The high altitude wildlife areas of western Arunachal Pradesh

Mapping
species composition was variable, including plants such as Berberis, Rosa, Fagopyrum,
Anaphalis, Allium, Pedicularis, Potentilla, Bistorta, Rheum etc. Many open areas had a
mat of moss. This vegetation zone is used for summer grazing by yaks, cattle, and
cattle-yak hybrids. Rhododendron is heavily used as fuel-wood by the herders.
e) Conifer Broadleaved Forest (CBF): Conifer-broad leaved forests were distributed
across a wide elevational range from 3000 to 4200 m. This forest type was variable in
species composition and appearance, ranging from open fir Abies densa – Juniperus
patches to closed, homogenous stands of fir. While fir was the predominant conifer,
other species included Larix, Tsuga, Picea, J. recurva, and J. indica. The broad leaved
tree species were dominated by Rhododendron, but also included Acer, Quercus, etc.
The understorey included species of bamboo, Daphne, Rubus, and several ferns. The
tree branches were covered with a thick mat of moss. These forests are used for
collection of bamboo, Illicium griffithi fruits, and for timber extraction (mainly fir, but
also some Juniperus). In relatively lower altitudes, they are grazed by mithun, mithunyak
hybrids, and mithun-cattle hybrids.
f) Broadleaved Forest (BLF): Broad leaved, oak dominated forests occurred mostly
below 3000 m. Other tree species included Rhododendron, Acer, etc. Most of the
forests were degraded due to human use, as most villages in the region lie within this
altitudinal zone. The tree branches are often moss covered. These forests are used for
grazing cattle, mithun, and cattle-mithun hybrids. People also collect oak leaf-litter for
manure, as well as extract bamboo and timber from these forests.
Fig. 1. A map showing vegetation types found at elevations above 2750 m in Tawang and West Kameng
Districts, Arunachal Pradesh.
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