13440 10.30848/PJB2026-5(12) <p> <span background-attachment:="" background-clip:="" background-image:="" background-origin:="" background-position:="" background-repeat:="" background-size:="" color:="" letter-spacing:="" new="" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: " times="">Multivariate assessment of vegetation environment relationships in the central Karakoram national park: insights for conservation planning</span></p> Alamdar Hussain, Muhammad Faheem Siddiqui, Afsheen Khan, Moinuddin Ahmed and Muhammad Azhar Khan <p> Thirty-two vegetation stands, comprising nine forested (gymnosperm-dominated) and twenty-three non-forested (angiosperm-dominated shrublands), were quantitatively analyzed in Central Karakoram National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, using the Point-Centered Quarter method for trees and circular plots and quadrats for understorey, shrub, and herbaceous vegetation. Vegetation composition, community structure, and their relationships with environmental gradients (elevation, slope, and edaphic factors) were examined using multivariate techniques, including Ward&rsquo;s hierarchical cluster analysis and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Ward&rsquo;s cluster analysis classified the vegetation into four major groups and one isolated stand. Group I represented conifer-dominated forests, primarily composed of <em>Picea smithiana</em> with <em>Pinus wallichiana</em> and <em>Juniperus excelsa</em>. Group II consisted mainly of angiosperm-dominated shrublands, while Group III comprised mixed communities of angiosperms and gymnosperms, with dominance of <em>Hippophae rhamnoides</em>. Group IV included angiosperm shrub vegetation with a distinct floristic composition. Stand 17 formed an isolated unit due to its unique species assemblage and higher elevation. Based on dominance and stability across environmental gradients, <em>Picea smithiana</em>, <em>Rosa webbiana</em>, and <em>Hippophae rhamnoides</em> were identified as climax communities of the region. Associated species included <em>Ribes orientale</em>, <em>Berberis lyceum</em>, and <em>Tamarix arceuthoides</em>/<em>T. leptostachya</em>, while <em>Juniperus excelsa</em> and <em>Pinus wallichiana</em> showed strong affinity with <em>Picea smithiana</em> forests.</p> <p> Several rare species, including <em>Juniperus communis</em>, <em>Ribes alpestre</em>, <em>Artemisia brevefolia</em>, and <em>Urtica dioica</em>, were recorded, highlighting the conservation value of the park. Understorey vegetation was classified into six groups, with <em>Rosa webbiana</em> and <em>Hippophae rhamnoides</em> exhibiting the highest frequencies and widest ecological amplitudes.DCA ordination revealed strong correlations of Axis I with slope, soil conductivity, and total dissolved salts, indicating that topography and soil physico-chemical properties play a significant role in vegetation distribution. Weaker correlations observed for certain soil nutrients are attributed to habitat heterogeneity and anthropogenic pressures such as overgrazing, fuelwood extraction, and soil erosion, which disrupt natural species&ndash;environment relationships.</p> <p> The study highlights pronounced vegetation differentiation along altitudinal and edaphic gradients and demonstrates the influence of natural and anthropogenic disturbances on forested and non-forested ecosystems. These findings provide valuable ecological insights into successional dynamics, conservation of climax and rare species, and habitat heterogeneity, offering a scientific basis for forest conservation, ecological restoration, and sustainable ecosystem management in Central Karakoram National Park under changing environmental conditions.</p> Published 2026 58 5 1130 1142