Editing Kashmir (section)

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Mount_Harmukh.JPG|thumb|right|Alpine flowers at [[Gangabal Lake]] below [[Harmukh|Mount Harmukh]] in the northwestern [[Himalaya Range|Himalayan range]]]]
{{multiple image|align=right|direction=vertical|total-length=450|image1=8. Deosai Plains.jpg|caption1=Shepherding in the [[Deosai Plains]]|image2=Snow Leopard in Naltar Valley.jpg |caption2=A female snow leopard which was rescued in 2012 from a partly frozen river stream in the Wadkhun area of [[Sust]] in the [[Karakoram mountain range]], now in the [[Naltar Wildlife Sanctuary]]}}

Kashmir has a recorded forest area of {{convert|20230|km2|mi2}} along with some [[Deosai National Park|national parks]] and [[Hemis National Park|reserves]]. The forests vary according to the climatic conditions and the altitude. Kashmir forests range from the [[Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|tropical deciduous forests]] in the foothills of Jammu and [[Muzafarabad]], to the [[temperate forests]] throughout the Vale of Kashmir and to the [[Alpine tundra|alpine grasslands]] and high altitude meadows in Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Dar|first1=Ghulam Hassan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DyPTDwAAQBAJ|title=Biodiversity of the Himalaya: Jammu and Kashmir State|last2=Khuroo|first2=Anzar A.|date=2020-02-26|publisher=Springer Nature|isbn=978-981-329-174-4|pages=193–200|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140440/https://books.google.com/books?id=DyPTDwAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bari Naik|first=Abdul|title=Tourism Potential in Ecological Zones and Future Prospects of Tourism: in Kashmir Valley |date=22 April 2016|publisher=LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing (April 22, 2016)|isbn=978-3659878626|pages=48}}</ref>
The Kashmir region has four well defined zones of vegetation in the tree growth, due to the difference in elevation. The tropical forests up to 1500 m, are known as the Phulai (''Acacia modesta'') and Olive (Olea cuspid ata) Zone. There occur semi-deciduous species of ''[[Shorea robusta]]'', ''[[Acacia catechu]]'', ''[[Dalbergia sissoo]]'', ''[[Albizia lebbeck]]'', ''[[Garuga pinnata]]'', ''[[Terminalia bellirica]]'' and ''[[Tilia tomentosa|T. tomentosa]]'' and ''[[Pinus roxburghii]]'' are found at higher elevations. The temperate zone between (1,500–3,500 m) is referred as the Chir Pine (Finns longifolia). This zone is dominated by [[oak]]s (''Quercus'' spp.) and ''[[Rhododendron]]'' spp. The Blue Pine (Finns excelsa) Zone with ''[[Cedrus deodara]]'', ''[[Abies pindrow]]'' and ''[[Picea smithiana]]'' occur at elevations between 2,800 and 3,500 m. The Birch (Betula utilis) Zone has Herbaceous genera of [[Anemone]], [[Geranium]], [[Iris (plant)|Iris]], [[Lloydia]], [[Potentilla]] and [[Primula]] interspersed with dry dwarf alpine scrubs of [[Berberis]], [[Cotoneaster]], [[Juniperus]] and [[Rhododendron]] are prevalent in alpine grasslands at 3,500 m and above.<ref name=flowers/><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Manish|first1=Kumar|last2=Pandit |first2=Maharaj K. |date=2018-11-07|title=Geophysical upheavals and evolutionary diversification of plant species in the Himalaya|journal=PeerJ |volume=6|pages=e5919 |doi=10.7717/peerj.5919|issn=2167-8359|pmc=6228543 |pmid=30425898|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Kashmir is referred as a beauty spot of the medicinal and herbaceous flora in the Himalayas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaul|first=S. N. |url=http://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.509480 |title=Forest Products Of Jumma and Kashmir|date=1928 |publisher=Kashmir Pratap Stream Press,srinagar|pages=vii}}</ref> There are hundreds of different species of wild flowers recorded in the alpine meadows of the region.<ref name=flowers/> The [[Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Botanical Garden|botanical garden]] and the [[Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden|tulip garden]]s of Srinagar built in the [[Zabarwan]]s grow 300 breeds of flora and 60 varieties of tulips respectively. The later is considered as the largest Tulip Garden of Asia.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Experts |first=Arihant |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NhrzDwAAQBAJ&q=300+flora|title=Know Your State Jammu and Kashmir|date=2019-06-04 |publisher=Arihant Publications India limited|isbn=978-93-131-6916-1|language=en|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140440/https://books.google.com/books?id=NhrzDwAAQBAJ&q=300+flora|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Around the world, tulips turn hillsides into colorful patchwork quilts |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/04/18/around-the-world-tulips-turn-hillsides-into-colorful-patchwork-quilts/|access-date=2020-10-29|archive-date=2 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102031353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/capital-weather-gang/wp/2017/04/18/around-the-world-tulips-turn-hillsides-into-colorful-patchwork-quilts/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Kashmir region is home to rare species of animals, many of which are protected by sanctuaries and reserves. The [[Dachigam National Park]] in the Valley holds the last viable population of [[Kashmir stag]] ''(Hangul)'' and the largest population of [[Asian black bear|black bear]] in Asia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jkwildlife.com/pdf/pub/final_management_plan_DNP_06082011.pdf |title=MANAGEMENT PLAN (2011-2016) DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK|publisher=jkwildlife.com|access-date=2020-10-30|archive-date=22 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210122030329/http://www.jkwildlife.com/pdf/pub/final_management_plan_DNP_06082011.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Gilgit-Baltistan the [[Deosai National Park]] is designated to protect the largest population of [[Himalayan brown bear]]s in the western Himalayas.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nawaz|first1=Muhammad Ali|last2=Swenson|first2=Jon E. |last3=Zakaria|first3=Vaqar|date=2008-09-01|title=Pragmatic management increases a flagship species, the Himalayan brown bears, in Pakistan's Deosai National Park|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320708002206|journal=Biological Conservation|language=en|volume=141|issue=9|pages=2230–2241|doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2008.06.012|bibcode=2008BCons.141.2230N |issn=0006-3207}}</ref> [[Snow leopard]]s are found in high density In the [[Hemis National Park]] in Ladakh.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cCTPP2xUUpkC&q=hemis+national+park+snow+leopards&pg=PA4|title=Making a Difference: Dossier on Community Engagement on Nature Based Tourism in India|publisher=EQUATIONS|language=en|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=17 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230117140441/https://books.google.com/books?id=cCTPP2xUUpkC&q=hemis+national+park+snow+leopards&pg=PA4|url-status=live}}</ref> The region is home to [[musk deer]], [[markhor]], [[leopard cat]], [[jungle cat]], [[red fox]], [[jackal]], [[Himalayan wolf]], [[serow]], [[marten|Himalayan yellow-throated marten]], [[marmot|long-tailed marmot]], [[Indian porcupine]], [[Himalayan mouse-hare]], [[langur]] and [[Siberian weasel|Himalayan weasel]]. At least 711 bird species are recorded in the valley alone with 31 classified as globally threatened species.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Jammu and Kashmir bird checklist - Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World|url=https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=INwhjk&list=howardmoore|access-date=2020-10-20|website=avibase.bsc-eoc.org|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022004158/https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?region=INwhjk&list=howardmoore|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Lawrence|first=Walter R. (Walter Roper) |url=http://archive.org/details/valleyofkashmir00lawr|title=The valley of Kashmír|date=1895|place=London|publisher=H. Frowde |pages=106–160}}</ref>