:) The settlements are located to the
Forest
Answers
Explanation:
Two plots were selected that represented the tribal and non-tribal settlements. One plot, selected 6km away from the settlements had served as a benchmark. Quantitative sampling of vegetation was carried out separately among the categories of trees, saplings and seedlings adopting Point-centered quarter method of Cottam and Curtis [7]. Fifty-one points at more than 10m intervals were randomly located along the three experimental forest plots. At each point, in each of the four quadrants around (NE, SE, SW and NW), the nearest plant of each categories were located, identified; their distances from the point on ground, girth at breast height (for trees, greater than 30.1cm, and for saplings, between 10.1cm and 30.0cm, both at 1.37m above ground level or at 2-2.5m in case of buttressed individuals), and collar diameter (for seedlings, girth below 10cm) were recorded. The data on vegetation were analysed for relative frequency, density and dominance, and their sum represented importance value index (IVI) of the species (Kershaw [8]).
The rain forests of the Western Ghats mountain range have been the subject of many studies of which the most comprehensive is that of Pascal [5]. These forests are unique because of their geographical location, stable geological history, equable climate, heavy rainfall and good soil conditions that support a variety of tropical forest ecosystems. During the last few decades these forests have been subjected to various human pressures generated by human activities in agriculture, construction of hydroelectric projects, raising monoculture plantations, logging and a host of other developmental projects. Needless to add that all these activities led to a steady depletion of forest areas.
The study area ‘Karchar’ locates in the Kudrermukh National Park, in Western Ghats of South India and has been the home of ‘Gowdlu tribe’. They are living in this area for centuries, practicing shifting agriculture, hunting wildlife and gathering a wide variety of products from the wild habitats. Whereas the non-tribal communities are more dependent on forest for sustenance and have converted part of forest area into Areca plantation. As such it was felt necessary to study the impact of tribal and non-tribal settlement’s forest use patterns on forest structure and composition.