Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary


The Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is a high altitude wildlife sanctuary located in the easternmost reaches of the Karakoram range in Leh district, in the Indian union territory of Ladakh. It is important as one of the few places in India with a migratory population of the Chiru or Tibetan Antelope. This Wildlife Sanctuary has been extensively surveyed by Prof. Chandra Prakash Kala for distribution of vegetation, including plants of medicinal values, across the environmental gradient and habitat types.

Biodiversity

Medicinal Plants

Being cold desert area, the vegetation in Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary is quite sparse. However, the ecological marginal conditions have employed some remarkable characteristics in these vegetation, which has high medicinal properties. Fifteen rare and endangered medicinal plant species have been discovered by Prof. C.P. Kala from this sanctuary, which are distributed over different habitat types. Arnebia euchroma, Bergenia stracheyi, Ephedra gerardiana, and Hyoscymus Niger are the threatened but medicinally important plants occur in this wildlife sanctuary