Abstract
The Himalayas have a great environmental influence in the Indian subcontinent. But Himalayan ecosystems with their rich biodiversity are particularly fragile. In the recent past, India has been serially affected by several natural calamities like droughts, floods and even earthquakes. Scientists all over the world have warned of various contributing factors. But, the major cause has been attributed to one important matrix – the constant degeneration of the Himalayan ecology. Human activities have resulted in arrested succession, leading to exhaustion of the germplasm of larger shrubs and trees, and invasion of exotic weeds. Large-scale transformation of landscapes for chir-pine plantation in the Himalayas has resulted in changes in soil physicochemical and biological properties. In this article the author depicts the introduction of pines as well as the present and future consequences of pine culture in the Himalayas.
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