Paper Details

PJB-2025-55

Multivariate assessment of vegetation environment relationships in the central Karakoram national park: insights for conservation planning

Alamdar Hussain, Muhammad Faheem Siddiqui, Afsheen Khan, Moinuddin Ahmed and Muhammad Azhar Khan
Abstract

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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’s hierarchical cluster analysis and Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA). Ward’s cluster analysis classified the vegetation into four major groups and one isolated stand. Group I represented conifer-dominated forests, primarily composed of Picea smithiana with Pinus wallichiana and Juniperus excelsa. Group II consisted mainly of angiosperm-dominated shrublands, while Group III comprised mixed communities of angiosperms and gymnosperms, with dominance of Hippophae rhamnoides. 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, Picea smithiana, Rosa webbiana, and Hippophae rhamnoides were identified as climax communities of the region. Associated species included Ribes orientale, Berberis lyceum, and Tamarix arceuthoides/T. leptostachya, while Juniperus excelsa and Pinus wallichiana showed strong affinity with Picea smithiana forests.

Several rare species, including Juniperus communis, Ribes alpestre, Artemisia brevefolia, and Urtica dioica, were recorded, highlighting the conservation value of the park. Understorey vegetation was classified into six groups, with Rosa webbiana and Hippophae rhamnoides 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–environment relationships.

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.

To Cite this article: Hussain, A., M.F. Siddiqui, A. Khan, M. Ahmed and M.A. Khan. 2026. Multivariate assessment of vegetation environment relationships in the central Karakoram national park: insights for conservation planning. Pak. J. Bot., 58(5): DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30848/PJB2026-5(12)  
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