Abstract

The rich biodiversity repository of Gandhamardan hill ranges, Eastern Ghats, India is under severe threat from various magnitudes such as deforestation, unsustainable collection of medicinal plants, invasion of alien species, forest fire, urbanization and habitat destruction. The Protected Forests (PFs) have lost a number of wild species from their natural habitat pose to loss of biodiversity. The hill range having two preservation plots of 100ha each identified in Nrusinghanath (SITE-I) and Harishankar (SITE-II) range as study area. The present study inventoried a total of 10775 trees belonging to 91 tree species within a 17.6 hectare sampled area (441 plots). The predominant tree species are Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuca indica, Cleistanthus collinus, Anogeissus latifolia, and Lagerstroemia parviflora. The Shannon- Weiner index (H’) is 3.92 (SITE-I) and 3.31 (SITE- II) with Simpson’s value 1.0. This value indicates that the tropical moist deciduous forests are also species diverse systems. Mean stand density was 671 ha-1 in SITE-I and 565 ha-1 in SITE-II. Stem density and species richness have consistently decreased with increasing girth class of tree species from 50 cm girth. The present study on phyto-diversity of tree species and participatory approaches on sustainable use of natural resources will provide the baseline information for effective and sustainable biodiversity conservation of tropical moist deciduous forest.

中文摘要

印度東高只山干吐馬塔那丘稜地區豐富的生物多樣性近來遭受到不同層面的威脅， 包括森林砍伐、藥用植物濫採、外來物種入侵、森林野火、都市化及棲地破壞等。在此森 林保護區 (Protected Forest) 中，有相當數量的野生種的消失造繩該地區生物多樣性的下降。 本研究的研究樣區設立在此丘稜地區的兩個100 公頃保留區中，Nrusinghanath (研究樣區-I) 以及 Harishankar (研究樣區-II)。在17.5 公頃的調查範圍中，設置441 的樣區，共記錄到91 個木本植物種類，10,775 植株。最優市的物種為Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuca indica, Cleistanthus collinus, Anogeissus latifolia, 以及 Lagerstroemia parviflora。生物多樣性指數 (Shannon-Weiner index (H’)) 為 3.92 (研究樣區-I) and 3.31 (研究樣區-II)，然而兩者的 Simpson’s value 皆為1.0 左右。平均植株密度為671/平方公頃 (研究樣區-I) 以及565 (研究 樣區-II)。植株的密度集物種多樣性穩定的隨植株周長等級而減少。本研究所對於當地植物 相以及相關研究對於當地自然資源利用的探討，將能提供熱帶潮濕落葉林生物多樣性保育 永續經營參考。

Keyword: Arboreal taxa diversity, Eastern Ghats, Population structure, Sustainable conservation, Tropical forests.