ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Local Perceptions of Ecosystem Services
and Anthropogenic Disturbances on
Endangered Taxus Wallichiana: Implications for
Conservation and Sustainable Management
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1
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
2
Department of Botany, University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir
3
Department of Botany, University of Kotli Azad Jammu and Kashmir
4
Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. 2455, Riyadh 11451,
Saudi Arabia
5
Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding and Seed Science, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Poland
Submission date: 2024-03-16
Final revision date: 2024-04-18
Acceptance date: 2024-05-02
Online publication date: 2025-01-10
Corresponding author
Mushtaq Ahmad
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Muhammad Manzoor
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
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ABSTRACT
The current study provides insightful information on the ecosystem services and anthropogenic
disturbances that affect the endangered Taxus wallichiana forest. T. wallichiana has enormous ecological
and societal significance, as evidenced by a diverse range of ecosystem services and products
in the Kashmir western Himalayan region. The demographic features of participants and ecological
services of the T. wallichiana were documented during group discussions and personal interviews.
The interviews included 106 informants, of whom 19 were women and 87 were men. The majority of informants
(82.07%) were male due to restrictions on women’s interactions with strangers in the study
area. Based on visual assessment at each sampling site, anthropogenic disturbance levels were assessed
on a four-point scale (1 = low, 2 = moderate, and 3 = high). The bark is used as a substitute for tea during
the winter to feel warm. Tea from Taxus bark is also believed to increase vitality and cure other healthrelated
problems. The bark is also considered an anti-cancerous agent among the locals. The highest
value of daily fuel wood consumption per capita was 5.25 kg at Kala Ban, whereas the lowest value
of daily fuel wood consumption per capita was 1.36 kg at Japsar. Rural communities mostly rely on
T. wallichiana wood as a source of fuelwood for cooking and heating their homes because upper temperate
zones are dominated by mostly coniferous trees like T. wallichiana forests and other tree species like Pinus wallichiana, Picea smithiana, and Abies pindrow. The species faces severe risks, such as
exploitation for fuel, construction, fencing, agricultural expansion, climate change, and other dangers,
putting pressure on its native ecosystem. Endangered T. wallichiana populations require immediate attention
from forest management and policymakers to ensure the survival of this highly medicinal anticancerous
plant species.