Informatics Publishing Limited

A. Ramachandran , S. Jayakumar , D. I. Arockiasamy

Abstract

Forests, one of the important natural resources on the earth surface fulfill all the needs of living beings on the earth. For effective management of forests, it is important to have information on recent status, composition and types. Champion and Seth system of classification of Indian forest types has been used as an authentic source of information since it has been released for all management purposes. However one should remember that Champion and Seth classified the entire forests in India with limited technology, time and resources available with them. Hence there are certain forest areas where forest types are represented sporadically in the Champion and Seth system of classification. This classification naturally will have several shortcomings since it is done on macro scale. Now we have newer technologies, facilities like Remote Sensing, GIS, GPS with which we can understand the forests at micro-level and consequently more fine classification system could be evolved to reclassify the Forests in India. Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu is one such forest region, which has been taken up in the present study for further refinement. Remote sensing technique has been utilized appropriately in the present study for classification of forests with detailed field survey. Area belong to each forest type have been calculated accurately. The results of this study emphasize that refinement of forest types in India is necessary for better management of forests.

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S. John Britto , S. Soosairaj , B. Balaguru , D. I. Arockiasamy

Abstract

Collection of Non-Timber Forest Products from reserved forest is on the increase, as there is a growing exploitation from the ever-expanding tribal population. The present study aims at a quantitative analysis of NTFPs in 0.12 ha area of four forest types of Pacchaimalai Hills, Eastern Ghats (Tamil Nadu). Density, frequency and abundance of trees, lianas, shrubs, climbers and herbs have been calculated. A total of 5,760 ha^-1 individuals of NTFPs plants from 86 species of 80 genera and 40 families have been recorded. The result indicates that the diversity of NTFPs plants is higher in the Semi-evergreen forest type followed by the Dry deciduous type.

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Aruna Basu ¹, Manoj Kumar Sarkar ¹, A. Muthukrishnan ¹, D. I. Arockiasamy ¹

Affiliations
1 State Forest Research Institute, Tamil Nadu, Chennai- 600127, IN

Abstract

Bentinckia condapanna Berry is one of the endemic and threatened tree species (palm) of the Southern Western Ghats in Peninsular India. B. condapanna and B. nicobarica (Kurz) Becc. are the two species of this family enlisted as threatened species of genus Bentinckia by Botanical Survey of India during 1988. B. condapanna has narrow endemic zone of distribution in the hills of South Travancore and Tirunelveli Hills of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The habitats of the species in Tamil Nadu particularly in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve were analysed using GPS, GIS and stratified random sampling techniques. Satellite remote sensing data with the aid of GIS were used for site-specific mapping of the threatened species, the status of niches with regard to its growth and degradation. The threat status of the species was reassessed. Growth habit, botanical description, silvicultural characters, ethnobotanic and other utility of the species are provided. The places of endemism, precise point-location data, the phyto-geographic parameters of the area and its phytosociological layout are illustrated. Immediate need to protect and propagate this endangered species is emphasized and its methods of artificial reproduction elaborated. Finally, Threatened Species Recovery Plan (TSRP) has been suggested to protect and promote the species using in-situand ex-situ conservation methods.

Keywords

Species Recovery Plan, Endemism, Artificial Regeneration, Bentinckia Condapanna

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