Theses and Dissertations

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Forest fragmentation

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    Assessment of tree diversity, successional changes and forest fragmentation in jhum influenced forest ecosystem of South Garo Hills, Meghalaya.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, 2005) Kumar, Ashish; Roy, P.S.; Sawarkar, V.B.
    The findings presented in this thesis are the outcome of a long term research project entitled ‘Management of Forests in India for Biological Diversity and Forest Productivity - A New Perspective (1996 — 2002)’. The intensive study area is a part of the Garo Hills situated in the western Meghalaya of the northeast India. The landscape (2459 km2) is a mosaic of protected areas (PAs), managed forests (MFs) and intervening private/community land. The major goal of present study is to provide knowledge, tools, and indicators for monitoring, and potential management guidelines for conserving native biological diversity of study area. The objectives of present study are (i) to assess diversity patterns and successional changes among tree communities, (ii) to analyse landscape characteristics in particular fragmentation, classify tropical forests and prioritise wildlife areas, (iii) to discuss the native wild fauna and develop information base for modelling wildlife habitat relationships, and (iv) to assess the socioeconomics of native tribes, and evaluate the impact on existing protected areas of the region.
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    Land use, forest fragmentation and river dynamics in Dudhwa landscape and their conservation implications
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2008) Midha, Neha; Mathur, P.K.
    The present study aimed to assess land use, forest fragmentation and river dynamics in Dudhwa landscape and their effect on diversity, vegetation, and species of concern i.e. swamp deer ( ). Specific objectives addressed description of viii landscape spatial patterns, and evaluation of efficacy of high resolution satellite data in the development of spatial database; quantification of forest fragmentation, and assessment of structure and composition of forest vegetation; and understanding channel planform, changes in Sharda River, construction of Locational Probability Model of a stretch of Sharda River, and implications for conservation of endangered swamp deer and its prime habitat i.e. Jhadi in Kisanpur Wildlife Sanctuary. The study focused on the Dudhwa landscape which represents the part of The Sal ( ecosystem in the foothills of the Himalaya. In view of the multi-facet study objectives and vast area, it was imperative to adopt a holistic approach so as to have an insight on land use, forest fragmentation, and vegetation in the constituent areas of the landscape, and also on the river dynamics, a major disturbance factor influencing the floodplain and swamp deer. The field studies were carried out during 2005 and 2006. A combination of well tested field assessment methods and modern techniques Remote Sensing and GIS were employed in the present study.
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    Patterns in plant species richness and diversity in the forest fragments of Western Ghats, Karnataka.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2007) Page, Navendu V.; Qureshi, Qamar; Rawat, G.S.
    Patterns of species richness diversity and distribution, and the factors affecting these patterns have always attracted the attention of many ecologists. Degree of fragmentation is one such factor affecting the species richness and composition also of great importance to conservation biology in light of rapid loss of biodiversity. The study examined the patterns of distribution and species richness and its correlates in a fragmented landscape in Kodagu district, Western Ghats, Karnataka. The study also examined some of the factors affecting distribution of epiphytes such as distribution along the tree height gradient and host specificity. A total of 129 species of trees, 29 species of Iians as and 68 species of vascular epiphytes were recorded in 56, 25m x 25m square plots. 60 species of shrubs were recorded in 90, 5m x 5m square plots. Patch area was found to be significantly correlated with tree species richness, but area was not correlated with shrub, liana and epiphyte species richness. However plant density used as measure of site specific productivity along with area were significantly correlated with lianas and epiphyte richness. Neither of these could explain the variation in shrub species richness. Lianas and shrubs did not show any such trend but epiphyte richness showed a negative trend in rarefied species richness with increase in area. Rank abundance curves indicated that Reserve forest had the most equitable distribution of abundance classes and also more number of rare species. Species composition was found to differ significantly across different size classes. All the plant communities showed moderate levels of nestedness. Distribution of an epiphyte along the tree was not influenced by the mode of dispersal alone. There was no strong evidence in support of host specificity however some selective host species were found to be favoured by epiphytes.