TREE REGENERATION PATTERN IN TROPICAL DRY EVERGREEN FORESTS ON THE COROMANDEL COAST OF INDIA UNDER VARIOUS DISTURBANCE LEVELS

Present study aim to analyze the patterns of regeneration in relation to different degrees of human disturbance in the endangered tropical dry evergreen forests.  A total of 838 seedlings and 1931 saplings of 57 species were recorded in 400 sample plot. ‘Much disturbed’ sites were found to have the highest seedling species richness, with 31 species. Glycosmis mauritiana, Memecylon umbellatum, Tricalysis sphaerocarpa and Garcinia spicata were well represented as saplings and seedlings in all three categories other than HD sites. The relative proportion of adults ranged from 71% in the heavily disturbed sites to 59% in the much disturbed sites. Log sapling and seedlings densities were significantly related to log adult densities.  R2 values of seedlings were similar in moderate (MD) and much disturbed (MU) sites and R2 values were lower in relatively undisturbed (RD) and heavily disturbed (HD) sites. Restoration of such endangered ecosystem requires serious attention towards its rehabilitation of its structural and functional components

LIANA GROWTH, MORTALITY AND RECRUITMENT IN FOUR INLAND TROPICAL DRY EVERGREEN FOREST SITES OF PENINSULAR INDIA

Liana diversity re- inventoried after decade for assessing their growth, mortality and recruitment rates in four inland tropical dry evergreen forest sites, on the Coromandel Coast of south India, were investigated between 2003-2013. Four 1-ha permanent plots (100 m x 100 m) were established in four tropical dry evergreen forest sites - Araiyapatti (AP), Karisakkadu (KR), Maramadakki (MM) and Shanmuganathapuram (SP). All lianas ≥1 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were measured at 1.3 m from the ground level. The initial inventory in 2003 yielded 35 species, whereas in 2013 a total of 37 species were recorded. Among the four studied sites, liana species richness increased by 4.6% (1 species) and 11.2% (3 species) in sites MM and SP respectively, but in sites AP and KR no change in total number of species in ten-year interval. Liana density increased in all the study sites in ten-year interval by 210, 211, 164 and 162 stems in sites AP, KR, MM and SP respectively. The mean growth rate of lianas (≥ 1 cm dbh) in four tropical dry evergreen forest sites ranged from 0.37 cm yr-1 in site KR to 0.58 cm yr-1 in site SP. The mortality rate was 3.2 and 7.1% yr-1 in highly disturbed sites SP and AP respectively, while the moderately disturbed sites showed 7.5% yr-1in site KR and 1.6% yr-1 in site MM. High recruitment rate was recorded in less disturbed sites KR (36.6% yr-1) and MM (24.4% yr-1). This result revealed forest degradation, so strengthening of conservation activities with involvement of local community

An evaluation of coastal sand dune flora of Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, India: perspectives for conservation and management

International audienceMost of the sand dunes close to the Cuddalore coast of India have been destroyed due to human pressure. The remaining coastal sand dune (CSD) is under extreme threat due to unplanned development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the species diversity, plant communities in different morphological types, spatial-temporal changes in the distribution of sand dunes, and the state of their conservation. In the coastal dunes of Cuddalore, 25 perpendicular transects parallel to the coast were sampled. Following analysis, 105 vascular plants from 39 plant families and 85 genera were identified as part of the CSD flora. The least disturbed sites harbored more species than the heavily disturbed sites. Members of the Poaceae and Fabaceae families dominated the flora, and 68% of the species in the dunes were herbaceous. The sand dune cover is significantly reduced and fragmented in various parts of the study area, and negative changes have been observed at a rate of more than 100 ha per year between 2003 and 2020. A CSD conservation policy that ensures species succession in the form of a three-layered zone is proposed as a long-term sustainable option for preserving Cuddalore coastal flora biodiversity

Mapping and Assessing the Land Cover and Land Use of a fragile Coastal Landscape, Cuddalore District, Tamil Nadu, South India

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Looking for Integrated Conservation and Development of the Coramandel Coastal Wetlands: The case Study of Kaluveli (Tamil Nadu, South India)

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