572 research outputs found
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The role of perches in accelerating seed arrival in human-abandoned clearings within Bhadra Tiger Reserve, India.
No full textSeed arrival is often the primary limitation to forest regeneration in denuded landscapes, with the number of seeds arriving diminishing rapidly with increase in distance from remnant seed sources. We compared seed rain collected at different distances from the forest edge in seed rain traps with and without introduced bamboo perches in human-abandoned agricultural clearings in Bhadra Tiger Reserve. The number of seeds collected per trap below perches was 38 times greater than the number of seeds collected in traps without perches. The species richness of seeds collected per trap below perches was ten-fold greater than in traps without perches. Our study showed that introducing artificial perches is an effective method to improve seed arrival into tree-less habitats, as has been found in studies elsewhere
Supreme Court and India’s Forests
No full textThe T N Godavarman vs Union of India case in the Supreme Court, also known as the “forest case”, is an example of the judiciary overstepping its constitutional mandate. The court has effectively taken over the day-to-day governance of Indian forests leading to negative social, ecological and administrative effects
The Role of Perches in Accelerating Seed Arrival in Human abandoned Clearings Within Bhadra Tiger Reserve, India
No full textSeed arrival is often the primary limitation to forest regeneration in denuded landscapes, with the number of seeds arriving diminishing rapidly with increase in distance from remnant seed sources. We compared seed rain collected at different distances from the forest edge in seed rain traps with and without introduced bamboo perches in human abandoned agricultural clearings in Bhadra Tiger Reserve. The number of seeds collected per trap below perches was 38 times greater than the number of seeds collected in traps without perches. The species richness of seeds collected per trap below perches was ten-fold greater than in traps without perches. Our study showed that introducing artificial perches is an effective method to improve seed arrival into tree-less habitats, as has been found in studies elsewhere
Impacts of disturbance on soil properties in a dry tropical forest in Southern India
No full textGrazing, fuelwood extraction and burning are common human activities in Indian forests. These activities can represent forest disturbances that drive the degradation of natural deciduous forest cover to scrub forest, with concurrent impacts on soils. The effects of human forest use on ecosystem functions were investigated in Bandipur National Park (BNP) in Peninsular India. This paper reports the impacts on surface soils. Soils were sampled from 200 locations covering four watersheds within the
Park. These samples spanned a degradation gradient measured by a field disturbance index (FDI). Soil physical, nutrient and hydraulic properties were measured. Cation exchange capacity (CEC) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) were analyzed as key response variables describing nutrient availability and infiltration respectively. Effects of cattle and jeep trails on infiltration and bulk density were evaluated by sampling on-and-off trails. Trail density in research watersheds was estimated with satellite imagery. Soil nutrient availability is negatively impacted by disturbance, resulting from negative impacts on soil organic carbon (SOC) and clay content. Available water capacity (AWC) and saturated moisture content (SMC) were
significantly higher in protected watersheds, attributed to reduced clay content in degraded watersheds. Off trails, high spatial variability in infiltration overwhelmed any meaningful trends with disturbance. However, infiltration was substantially reduced on trails as a result of significant increase in bulk density. The density of trails was considerably higher in degraded watersheds compared to protected watersheds. These results provide ground-based and remotely sensed evidence that forest disturbance within the Park has negative impacts on soil organic matter, nutrient availability and hydraulic characteristics. These have consequences for related ecological, nutrient cycling and hydrological processes, and the continuation of the services currently
enjoyed by local human populations. Copyright 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Evaluation of a Participatory Resource Monitoring System for Nontimber Forest Products: the Case of Amla (Phyllanthus spp.) Fruit Harvest by Soligas in South India
Get PDFEnhancing incomes from the sustainable harvest of nontimber forest products can help to maintain local livelihoods and provide local communities with economic incentives to conserve biodiversity. A key feature of a successful enterprise approach to the conservation of these products is a sound monitoring and evaluation program that involves all concerned stakeholders and leads to adaptive management. However, few studies have presented any of the approaches, successes, or challenges involved in participatory monitoring initiatives for nontimber forest products. We present our experiences using a participatory research model that we developed and used over a 10-yr (1995–2005) period for the wild
harvesting of Phyllanthus spp. fruits (amla) by indigenous Soliga harvesters in the Biligiri Rangaswamy
Temple Wildlife Sanctuary, South India. We describe the establishment and evolution of our participatory resource monitoring activities, compare some of the results of our activities to those obtained from monitoring using standard ecological approaches, and evaluate some of the successes and challenges associated with our participatory resource model. An initial step in this work was the establishment of Soliga-run enterprises for the processing and value addition of amla and other nontimber forest products. Participatory resource monitoring activities consisted of participatory mapping and assessments of fruit production, fruit harvest and regeneration combined with pre- and postharvesting meetings for sharing information, and adaptive management. Over the years, harvesters rejected, changed, and adapted various participatory resource monitoring methods to select those most appropriate for them. Visual estimates of fruit production made by harvesters at the forest level were very similar to estimates obtained using standard scientific monitoring protocols. Participatory research monitoring techniques that were effective included strategies for participatory resource mapping, fruit productivity estimation, and promotion of improved harvest techniques. Major challenges involved ensuring adequate incentives for monitoring activities that lead to benefits only over the longer term, such as monitoring of extraction and regeneration rates. Maintaining long-term participation and interest in the latter requires ensuring resource tenure
Prospecting for Camptothecines from Nothapodytes nimmoniana in theWestern Ghats, South India: Identification of High-Yielding Sources of Camptothecin and New Families of Camptothecines
No full textCamptothecin (CPT), a monoterpene alkaloid, is an important anti-cancer compound obtained from several plant sources including Camptotheca acuminta (from China) and Nothapodytes nimmoniana (from India). Currently, by far the highest levels of CPT (approximately 0.3% w/w) are reported from Nothapodytes nimmoniana, a small tree distributed in the Western Ghats, India. In recent years because of the heavy demand, there has been a serious threat of extinction of the populations of the tree in the Western Ghats forest of south India. Several studies have chemically profiled populations of the species in the Western Ghats to identify sources of high yield and therefore to enable the sustainable production and harvesting of CPT. In this study, using both high-performance liquid chromatography and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we report for the first time the identification of trees that produce at least 5- to 8-fold more CPT than hitherto reported. Furthermore, we show for the first time the production of a few minor camptothecines, including 10-hydroxy camptothecin, in the stem and root bark extracts of the tree. These results have important implications for not only harnessing the high-yielding individuals for clonal multiplication but also for exploiting some of the minor camptothecines, which also have been shown to have important anti-cancer and anti-viral activity
Survey and activity patterns of nocturnal mammals in a fragmented dry deciduous forest of Karnataka
Get PDFWe used camera traps to record the presence and activity of nocturnal mammals in the Savandurga state forest, Karnataka during the monsoon and winter seasons. We recorded six species of mammals at the traps over the two seasons. These included among others the Sloth Bear, Leopard, Indian Gerbille and Common Palm Civet. Nocturnal activity was more in winter than in monsoon. There is a high level of human
disturbance in the area that appears to influence the activity of animal
Cryopreservation of oil palm pollen
Get PDFApproximately 5 g of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) pollen was stored in liquid nitrogen from March 1998 to April 2006. Pollen grains that were cryopreserved for up to 8 years retained as high as 54±1.72% viability (compared with 62±4.33% before storage) and 49±1.2% in vitro germinability (compared with 52±2.08% before storage). Results indicate the feasibility of cryogenically storing oil palm pollen for long periods without any significant loss in viability and germinability
Monitoring landscape fragmentation in an inaccessible mountain area:Celaque National Park, Western Honduras
No full textMany protected areas across the world are in locations marginal for human uses. Debate remains about the impact of these parks on land-cover change, which may be confounded by the role played by the biophysical landscape. To test whether parks limit landscape fragmentation due to their designated protection or biophysical location, one must control for features that render the park inaccessible. We examine the effect of Celaque National Park, Honduras, on landscape fragmentation from 1987 to 2000 using remote sensing, GIS and landscape pattern analysis. Multivariate analyses of variance and covariance were conducted to examine differences in landscape fragmentation within the park and the surrounding landscape adjusting for differences in accessibility. Indicators of patch fragmentation were significantly correlated with slope, elevation and distance to roads. Different management categories within the park were found to have significant differences in land-cover change and landscape fragmentation, and the impact of management category was even more significant after accounting for the differences in accessibility that exist across these zones. Thus, the park boundaries have been important in mediating land-cover change pressures, even after accounting for the substantial differences in the accessibility of forestland for conversion to agricultural land use
A ‘Defining’ Moment for Forests?
No full textThe recent attempt by the ministry of environment and forests to arrive at a definition of “forests” has opened a Pandora’s box with all stakeholders analysing the semantics threadbare. A deep appreciation of the complexities of the issues is required by all concerned to enable more locally specific, democratic and balanced structures of forest governance