Biodiversity and Conservation (2019) 28:3387–3388

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01823-7

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The indispensable bond between Mazri Palm (Nannorrhops

ritchiana) and the Indian Porcupine (Hystrix indica) leads
them towards extinction!

Abdullah1 · Zahoor Ul Haq1 · Shujaul Mulk Khan1

Received: 22 May 2019 / Revised: 4 July 2019 / Accepted: 12 July 2019 / Published online: 19 July 2019
© Springer Nature B.V. 2019

The Mazri Palm (Nannorrhops ritchiana) is one of the native palm species of Pakistan,
Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. In southern Europe and southern and subtropical
parts of America it is grown as an ornamental (Mahmood et  al. 2017). Historically, the
leaves and stems are remarkable source of mats, fences and house roofing (Goodman and
Ghafoor 1992) and numbers of other handicrafts. Leaves alone are used to manufacture
handicrafts such as hand fans, baskets, brooms, trays, prayer mats, storage boxes for grain,
hot pots, hats, and sandals (Marwat et al. 2011). The reddish moss-like wool of the peti-
oles of Nannorrhops is used as tinder. The seeds are utilized for manufacturing rosaries
(Panhwar and Abro 2007) and the fresh fruits are edible. Dried parts of the plant are used
as fuel wood as well. The local inhabitants collect leaves of the palm due to its utilization
in handicrafts and others. Collection in huge amount of this plant is one of the main fac-
tors for the drastic decrease in its population. 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​ol-
act-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.
Conservationists have also reported a tremendous decrease in the number of individu-
als of Nannorrhops over the past few decades in the region. Collection in huge amount of
this plant for domestic as well as commercial purposes is one of the main eroding factors
for its population. With this letter we report an important secondary reason for concern,
the Indian Porcupine (Hystrix indica) which grazes the roots and leaves of Nannorrhops.
The porcupine species use the roots mostly in the winter season for food. We continued our
observations over the last 4 years in various regions of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwah Province
and also interviewed local people where Nannorrhops’ roots were observed/reported the

Communicated by David Hawksworth.

* Shujaul Mulk Khan

shujaqau@gmail.com
1
Department of Plant Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan

13
Vol.:(0123456789)
 3388 Biodiversity and Conservation (2019) 28:3387–3388

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​
ol_act_1953/page_type/203.215.166.82/203.215.166.82/
Goodman SM, Ghafoor A (1992) The ethnobotany of southern Balochistan, Pakistan, with particular refer-
ence to medicinal plants. Publication/Field Museum of Natural History
Mahmood A, Sharif M, Ahmad Q, Mahmood R, Riaz S, Zafar M (2017) Phytochemical analysis and com-
prehensive evaluation of antimicrobial activity of Nannorhops ritchiana leaves (Mazari palm). World J
Pharm Pharm Sci 6:173–189
Marwat SK, Usman K, Khakwani AA, Ghulam S, Anwar N, Sadiq M, Khan SJ (2011) Medico-ethnobo-
tanical studies of edible wild fruit plants species from the flora of north western Pakistan (DI Khan
district). J Med Plants Res 5:3679–3686
Murad W, Ahmad A, Gilani SA, Khan MA (2011) Indigenous knowledge and folk use of medicinal plants
by the tribal communities of Hazar Nao Forest, Malakand District, North Pakistan. J Med Plants Res
5:1072–1086
Panhwar AQ, Abro H (2007) Ethnobotanical studies of Mahal Kohistan (Khirthar national park). Pak J Bot
39:2301–2315

Publisher’s Note  Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and
institutional affiliations.

13