Pandit Govind Ballabh Pant Memorial Lecture: II

Out of 6 zones in West Bengal, there is a Hill zone (Darjeeling) and Terai Zone
(Jalpaiguri) which are in or near Himalaya (Gangopadhyay 1991c). In Assam, Varma
(1991) has recognized six zones. These are North Bank Plain Zone, Upper
Brahmapurta Valley Zone, Central Brahmaputra Valley Zone, Lower Brahmaputra
Valley Zone, Barrak Valley Zone and Hill Zone of Assam.
The forgoing work of the Planning Commission and Indian Council of Agricultural
Research is the first attempt in the direction of identifying discrete agro-ecosystems.
The work must be followed by detailed studies by agricultural scientists and ecologists.
This would lead to a refined classification and redefinition in concrete terms of the agroecolsystems.
More importantly, the strategies and actual actions that must follow for
their refinement so as to make the agroecosystems. More importantly, the strategies
and actual actions that must follow for their refinement so as to make the
agroecosystems sustainable (see also Khoshoo, 1992d).
Sustainability in farming systems in mountains has been looked into by Jodha et
al (1992). Biomass-based development is most relevant to mountains. The three basic
elements are agriculture (including horticulture), forestry and animal husbandry. These
together with three interfacing situations agri-silviculture, agri-pastoral and agri-silvipastoral
are most important for the development in the mountains. Their successful
implementation depends on sustainable watershed development, proper land use
planning and availability of water and all other inputs. Among the inputs are proper crop
varieties suited to the various climatic regimes of the mountains. This aspect has been
hardly attended to. Some success has been reported. They need to be critically
examined and, if found sustainable, may be advocated for adoption in isoclimatic
situations.
Sustainability in mountain agroecosystem is most critical to the wellbeing of
highlanders because their poverty and wretchedness can be traced to unsustainable
agricultural systems and faulty land-use planning.
Conservation and Production Forestry
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Although Himalaya essentially falls in temperate region, the climate varies from
near tropical to subtropical, temperate alpine to arctic conditions with permanent snow
in the entire northern belt at the higher altitudes.
In temperate regions, diversity within forests is far less than in tropics. In the
latter case, each tree is so-to-say a mini- ecosystem being laden with epiphytes, ants
and other micro and macro –biota. There are fewer species of shrubs and trees in
temperate region. The species change in response to altitude. For instance in Western
Himalaya Qurcus incana (1200-1800 m) is followed by Q.dialatata (1800-2100m) and Q.
semecarpifolia (2400-2700 m). These species have been regarded as barometers on
account of their altitudinal specificity. Similary in the conifers we have altitudinal
transition from Pinus roxburghii (1000-1500m), P.excelsa (1800-2400m), Cedrus
deodara (1800-2400m), Abies pindrow (2400-2700 m), Picea smithiana (2400-3000m)
and Juniper species (2700m and above). These cover an altitudinal range from about
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