Fabaceae / Papilionaceae

1.1
1.1
Preface:
This guidebook has been produced by the Indus forAll Programme, the first phase of
a 50 year biodiversity vision described in the Indus Ecoregion Conservation
Programme. This task began in 2006 and took almost three years to complete. It
involved extensive field work, collecting and preserving plant specimens and,
identifying and cataloguing them based on taxonomic and botanical lines. The Guide
presents details of those plant species which are most commonly observed in Indus
Ecoregion. It does not, however, provide a complete listing of all plants found in the
Indus Ecoregion. The guide is designed to educate and help nature lovers,
researchers, students and other interested persons and groups about the variety
and scope of natural flora found in selected ecosystems of the Indus Ecoregion.
Although there have been some sporadic efforts, mainly by the University of
Karachi,to document plant species of Sindh, no comprehensive vegetation surveys
have been undertaken since 1922 when Blatter et al.
of Bombay Natural History
Museum first carried out a detailed vegetation expedition of the Indus Delta. There
are two main reasons for this dearth of research on plant species. Firstly, when one
compares faunal versus floral explorations, the former discipline has a clear edge
over the latter mainly because of the inaccurate use of the term “biodiversity.”
Biodiversity is often misinterpreted to only encompass the animal world as opposed
to both plant and animal species; rather the species of all kinds of organisms and
projects aimed at faunal research are frequently able to access greater funding.
Second, the absence of regular natural vegetation field surveys has produced a
general lack of awareness about the significance of floral wealth as a building block
of the rest of the components of biodiversity. Therefore, concerted efforts are
required to explore the plant wealth of this Saharo-sindian phytogeographic zone
overlapping the Indus Ecoregion. This floral guidebook is one such attempt by the
Indus forAll Programme.
During field vegetation surveys, a total of three new species were recorded, a
number of plant species were re-discovered, and additional information on endemic
plant species was gathered. I am certain if botanical surveys are regularly continued
many more species will be discovered, and threats to plant wealth in critical habitats
will also be ascertained. As part of an ongoing effort future editions of the guide will
also address ethno-botanical information with particular emphasis on the traditional
use of medicinal herbs. I hope that both students and researchers who use this guide
will help in our efforts to conduct periodic plant surveys, which will ultimately
contribute to the conservation of biodiversity in some of the unique and globally
valued ecosystems of the Indus Ecoregion.
Dr. GhulamAkbar