Resource Assessment of Daphne Bholua in Bhujung VDC of Annapurna Conservation Area, Central Nepal

Abstract

VI

Daphne bholua (locally known as Lokta) is one of the NTFPs which occur naturally in Bhujung VDC, it is raw material for making Nepali Paper. Until now the locals have not used the locally available D. bholua. Due to the increasing demand of Nepali Paper there is a good possibility of income generation by harvesting the resource. Subsistence as well as commercial use, demands more careful assessment of resource base and application of sustainable harvesting techniques to ensure the sustainability of both local people and hand made paper enterprises. For the sustainable management of the species it is very important to know the present stock of the species. This study is an attempt to estimate the present stock, the potential yield of bark from Daphne bholua, its distribution, population status, and to find if there is any relation between the environmental variables and attributes of Daphne bholua. For the study, the two sites were selected namely Surno Kharka and Wijung Ban. In each site, 3 plots were laid along the elevation gradient and in each plot 17 quadrats were randomly laid. In total the study was carried out in 102 quadrats and 102 soil samples were collected and analyzed to study the species. The average density of D. bholua were determined to be 5231 and 6925 ind/ha respectively and harvestable dry inner bark mass to be 288 and 391 kg/ha respectively. The density of D. bholua decreased with the increase in potassium content and soil pH, but increased with elevation. Maximum girth of D. bholua and total bark mass also increased with elevation. Tree cover and litter index had negative relation with height of D. bholua and harvestable bark mass. Both density and harvestable bark mass of D. bholua were found to be higher in Wijung Ban suggesting it to be more favourable for harvesting D. bholua. If financial and technical assistance are provided to the local people, for harvesting bark and paper making then this could be an attractive source of income to the people. But the study showed that regeneration was very low due to disturbances like grazing, harvesting and trampling which could lead the species to vulnerability in near future demanding for serious steps to be taken.