Abstract
The fundamental characteristic of any mountain agroecosystem in the world is extreme internal variability and complexity with localized micro-ecosystems and habitats for diverse flora and fauna. The Himalayan region is an important hot spot of biological diversity among other mountain systems of the world. Agriculture along with animal production system is a principal occupation and source of livelihood for more than 60% of population lives in the Himalayan region (Sharma et al. 1999). Natural grasslands and pastures are important ecological resources on which a huge population of livestock is directly dependent upon their feeding requirements. These natural resources also support a great diversity of flora such as trees and shrubs, range grasses, and legumes, which have great importance from the prospect of livestock feeding. Fodder trees and shrubs are another important forage resource for livestock in the Himalayan region. The importance of the fodder trees and shrubs could be understood from the fact that they provide green fodder to livestock when other resources of green fodder are not available.
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Katoch, R. (2022). Forage Resources in Himalayan Region. In: Nutritional Quality Management of Forages in the Himalayan Region. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5437-4_3
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