Research Focus

In nature, a rapid decrease in population of threatened and commercially important medicinal and aromatic species by over-exploitation and habitat degradation is recorded.  Ex-situ conservation of recorded threatened, commercially viable, and important species through conservation is not much attempted in the Cold Desert area. While understanding the importance of conservation, my focused research is based on the following objectives: 

•Ecological and ethnobotanical studies of high altitude ecosystems, and Western Himalayan Region. 

•Domestication/introduction of important plant bioresource (threatened and commercially important medicinal and aromatic plant) in the high altitude region 

•Ex-situ conservation in the conservatories (field genebank, herbal garden, seed banks) at CSIR-IHBT Centre for High Altitude  Biology Ribling, Lahaul-Spiti (H.P.)

•Characterization studies to find out variations 

•Snow water harvesting technologies and management

Achievements / Awards

ICAR-NET 2007 (Forestry) 

Researcher (sponsored by World Pheasant Association, New Delhi)

JRF/SRF (sponsored by MOEF&CC New Delhi)

Research Associate (sponsored by ICAR-NAIP New Delhi, & CSIR 12th FYP New Delhi)

Major Publications

1. Samant, S.S., Pant, S., Singh, M., Lal, M., Singh, A., Sharma, A. and Bhandari, S. 2007. Medicinal plants in Himachal Pradesh, northwestern Himalaya, India. International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management 3: 234-251.

2. Singh, A., Lal, M. and Samant, S.S. 2009. Diversity, indigenous uses and conservation prioritization of medicinal plants in Lahaul valley, proposed Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, India. International Journal of Biodiversity Science and Management. 5(3): 132-154

3. Singh, A. and Samant, S.S. 2010. Conservation prioritization of habitats and forest communities in the Lahaul valley of proposed Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve, North-Western Himalaya, India. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research. 18(2):101-117

4. Sharma, P.K., Thakur, S.K., Manuja, S., Kumar, Pradeep, Rana, R.K., Jagdish Chand, Sharma, Sanjay, Singh, A. and Singh, Neetu. 2011. Traditional usage of food products prepared by local tribal inhabitants of Lahaul valley in the Northwestern Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh. Asian Agri History. January-March-2011.

5. Sharma, P.K., Thakur, S.K., Manuja, S., Rana, R.K., Kumar, Pardeep, Sharma, Sanjay, Chand, Jagdish, Singh, A. and Katoch, K.K. 2011. Observation on traditional phototherapy among the inhabitants of Lahaul valley with reference to medicinal & aromatic plants and minerals through Amchi system of medicine. Chinese medicine.- 2&3 (3): 93-102; DOI: 10.4236/cm.2011.23016

Patents

N.A.

Research Group

•Mr. Rajat Bhardwaj (PA-I), All CeHAB field staffs 

•Visiting technical staff  at Centre for High Altitudes Biology (CeHAB) in the Lahaul – Spiti (HP), India