Ecoprint: An International Journal of Ecology

ETHNOBOTANICAL STUDY OF WILD PLANTS OF PARSA DISTRICT, NEPAL

Shila Singh — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

The present study was carried out to assess ethnobotanical information of some wild plants used by the Tharu community of Parsa district of Nepal. The study was conducted in four villages; Gadi, Madhuban mathwal, Sonbarsa and Shanker Sharaiya. The study focuses on the ethno botanical practices of the Tharu community and documentation of the traditional knowledge for the benefit of mankind. The information presented in this paper was gathered by frequent field visits in the villages, participatory observations, group discussion, interviews with local knowledgeable people in the year 2013 from February to November. A total of 46 ethnomedicinal wild plant species belonging to 31 families and 44 genera are documented in this study. Some new ethno medicinal uses of the plant species like Ficus benghalensis, Gymnema sylvestre, Mimosa pudica Oroxylem indicum, Hibiscus-rosa sinensis, Hydragia anomala, Matricaria chammomilla, Kalanchoe spathelata, Leucas cephalotes, Madhuca indica, Murraya koenigii, Melia azedarachta, Mentha arvensis, Nephrolepsis cordifolia, Morus alba, Nyctanthes arbortritris, Ocimum sanctum, Oxalis corniculata, Phyllanthus amarus, Plumbago zeylanica, Pterocarplus marsupium, Putranjiva roxburghii and Rauvolfia serpentine among Tharu community of Parsa district of Nepal are discussed in the present study.

ECOPRINT 24: 1-12, 2017

AIR POLLUTION TOLERANCE INDEX OF SOME SELECTED GYMNOSPERM SPECIES ALONG THE ROAD SIDE OF KATHMANDU VALLEY, NEPAL

Jaya Prakash Hamal, Mukesh Kumar Chettri — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Response of plants towards air pollution is assessed by air pollution tolerance index (APTI). Four species of Gymnosperms (Thuja orientiales, Cedrus deodara, Pinus roxburghii and Araucaria bidwillii) were evaluated for APTI. Leaves were collected during winter season from polluted sites (Airport, Dhumbarahi, Jawalakhel, Ratnapark, and Sankhapark) and less polluted site (Narayanthan) of Kathmandu valley. Of four gymnosperm species collected from road side, all species (Cedrus deodara, Araucaria bidwillii, Thuja orientiales and Pinus roxburghii) showed high value of APTI (i.e., more than 8), indicating their resistance to air pollution.

ECOPRINT 24: 13-19, 2017

RAIDING PATTERN OF MIGRATORY ELEPHANTS IN A HUMAN DOMINATED LANDSCAPE IN NORTHERN BANGLADESH

Mohammad Shamsuddoha, M. Abdul Aziz — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This study addresses raiding patterns of migratory elephants in northern Bangladesh by raiding area visit, focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews and other secondary sources. During the study period, over 750 acres of cropland, at least 228 houses, death of 8 people and serious injury to 26 people was caused due to elephant raiding; additionally, 2 elephants also died due to conflict. We observed that migratory herds cross the surrounded border fence from India to Bangladesh through at least 61 entry points, raided for a week or more in 54 border villages then moved back. The group sizes of raiding elephants were highly biased to large groups and didn’t vary seasonally. Raiding is elevated during the summer and autumn months, at night, and just before and after the paddy harvest season. It has been found that raiding incidents took place mainly around the crop fields and human settlements which were in close proximity to the border fence. Possible mitigation measures recommended specific for this transboundary region include improvement and preservation of remaining forest patches as a core elephant zone, eco-development initiatives, intensive awareness program, bilateral collaboration with Indian government towards conservation initiatives.

ECOPRINT 24: 21-27, 2017

SHIFTS IN LEAF PHENOLOGY OF THREE HIMALAYAN OAK SPECIES: ROLE OF WOOD WATER PROPERTIES

Deepak B. Chand, Kanta Poudyal, P. K. Jha — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

An investigation has been done with the three Himalayan oak species at Phulchowki Hill Lalitpur Nepal to relate leaf phenology responses of trees to wood water properties. We recorded the wood water content, wood density, water in wood and leaf phenological patterns of three evergreen oak species (Quercus semecarpifolia, Quercus lamellosa and Quercus glauca) for 2 years. Our results revealed significant changes in leaf phenology within oak species between years, with shifts in leaf emergence, leaf damage and leaf senescence. Shifts in tree leaf phenology found in studied years suggest that the inter-annual and monthly variation in wood water properties could attribute to shift in tree leaf phenology.

ECOPRINT 24: 29-36, 2017

AN ENQUIRY ON ICHTHYODIVERSITY OF THE CHALAN BEEL, A KEY ICHTHYOFAUNAL HOTSPOT OF NORTHWESTERN BANGLADESH

Gawsia Wahidunnessa Chowdhury, Nime Sarker, Muntasir Akash, Gulshan Ara Latifa — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

This meta-analysis focused on the drift in ichthyodiversity of the Chalan Beel, a marshy, natural inland indentation, the largest of its kind in northwest (NW) Bangladesh. To apprehend the objective, we considered peer-reviewed fish inventories of the area published since 1971. The first checklist on the fishes of the Chalan Beel was compiled in 2009 after which, till now, we found only four similar studies. In total, we found 139 species annotated in these works including 10 exotic species. We, however, surmised a downward trend in fish fauna; from 114 species listed in 2009, in 2017 the Chalan Beel is reported to have 66 species – comprising only 30 species common in each of the five works. Cyprinidae is turned out as the most diverse abundant family for the area with 43 species. The most diverse order, on the contrary, is Siluriformes represented by 10 families and 42 species. Of the fish inventory, 3 were Critically Endangered, 15 Endangered, 13 Vulnerable and 21 Near Threatened in Bangladesh. The Chalan Beel is reported to have 3 globally Vulnerable and 10 globally Near Threatened fish. Reviewing works on the Chalan Beel revealed a potential new exotic species Trichogaster labiosa for Bangladesh and mentioning of 3 species found in no national fish inventories viz., Erethistoides infuscatus, Parachiloglanis hodgarti and Poropuntius clavatus.

ECOPRINT 24: 37-46, 2017

Book Review: Researches on the Nepalese mycoflora - 3: Erysiphales from Nepal

Ram Deo Tiwari — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Not available.

ECOPRINT 24: 47-48, 2017

Retraction Notice

Ram Kailash Yadav — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 00:00:00 +0000

On 11^th September 2018 the Editorial Board of Ecoprint: An International Journal of Ecology agreed to retract the article ‘DOES BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE REDUCE ANTHROPOGENIC CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION? A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS’ published in Ecoprint: An International Journal of Ecology, Vol.23(2016) pages 29-38 (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/eco.v23i0.20649) as it was found to be a duplicate publication of the following article: ‘DOES BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE REDUCE ANTHROPOGENIC CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSION? A CROSS-COUNTRY ANALYSIS’ published in Law, Environment and Development Journal 12/1 (2016), p. 35, available at http://www.lead-journal.org/content/16035.pdf