Keeping in mind the economic importance of this palm, the Government of Pakistan passed an act on the conservation of Nannorrhops namely “Kohat Mazri Control Act 1953” (http://kp.gov.pk/page/the-kohat -mazri -contr olact-
1953/page-type/rules ) in 1953 where laws and rules were devised for the conservation of Nannorrhops in Pakistan in general and for the Kohat Division in particular (which then
covered the whole southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa). Regionally, it has been categorized as Endangered (EN) under the IUCN criteria. Murad et al. (2011) reported that in the Hazar
Nao Forest of Malakand Nannorrhops ritchiana is on the verge of extinction due to over exploitation by the local population for commercial purposes.
Conserving biodiversity a case study on Uttara Kannada, India.Arghyadeep Saha
Similar to The indispensable bond between mazri palm (nannorrhops ritchiana) and the indian porcupine (hystrix indica) leads them towards extinction! (20)
2. 3388 Biodiversity and Conservation (2019) 28:3387–3388
1 3
favourite food for the porcupine (Abdullah 2019). It was also observed and reported that
with the decline in population of this palm, that of the Porcupine was also declining in
the region. As the Porcupine is also an endangered species in the region, the continuing
decline of Nannorrhops also accelerates its population decline towards possible extinction.
People also reported that one of the black bear species that had disappeared also favored
and became dependent upon this Palm species in the recent past. Therefore, we recommend
the conservation of Nannorrhops in its natural geographical range not only to safeguard
this economically important plant species but also the animal species of high conservation
importance that feed on it. The cultivation of the Mazri palm should be encouraged under
the recently launched Billion Tree Afforestation Program (BTAP) in Pakistan in general,
and in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in particular, to safeguard the indispensable bond
between Mazri Palm, Porcupine, and the indigenous people.
References
Abdullah (2019) Ecological assessment conservation status and restoration strategies for Nannorrhops ritch-
iana (Griff.) Aitch. in the Agency of Bajaur FATA Pakistan. MPhil Dissertation, Department of Plant
Sciences, QAU, Islamabad, Pakistan
Anonymous (1954) Kohat Mazri control act online. http://kp.gov.pk/page/the_kohat_mazri_contr
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Goodman SM, Ghafoor A (1992) The ethnobotany of southern Balochistan, Pakistan, with particular refer-
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