Dr. Gaurav K. Mishra, has done his M.Sc. in Botany. He has completed his Ph.D. thesis under the joint supervision of Dr.D.K.Upreti, lichenology laboratory, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow and Prof. N. Punetha, Department of Botany, L.S.M. P.G. College,pithoragarh. Dr. Mishra has been published more than 25 research paper.

The Kumaun Himalaya situated in Western Himalaya is well known for its plant wealth including lichens. The lichens have an ability to grow on any perennial and stabilized substrata. They grow on different type of trees, shrubs, rocks, stones, boulders and soil. The different altitudinal zones exhibit different type of forest vegetation in Kumaun Himalaya.Most of the information on lichens of Kumaun Himalaya are scattered in a number of publications and so far not a complete account of lichens form Kumaun Himalaya is available. Thus to consolidate the account of lichens form the Kumaun Himalaya an attempt has been made in this book and a systematic enumeration of the lichens encountered in different districts of the Kumaun region provided together with their present authentic names, citation and basionyms. This book would be useful to a wide range of taxonomist, environmentalist, ecologists, biologist, conservationists, archeologists, policy makers, research scholars and foresters, silviculturist and land managers in development of plans and strategies for conservation a part from the basic knowledge or the lichen flora of the region.