Mitigating people-park conflicts on resource use through ecotourism: A case of the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Indian Himalaya

Ecotourism aims to deliver the philosophy of sustainable development through environmental conservation as well as socio-economic development. Areas with rich biodiversity and scenic beauty, like the Indian Himalayan region, have been one of the major destination centers for nature lovers from historical time. In view of conserving the rich biodiversity and natural heritage of the Himalayan region 92 protected areas have been set aside, of these Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve (NDBR) is a well known world heritage site. Over a period of time establishing NDBR has invited conflicts between the local people and reserve authorities on the management approaches and utilization criteria of the natural resources, especially banning the traditional bio-resource collection rights of local community, expeditions, trekking, and other anthropogenic activities in the core zones. The present study aims to understand and analyze the various people - park conflicts, and also to suggest ways to mitigate such conflicts in view of biodiversity conservation and improvement of economic status of local people by promoting ecotourism. With this view the study further discusses the various aspects of ecotourism, its pros and cons, and the avenues of developing appropriate strategies for promotion of ecotourism in buffer zone areas of NDBR.     

Community responses to mountain tourism: A case in Bhyundar Valley, Indian Himalaya

Tourism industry has become an important part of Indian economy, and tourism development has been, however, concentrated to a few areas. Accumulation of tourism activities has reached the critical stage in most of the tourism centers, which pose serious threats to the natural environment. The Bhyundar Valley of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） in Uttarakhand State of the Indian Himalaya is a burning example of such problems. Land use/cover changes, deforestation and accumulation of garbage are some of the negative impacts of unregulated tourism in the valley. Unsustainable activities of tourists and villagers in the valley make such problems very severe. To deal with the ongoing problems and ensure community involvement in tourism management and environmental conservation, the Biosphere Reserve Authority introduced ecotourism in the form of Eco Development Committees （EDCs） in the Bhyundar Valley. Study reveals that many problems associated with tourism have been minimized to some extent with the help of EDCs but few are still prevailing in valley. However, the existing attempts to conserve the valley from the negative effects of tourism are inadequate and modifications are needed in the current initiatives.     

Resource Flows of Villages with Contrasting Lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Central Himalaya, India

Resource use efficiency analyses of village ecosystem are necessary for effective and efficient planning of resource utilization. This paper deals with economic and energy input-output analyses of different components of village ecosystem in representative buffer zone villages, which are practicing transhumance and settled way of lifestyles in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve （NDBR） of Garhwal Himalaya. While the villages practicing transhumance used various natural resources spatially segregated,the villages practicing settled way of lifestyle have to manage resources from a limited spatial area through rotation and varied extraction intensities. Forests subsidized the production activity in both type of villages and the per capita resource extractions were found to be greater in tran~humance village than settled village. Though crops provided maximum energy, in terms of economic criteria, animal husbandry played important role in both settled and transhumance villages. As villages representing both the situations showed different ways of adjustments to the conservation oriented land use changes, management authority needs to address the eco-development plans fulfilling the aspirations of all people traditionally using the resources of the Reserve to reduce the conflicts and encourage their participation in the conservation of the area.     

Ethnobotanical study towards conservation of medicinal and aromatic plants in upper catchments of Dhauli Ganga in the central Himalaya

The present study broadly focused on medicinal plant species collected from wild by the villagers for different purposes in the upper catchment of Dhauli Ganga in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(NDBR),in the central Himalaya.A schedule based survey was conducted during the years 2003-2005 in 15 villages of Chamoli district part of the NDBR.Information was collected from collectors, vaidya(medicine man)and those dealing with domestication and marketing of the medicinal plants. The aim of the study was to understand the prioritiesed medicinal plants,their mode of collection and document their ethnobotanical uses by the Bhotiya tribal communities,in this world heritage site. During the survey,50 medicinal plants belonging to 31 families and 44 genera were documented.Out of these,70% were harvested from the wild,22% were cultivated and 8% were cultivated as well as wild harvested.Of the cultivated species,8% were found growing in the kitchen gardens and 14%in the agricultural fields.However,42%of the plants had their roots and rhizomes used followed by leaves (26%),seeds(10%),seed and leaf(8%),bark and whole plant(6%)and flower(1%).Most plants were reported to be used for rheumatism(16),followed by stomach disorder(14),cold and cough(11),and jaundice(9).Thirty three plants species were reported to have more than one therapeutic uses,while 17 species were reported to be used against single ailment.The distance of villages from road head was one of the factors contributing to the decline in the medicinal plant population in their natural habitats. The availability of medicinal plants increased with increase in distance from road head and also the peoples’dependence on them.Documentation of the traditional knowledge will help in conservation of knowledge and also opportunity for using it for future training and use.The result of this study will help in promoting sustainable cultivation and implementation in conservation protocol of those species,which are in the verge of extinction in this region.     

Assessing Conservation Values of Forest Communities in Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve: Plant Diversity,Species Distribution and Endemicity

Present study has been conducted in a biodiversity rich Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve between 2000-3800 m in two different forest physiognomy holding sites to analyze the structure and composition of the forest communities including richness of native, non native and endemic species,and suggest conservation values at community and reserve level.A total of 60 sites were sampled and grouped in 11 and 8 communities for two representative sites Pindari-Sunderdhunga-Kafni(PSK) and Lata-Tolma-Phagti(LTP) respectively.From the sampled sites, 451 species(11.8%, 53 trees;17.71%, 80 shrubs; and 70.51%, 318 herbs) have been recorded.In general, PSK site represented 73.6% and LTP site represented only 54.9% of the total plant species recorded in the study area.Out of total species in PSK site, native species contributed 59.6%(198spp.) and 24.7% species were endemic and near endemic.In LTP site, 66.5% species were Himalayan natives and 33.5% were endemic and near endemic.The species richness ranged from 4-23 ind ha-1(tree),3-18 ind ha-1(sapling), 5-19 ind ha-1(seedling) in PSK site and 4-18 ind ha-1(tree), 4-11 ind ha-1(sapling), 4-16 ind ha-1(seedling) in LTP site.The density ranged from 260-535 ind ha-1(tree), 145-633 ind ha-1(sapling), 1450-8170 ind ha-1(seedling) in PSK site and 599-1211 ind ha-1(tree), 70-951 ind ha-1(sapling),470-1665 ind ha-1(seedling) in LTP site.Species diversity for trees ranged from 0.73-3.37, saplings,0.64-2.67, seedlings, 0.70-2.51, shrubs, 1-2.34 and herbs, 2.02-3.21 in PSK site and 0.63-1.61, saplings,0.76-1.36, seedlings, 0.35-1.79, shrubs, 0.98-2.73 and herbs, 2.48-3.61 in LTP site.These recorded values were almost comparable with the studies conducted in sub-tropical, temperate and sub-alpine regions of the west Himalaya.In some cases the values were slightly higher than the reported values.The important communities with high conservation values have been identified based on different ecological parameters and species distribution.Among all the prioritized communities, Mixed Silver firRhododendron-Maple community in PSK site and Taxus wallichana- A.pindrow mixed community in LTP site supports maximum richness and density of native and endemic species.This study calls for development of adequate strategy and action plan for the conservation and management of habitats, species,and communities under changing climate and socioeconomic scenarios, so that sustainable utilization of the species could be ensured.     

Plant studies in Himachal Pradesh,Western Himalaya: a systematic review

Owing to a predicted rise in temperature, increase in precipitation and the escalating anthropogenic stresses, the Himalayan ecosystems are the most threatened non-polar regions of the world. In the past, there have been racing extinctions and range shifts of several life forms in this region, particularly of the plant species. Therefore, consistent qualitative and quantitative records on botanical baseline data on a regular basis are indispensable. The current communication attempts to provide a detailed account on the current state of knowledge and research gaps in floristic studies of Himachal Pradesh, Western Himalaya. Based on an extensive review of more than 140 studies in the form of scientific peer reviewed literature on floristics, medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs), rare, endangered, threatened and endemic species and ethno-botany, it is revealed that the number of floristic studies in Himachal Pradesh have surged in the past years but studies pertaining to the lower plants remain meagre. Unfortunately, the remote valleys including micro-watersheds lying in the coldarid regions are relatively less studied in terms of available growing stock and population status of MAPs. Depleting traditional ethno-botanical knowledge has been the major concern and, many threatened MAPs need to be accessed globally following IUCN standards. Thus, documentation of the conservation status of key MAPs, setting aside conservation areas around viable populations of threatened species, developing germplasm banks of the priority MAPs and monitoring the impacts of climate change has been suggested.     

THE FLORISTIC STRUCTURE OF THE XIZANG PART OF THE QINGHAI-XIZANG PLATEAU PLANT SUBKINGDOM

The flora of the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau belongs to the floristic subkingdom of the Holarctic plant kingdom. The Xizang part of this subkingdom can be divided into 4 plant regions. 1) the Yarlung Zangbo River valley region. There are 1,003 species of seed plants, making up 19.38% of the total species in Xizang, and 159 endemic species, 15.89% of the total seed plants. The flora originates mainly from the East Himalayas and the Hengduan Mountains. 2) The Tanggute region. There are 349 species of seed plants and 10 endemic species. The flora represents an intermediate one between the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the Hengduan Mountains.3) The Qiangtang region. There are 255 species of seed plants and 18 endemic species. The flora derived from the Himalayan flora and mixed with a great number of Tethysian elements. 4) the Ali region. There are 547 species of seed plants and 41 endemic species. The flora seems to be closely related to Tethysian one.     

鄂尔多斯盆地宜川地区二叠纪孢粉化石组合特征

通过对延长油矿延223井晚古生代孢粉组合研究以及古植被的恢复,探讨了该区晚古生代孢粉植物化石组合的地层学和古气候意义。根据孢粉化石主要属种的时代分布及其在各样品中百分含量的规律性变化,自下而上建立了3个孢粉组合:Gulisporites cochlearius-Laevigatosporites minimus组合、Sinulatisporites-Florinites组合和Lueckeisporites permianus-Platysaccus radialis组合。根据对划分孢粉组合的特征分析,通过与邻区及华北地区晚古生代孢粉组合的对比,探讨了孢粉组合的时代意义。通过孢粉组合,推测了相应时期的古植被类型,并与前人在相同地质时期所建立的大植物化石带进行了对比,分析了各地质时期植被的兴起、发展、繁盛以及衰退绝灭的历史过程,研究区二叠纪植物群属于典型的华夏植物群,反映了一种温暖潮湿的热带雨林气候,二叠纪晚期随着松柏类植物所占比例的增加,气候有变干旱的趋势。     

Plant diversity and community structure of Brazilian <Emphasis Type="Italic">Páramos</Emphasis>

In Eastern South America, high altitude grasslands represent a mountain system that has a high number of endemic species. However, studies on the ecology of plant communities in these environments remain scarce. We aimed to evaluate the patterns of biodiversity and structure of plant communities from rocky outcrops in high altitude grasslands of three areas at the Caparaó National Park, southeastern Brazil, by sampling 300 randomly distributed plots. Then, we compared the floristic composition, relative abundance, and biological and vegetation spectra among areas. We classified species as endemic and non-endemic and verified the occurrence of endangered species. Species richness was evaluated by rarefaction analysis on the sampling units. The importance value and species abundance distribution (SAD) models were assessed. We also performed an indicator species analysis. We sampled 58 species belonging to 49 genera and 32 families. The number of species decreased with increasing altitude, with significant differences being observed among areas regarding richness, abundance, and cover. Of the total number of species, 10 are endemic to the Caparaó National Park and 17 are listed on the Brazilian Red List of endangered species. The dominant families on all peaks were Asteraceae and Poaceae. The SAD models showed lognormal and geometric distributions, corroborating the fact that 10 species that were common to all three areas were also the most dominant ones in the communities and showed the highest importance values, which ranged between 35% and 60%. Indicator species analysis revealed that 28 species (48.27%) were indicators. Of these, 42.85% had maximum specificity, meaning that they occurred only in one area. Thus, the number of species per life form ratio was similar among areas, yet vegetation spectra differed, especially for hemicryptophytes. The altimetric difference among the areas showed to be a very important driver in the community assembly, influencing the evaluated variables, however, other drivers as soil depth, slope and water could also influence the community structure on a smaller and local spatial scale.     

A STUDY ON THE FLORISTIC PLANT GEOGRAPHY OF XISHA ISLANDS, SOUTH CHINA

邢福武，李泽贤，叶华谷，陈炳辉，吴德邻ＡＳＴＵＤＹＯＮＴＨＥＦＬＯＲＩＳＴＩＣＰＬＡＮＴＧＥＯＧＲＡＰＨＹＯＦＸＩＳＨＡＩＳＬＡＮＤＳ，ＳＯＵＴＨＣＨＩＮＡ￥ＸｉｎｇＦｕｗｕ；ＬｉＺｅｘｉａｎ；ＹｅＨｕａｇｕ；ＣｈｅｎＢｉｎｇｈｕｉ；ＷｕＤｅｌｉｎ（...     

Phytogeographic and syntaxonomic diversity of high mountain vegetation in Dinaric Alps (Western Balkan, SE Europe)

The high alpine and subalpine vegetation of Dinaric Alps is very diverse.These are conditional on genuine patterns of development of the geological substrate,climate,soil and terrain on the mountain world,which are interconnected and spatially,and ecologically away.Also,today high mountain vegetation is extremely important indicator of global changes.In this area are many refugia of glacial biodiversity.Very illustrative example for understanding the specific forms of ecological diversity is high alpine vegetation in the area of the Balkan Peninsula.Vegetation of alpine belt of Western Balkans and Bosnia and Herzegovina is differed by extremely high level of biological and ecological diversity.Climatogenous vegetation are alpine and sub-alpine pastures above of timberline,then extra zonal forms of vegetation-glaciers,rock creeps,breaches of rocks,alpine springs,marsh,and tall greenery.This vegetation is dominant determinant of alpine ecosystems that creates their unique physiognomy and also enables prime production of biomass.It is different with extraordinary floral richness,especially in a number of endemic species and glacier relicts that are included in a large number of phytocoenoses,many of which are of endemic.In syntaxonomic sense,alpine vegetation is differentiated into 10 classes:Elyno-Seslerietea,Juncetea trifidi,Salicetea herbaceae,Thalspietea rotundifolii,Asplenietea trichomanis,and Scheuchzerio-Caricetea fuscae,Montio-Cardaminetea,Loiseleurio-Vaccinietea,Mulgedio-Aconitetea and Molinio-Arrhenatheretea.These classes are differentiated into 20 vegetation orders,38 alliances and 190 associations and sub-associations.In total,that is 60 % of communities of total vegetation diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina,and 12.5% of classes of highest syntaxonomic categories in vegetation diversity of Europe.     

Diversity, Distribution Pattern and Conservation Status of the Plants Used in Liver Diseases/Ailments in Indian Himalayan Region

Introduction The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is known for its unique, natural, representative biodiversity (Samant et al. 1998a). This biodiversity is being utilized by the inhabitants of the IHR in various forms, i.e., medicine, food (wild edibles), fuel, fodder, timber, making agricultural tools, fiber, religious and various other purposes (Samant and Dhar 1997, Samant et al. 1998b). In the remote areas of the IHR where primary health centers are located far from the villages, the in…     

Alpine Ecosystems of Northwest Yunnan, China： an Initial Assessment for Conservation

Implementing conservation actions on-the-ground is not a straightforward process,especially when faced with high scientific uncertainty due to limited available information. This is especially acute in regions of the world that harbor many unique species that have not been well studied,such as the alpine zone of the Hengduan Mountains of Northwest Yunnan (NWY),a global biodiversity hotspot and site of The Nature Conservancy’s Yunnan Great Rivers Project. We conducted a quantitative,but rapid regional-level assessment of the alpine flora across NWY to provide a broad-based understanding of local and regional patterns of the alpine flora,the first large-scale analysis of alpine biodiversity patterns in this region. Multivariate analyses were used to classify the major plant community types and link community patterns to habitat variables. Our analysis indicated that most species had small distributions and/or small population sizes. Strong patterns emerged with higher diversity in the more northern mountains,but beta diversity was high,averaging only 10% among sites. The ordinations indicated that elevation and geographic location were the dominant environ-mental gradients underlying the differences in the species composition among communities. The high beta diversity across the alpine of these mountains implies that conservation strategies ultimately will require the protection of large numbers of species over a large geographical area. However,prioritiza-tion should be given to areas where potential payoffs are greatest. Sites with high species richness also have a greater number of endemic species,and,by focusing efforts on these sites,conservation investments would be maximized by protecting the greatest number of unique species.     

Vegetation change as related to terrain factors at two glacier forefronts,Glacier National Park,Montana, U.S.A.

Glacier recession is a globally occurring trend. Although a rich body of work has documented glacial response to climate warming, few studies have assessed vegetation cover change in recently deglaciated areas, especially using geospatial technologies. Here, vegetation change at two glacier forefronts in Glacier National Park, Montana, U.S.A.was quantified through remote sensing analysis,fieldwork validation, and statistical modeling.Specifically, we assessed the spatial and temporal patterns of landcover change at the two glacier forefronts in Glacier National Park and determined the role of selected biophysical terrain factors(elevation, slope, aspect, solar radiation, flow accumulation, topographic wetness index, and surficial geology) on vegetation change(from nonvegetated to vegetated cover) at the deglaciated areas.Landsat imagery of the study locations in 1991, 2003,and 2015 were classified and validated using visual interpretation. Model results revealed geographic differences in biophysical correlates of vegetation change between the study areas, suggesting that terrain variation is a key factor affecting spatialtemporal patterns of vegetation change. At Jackson Glacier forefront, increases in vegetation over some portion or all of the study period were negatively associated with elevation, slope angle, and consolidated bedrock. At Grinnell Glacier forefront,increases in vegetation associated negatively with elevation and positively with solar radiation.Integrated geospatial and field approaches to the study of vegetation change in recently deglaciated terrain are recommended to understand and monitor processes and patterns of ongoing habitat change in rapidly changing mountain environments.     

Plant species diversity along an altitudinal gradient of Bhabha Valley in western Himalaya

The present study highlights the rich species diversity of higher plants in the Bhabha Valley of western Himalaya in India. The analysis of species diversity revealed that a total of 313 species of higher plants inhabit the valley with a characteristic of moist alpine shrub vegetation. The herbaceous life forms dominate and increase with increasing altitude. The major representations are from the families Asteraceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Poaceae, suggesting thereby the alpine meadow nature of the study area. The effect of altitude on species diversity displays a hump-shaped curve which may be attributed to increase in habitat diversity at the median ranges and relatively less habitat diversity at higher altitudes. The anthropogenic pressure at lower altitudes results in low plant diversity towards the bottom of the valley with most of the species being exotic in nature. Though the plant diversity is less at higher altitudinal ranges, the uniqueness is relatively high with high species replacement rates. More than 90 % of variability in the species diversity could be explained using appropriate quantitative and statistical analysis along the altitudinal gradient. The valley harbours 18 threatened and 41 endemic species, most of which occur at higher altitudinal gradients due to habitat specificity.     

Soil conservation assessment via climate change and vegetation growth scenarios in the Nile River basin

Soil conservation by vegetation can mitigate soil erosion hazard and prevent reductions in food productivity. However, previous research applies little consideration to the interaction between vegetation and climate change in the estimation of future soil conservation change. Therefore, based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE), Representative Concentration Pathways(RCPs, specifically RCP4.5 and RCP8.5), and the vegetation index and precipitation datasets, we built a multivariate regression equation that considers changes in vegetation growth under climate change scenarios in the context of soil conservation. Using the Nile River basin as a case study, via our established methods, we modelled and projected the impact of vegetation and climate change on future soil conservation between 2020 and 2100, where three main results were obtained:(1) under the scenarios of RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 from 2020 to 2100, soil conservation in the Nile Basin will first increase and then decrease, with its highest value in the years 2060, at 117.72(t ha-1 y-1), and 2070, at 134.39(t ha-1 y-1).(2) Soil conservation under RCP4.5 is lower than that under the RCP8.5 scenario, with a maximum difference of 27(t ha-1 y-1) in 2040 and a minimum difference of 0.2(t ha-1 y-1) in 2100.(3) The vegetation and climate change models in 2100 had soil conservation values of 110.77(t ha-1 y-1) under RCP4.5 and 38.70(t ha-1 y-1) under RCP8.5. In conclusion, although vegetation growth can increase soil conservation in the Nile River basin, the change in precipitation can offset the soil conservation enhanced by vegetation growth.     

基于长时间序列遥感数据的阿伯德尔国家公园 生态环境质量评价

阿伯德尔国家公园位于号称肯尼亚“水塔”的阿伯德尔山脉上,是肯尼亚重要的旅游景区和珍稀动植物保护区,开展该地生态环境质量评价对肯尼亚水资源保护与可持续发展具有重要的意义。本研究基于1987-2018年的Landsat系列遥感数据,通过计算综合遥感生态指数RSEI,结合趋势线分析法对阿伯德尔国家公园近32年间生态环境质量变化进行客观定量分析。研究结果显示：① 1987-2018年研究区RSEI均值从0.62下降到0.51,生态环境质量退化的区域面积为551.52 km ²,占总面积的71.85%,表明在气候变化和人类活动影响下,1987-2018年研究区的环境状况呈恶化趋势;②环境质量显著恶化的区域主要分布于亚高山植被区和东部低海拔森林覆盖区,亚高山地区植被生态系统结构单一,稳定性差,对气候变化和人类活动更为敏感;而东部区域存在过度开发,非法砍伐森林等现象,且旅游开发强度大,环境恶化与人类活动密切相关。     

基于无人机影像和面向对象随机森林算法的岩溶湿地植被识别方法研究

目前对岩溶湿地的重视程度远低于其他湿地类型,缺乏利用遥感技术进行岩溶湿地植被高精度识别的研究,但岩溶湿地同其他湿地类型一样,湿地面积退化严重,亟待需要解决。因此,本文选取受人类活动影响较大、湿地退化较为严重的广西桂林会仙喀斯特国家湿地公园的部分核心区域作为研究区,以DJI大疆御Mavic Pro无人机航摄影像为数据源,利用泛化能力强、分类精度高的面向对象随机森林算法实现了会仙岩溶湿地植被的高精度分类,探究无人机可见光影像和面向对象随机森林算法在岩溶湿地植被识别中的适用性,为无人机遥感技术应用于岩溶湿地的研究和保护提供技术参考。首先,在eCognition Developer9.0中利用多尺度迭代分割算法对影像图层进行分割;然后,基于以往在进行面向对象分类研究的经验来指导我们进行特征选择,充分考虑了影像的光谱和纹理特征、植被指数、无人机遥感数据派生的研究区数字地表模型（DSM）和几何特征;最后,在RStudio中实现了随机森林算法参数的调优、模型的构建以及分类。结果显示,面向对象随机森林算法对会仙湿地植被具有较高的识别能力,在95%置信区间内总体精度为86.75%,Kappa系数为0.83。在单一典型岩溶湿地植被识别精度中,狗牙根-白茅-水龙植被群丛的用户精度在90%以上,生产者精度高于80%,竹子-马甲子-桂花生产者精度高于80%,但是用户精度较低,仅为70.59%。     

Loss of preferred habitat and pollen limitation threatens reproduction in a rare mountain Paeonia delavayi

Paeonia delavayi is a wild tree peony species endemic to high-altitude regions in southwestern China.Recent agricultural land expansion,however,not only causes its dwindling population size,but also poses a severe threat to its long-term persistence.Since our knowledge of the reproductive biology of P.delavayi is very limited,and some management misconceptions have further exacerbated the already worrisome situation,the aim of the present study is to provide some scientific evidence regarding habitat preference and breeding system of P.delavayi,and to help correct some management misconceptions.Specifically,morphological traits of P.delavayi populations growing in two different habitats(i.e.,the open area versus forest understory),including basal stem diameter,plant height and flower numbers per plant,were measured and compared with each other.A range of floral manipulation experiments was further conducted to study the extent of self-compatibility and pollen limitation.The results showed that P.delavayi preferred the open habitat over forest understory as it generally grew bigger with thickerstems,and produced a higher number of flowers in the former habitat.Therefore,the open habitat should receive immediate priority for conservation action instead of being converted to agricultural land;also,P.delavayi is pollen limited,as evidenced by the fact that experimental flowers receiving supplemental non-self pollen generally displayed elevated seed production than flowers subjected to other treatments(e.g.,non-supplemental self pollen,non-supplemental non-self pollen and supplemental self pollen),which is consistent with reported observations that alpine plants are more likely to be pollen-limited than lowland plants.We suggest that human intervention might be necessary to guarantee the long-term persistence of P.delavayi as harsh alpine environment,intense competition for pollinators and different anthropogenic perturbations co-limit its reproductive success.