The park is open only during summer from June to October and is covered by heavy snow for the rest of the year.

In 1939, Lady Joan Margaret Legge, (21 February 1885 – 4 July 1939) a botanist deputed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, arrived at the valley to study flowers and while traversing some rocky slopes to collect flowers, she slipped and died. Her sister later visited the valley and erected a memorial near the spot. He made an inventory of 520 alpine plants exclusively growing in this national park and authored two books – "The Valley of Flowers – Myth and Reality" and "Ecology and Conservation of the Valley of Flowers National Park, Garhwal Himalaya".

Timeline

1862: The Pushpawati River Valley was discovered by Col. Edmund Smyth;

1931: The valley visited by the climber Frank S. Smythe who wrote a book publicizing the "Valley of Flowers";

1934: The upper Nanda Devi Sanctuary was reached and described by mountaineers Eric Shipton & Bill Tilman;

1936: Mountaineers Bill Tilman & Noel Odell climbed Nanda Devi;

1939: The basin established as the Nanda Devi Game Sanctuary by Government Order 1493/XIV- 28 of 7/01;

1962: Border disputes closed the area to traffic, altering the local economy;

1974–82: The sanctuary was opened to mountaineering, but the ensuing degradation led to its closure to all users;

1980: The park was established as Sanjay Gandhi National Park by Notification 3912/ XIV 3-35-80; grazing and mountaineering stopped;

1980: The Valley of Flowers was declared a national park by Government Order 4278/XIV-3-66-80 under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, for the conservation of its flora;

1982: The park was renamed Nanda Devi National Park;

1988: The Nanda Devi National Biosphere Reserve established (223,674 ha) with the national park as core zone (62,462 ha) and a 514,857 ha buffer area surrounding both sites; restrictions were imposed on the rights of nearby villagers. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site;

2000: The Biosphere Reserve extended by the government to 586,069 ha and the Valley of Flowers National Park was added as the second core zone (62,462 ha+ 8,750 ha, totalling core areas of 71,212 ha);

2004: The two core zones and buffer zone designated a UNESCO MAB reserve.

Geoclimatic

Location

thumb|Valley of flowers with the snow capped Himalayas in the background

Getting to the Valley of Flowers requires a trek of about 17 km (10.5 mi). The nearest major town is Joshimath in Garhwal, which has convenient road connections from Haridwar and Dehradun, both about 270 km (168 mi) south of Joshimath. From Delhi, one can take the train to Haridwar and then travel by bus to Govindghat via Rishikesh. Govindghat is approximately 24 km before another important destination of Badrinath. It is also possible to drive from Delhi to Govindghat, a distance of about 500 km.

Govindghat is a small place close to Joshimath (around one hour driving distance), where the trek begins. From Govindghat, shared taxis up to 4 km and then a trek of less than 11 km (8.6 mi) brings trekkers to Ghangaria, a small settlement located about 3 km (about 2 mi) from the valley. One can also hire a porter, mule or helicopter to reach Ghangaria. The trek from Govindghat to Ghangaria is common to the Gurudwara Shri Hemkund Sahib Sikh Temple at Hemkund and a trekker is likely to find many Sikh pilgrims on the route. As one nears Ghangaria, one is greeted by fields of perfumed wild flowers, wild rose bushes and wild strawberries by the sides of the path. Visitors to the Valley of Flowers need to get a permit from the Forest Department, at Ghangaria. The permit is valid for three days. Only visiting and trekking are allowed during the day time. The best time to visit is between July and early September, when the valley is full of flowers, just after the outbreak of monsoon.

Ecology

Biodiversity

The Valley of Flowers is a high-altitude Himalayan valley that has long been acknowledged by renowned mountaineers, botanists, and in literature. It has been recognized internationally for over a century and is referenced in the Hindu religion. Local people have visited the valley since ancient times. The Valley of Flowers has many different colorful flowers, taking on various shades of colors as time progressed. Further his studies report that the dominant family in Valley of Flowers is Asteraceae with 62 species. 45 medicinal plants are used by local villagers and several species, such as Saussurea obvallata (brahmakamal) are collected as religious offerings to goddesses Nanda Devi and Sunanda Devi. The site is designated a Centre of Plant Diversity. In trampled areas where past livestock congregated, Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium is a rampant weed.

Flowers

The flowers were surveyed and inventoried in 1987 by the Botanical Survey of India, in 1992 by the Forest Research Institute and in 1997 by the Wildlife Institute of India which found five species new to science.

Flowers mostly orchids, poppies, primulas, marigold, daisies and anemones carpet the ground.

File:ValleyOfFlowers purpleflower.JPG|Himalayan bell flower, Campanula latifolia

File:ValleyOfFlowers MorningDew.JPG|Morning dew on a pink flower, Geranium sp

File:ValleyOfFlowers MultistoryFlower.JPG|Multi storied flowers, Morina longifolia

File:Meadow Geranium (Geranium pratense).jpg|alt=Meadow Geranium or Geranium pratense), Valley of Flowers Trek|Meadow Geranium (Geranium pratense) in the heart of Valley of Flowers

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Fauna

Species diversity

The density of wild animals in the valley is not high, but all the animals found are rare or endangered. Prior to 2004, a total 13 species of mammals were recorded in the park by C P Kala and its vicinity although only 9 species were directly sighted by him:

northern plains gray langur Semnopithecus entellus,
red giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista,
Himalayan black bear Ursus thibetanus (VU),
red fox Vulpes vulpes,
Himalayan weasel Mustela sibirica,
Himalayan yellow-throated marten Martes flavigula,
Himalayan goral Naemorhedus goral,
Himalayan musk deer Moschus leucogaster,
Indian spotted chevrotain Moschiola indica,
bharal or blue sheep Pseudois nayaur,
Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus (VU) and
serow Capricornis sumatraensis (VU).

The tahr is common; the serow, goral, musk deer and bharal are rare.

Research nursery and seed bank

A research nursery and seed/rhizome/tuber bank for propagating rare plants and valuable medicinal herbs has been created at Musadhar near the entrance of the site. Rare and valuable medicinal plants are the subject of special programs. These include Aconitum heterophyllum, A. falconeri, Arnebia benthamii, Dactylorhiza hatagirea, Gymnadenia orchides, Megacarpaea polyandra, Picrorhiza kurrooa, Podophyllum hexandrum and Taxus wallichiana. Research plots have been set up to determine the best way to control the spread of the tall Himalayan knotweed Polygonum polystachium without damaging other plants or the surface of the soil. A first annual survey was conducted in 2004 and will be repeated annually.

References

External links

Official valley-of-flowers website
Official UNESCO website entry
United Nations Environment Programme