01626nas a2200121   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260009000043100001600133700002000149245013800169520119700307       2013                            d  c01/2013bFoundation for Ecological Research, Advocacy and LearningaPuducherry, India1 aRajat Nayak1 aMayuresh Gangal00aEffect of fire and grazing on vegetation dynamics in the Himalayan landscape - Report submitted to Himachal Pradesh Forest Department3 a<p>Fire and grazing are the two important factors that have played a major role in determining the structure and composition of the Himalayan landscape. It is important to understand the role of these two elements in determining the vegetation characteristics for a better management and conservation of these biologically rich landscapes. The effectiveness of already existing management practices and strategies are greatly limited by the lack of such information on fire vegetation-grazing dynamics. The aim of our study was to understand the role of fire and grazing in structuring Himalayan landscapes in order to develop long term conservation initiatives. Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area is a part of the Himalayan Biodiversity hotspot. It provides a unique opportunity to study the vegetation dynamics across different grazing and fire gradients through its diverse land-use types. We used a combination of remote sensing, GIS tools, village level questionnaire surveys and field sampling techniques to understand the grazing-vegetation-fire dynamics in this&nbsp; landscape. This report summarizes the results obtained for a period between July 2011 and Nov 2012.</p>