Biodiversity is one of the most defining features of the nature, vital for the ecological security of a region and livelihood security of millions of those who critically depend upon it for their daily sustenance. Floristic component of the biodiversity is the major provider of ecosystem services and is basic to meet livelihood needs of not only the human beings but all other animals at large. The judicious management of floristic resources is, therefore, paramount to ensure the conservation of biodiversity, its sustainable utilization and equitability in benefit sharing as ordained in the Convention on Biological Diversity. In this context the floristic inventories play a significant role in increasing our understanding and information level on the availability of resources and its relationship with the mankind.
"The biogeographically strategic location of Jammu and Kashmir, coupled with varied phyto-climatic conditions met in its different physiographic divisions, makes it one of the hyper-biodiversity states of the Indian Union. The rich biodiversity of the state and its scenic grandeur have attracted the botanists, naturalists and the travellers, who all have contributed to our knowledge about its flora, since early nineteenth century. Yet, Sir J.D. Hooker’s monumental Flora of the British India, published between 1872 and 1897, is the only comprehensive treatise available on the flora of the state. Despite significant contributions made on the plant resources of the state during the twentieth century, the information on its flora is not only widely scattered but incomplete as well. |
