RESUMO
Various scholars and research institutions have attempted to assess High Conservation Values (HCVs) using different methodologies and approaches. Various countries have developed toolkits to determine High Conservation Value Areas (HCVAs) according to their needs and conservation strategies but there is no global agreement on them. The present study attempts to review research papers and assessment reports from 1999 until 2018 on approaches and methodologies used for HCVs all over the world and provide a review into HCV research systematically, with due consideration to the linkages between Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Socio-Economic-Cultural values. We analyzed and examined the trends which are emerging and gaps present in HCV assessments evident from literature reviewed by experts, including the spatial spread of research, the evolving use and content of the concept, and consultation with stakeholders. A total, 80 articles were taken from Scopus and various reputed journals and reports using keywords like HCV and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to specifically focus on the application and evolution of the concept designed by FSC. The study was done in the hope to help in analyzing different HCV components as a conservation planning tool and guide new research in methodologies to fill the current gaps and enhance HCV assessments at different levels of application. The review result revealed that the HCV approach is an effective tool for delineating the conservation priority areas and reduce the uncontrolled extraction of natural resources. The findings display the focus area in HCV research that are surveying methods, fields of application and the dynamics between social and environmental components of HCV categories.
RESUMO
Forests in the mountains are a treasure trove; harbour a large biodiversity; and provide fodder, firewood, timber and non-timber forest products; all of these are essential for human survival in the highest mountains on earth. The present paper attempts a spatiotemporal assessment of forest fragmentation and changes in land use land cover (LULC) pattern using multitemporal satellite data over a time span of around a decade (2000-2009), within the third highest protected area (PA) in the world. The fragmentation analysis using Landscape Fragmentation Tool (LFT) depicts a decrease in large core, edge and patches areas by 5.93, 3.64 and 0.66 %, respectively, while an increase in non-forest and perforated areas by 6.59 and 4.01 %, respectively. The land cover dynamics shows a decrease in open forest, alpine scrub, alpine meadows, snow and hill shadow areas by 2.81, 0.39, 8.18, 3.46 and 0.60 %, respectively, and there is an increase in dense forest and glacier area by 4.79 and 10.65 %, respectively. The change analysis shows a major transformation in areas from open forest to dense forest and from alpine meadows to alpine scrub. In order to quantify changes induced by forest fragmentation and to characterize composition and configuration of LULC mosaics, fragmentation indices were computed using Fragstats at class level, showing the signs of accelerated fragmentation. The outcome of the analysis revealed the effectiveness of geospatial tools coupled with landscape ecology in characterization and quantification of forest fragmentation and land cover changes. The present study provides a baseline database for sustainable conservation planning that will benefit the subsistence livelihoods in the region. Recommendations made based on the present analysis will help to recover forest and halt the pessimistic effects of fragmentation and land cover changes on biodiversity and ecosystem services in the region.
