Documenting Traditional Wisdom before They Are Forgotten: A Study on the Ethnoveterinary Uses of Mountain Plants among the Trans-Himalayan Migratory Shepherds in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India

Radha .; Sunil Puri; Somidh Saha

Working Paper Communication Version 1 This version is not peer-reviewed

Version 1 : Received: 27 January 2020 / Approved: 29 January 2020 / Online: 29 January 2020 (03:57:56 CET)

The Himalayas are known for high floristic diversity and rich ethnobotanical practices. However, not all parts of the Himalayan regions are thoroughly studied. The present study aims to document the ethnoveterinary medicines used by migratory shepherds in Trans-Himalayan Rakchham-Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary,Baspa (Sangla) valley of the Kinnaur district in Himachal Pradesh. The shepherds are very close to nature as they spend most of their time in forests with their livestock. Shepherding depends more on traditional healthcare practices based on local medicinal plants. In this study, we are reporting for the first time commonly used ethnoveterinary medicines in Rakchham and Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary and their application, procedures of preparation, as well as listing 51 plant species. Such documentations are done first time in the Himachal Pradesh region of India as per our information. Our research emphasizes the urgent need to document traditional medicine preparation procedures from migratory shepherds. The required information on various ethnoveterinary medicines used by migratory shepherds was collected through personal field visits, participatory observations, interview and using a pretested questionnaire. It was observed that in all 51 species of ethnoveterinary were used by shepherds in Trans-Himalayan Rakchham-Chitkul Wildlife Sanctuary in Baspa (Sangla) valley of Kinnaur district. The results of this survey show that shepherds in tribal areas are highly dependent on ethnoveterinary remedies for their livestock which evolved over generations of practices for healthcare. There is an urgent need to document this vast knowledge of migratory shepherds concerning the use of ethnoveterinary remedies for animal health care in the regions of the Himalayas.

ethnoveterinary medicines; Kinnaur; traditional knowledge; livestock; Sanctuary; shepherds; mountain people; aboriginal; tribal; herbalism; ritualism

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Documenting Traditional Wisdom before They Are Forgotten: A Study on the Ethnoveterinary Uses of Mountain Plants among the Trans-Himalayan Migratory Shepherds in the Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh, India

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