No goat has trampled the multicoloured splendour of the Valley of Flowers National Park in the upper reaches of Garhwal since 1982, when livestock grazing was banned.It sparked off a controversy. Some experts argued that some plant species, kept in check by grazing, would now drown out the diversity of the Valley. A recent study by G.S. Rawat and his colleagues at the Wildlife Institute of India now refutes that theory. They found that a particularly aggressive plant called Polygonum was not really getting a run of the area, as was feared. Instead, there was a growing abundance of rare species, far more than in a neighbouring valley where grazing is allowed. Keep those goats out.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Aug 31, 1998--- ENDS ---
