Landscape level quantification of plant bioresources
The Western Ghats have always supported large human populations due to their rich biodiversity, most linked to human welfare. Most parts of the Western Ghats are well explored and documented for their plant species richness. Baseline data generated through rigorous methodology on the quantity and distribution of bioresources in Western Ghats are critical to manage and conserve the biological resources. At present information on bioresources are mostly qualitative and not easily accessible for those who manage and use these resources. As a sub-set of a larger multi-institutional collaborative project to quantify and map plant bioresources in the Western Ghats, ATREE was involved in sampling in the region along the eastern slopes of southern Western Ghats.
The major goals of the project are to:
- Quantify the plant bioresources and rare species
- Map their geographical distribution
- Set up a database on plant bioresources for the region
The Western Ghats area was divided into 6.25 x 6.25 km grids. Each grid was further classified into different forest/vegetation based on the NDVI map. In each grid 1000 x 5m area was sampled with 1-3 belt transects based on the heterogeneity of the forest/vegetation type. Shrubs and saplings were sampled in 5x5m quadrates at the start and end points of transects. Within this quadrate, 1x1m quadrates were laid to quantify the seedlings and herbs. Information on the plots’ GPS location, forest type and other physical and ecological information were recorded.
District-wise results were presented. Data collected from all the grids was made available through IBIN (Indian Bioresource Information Network) website. From the data, distribution maps can be generated with their frequency classes for any bioresource species. Data can also be obtained at grid level. In addition to this, status of regeneration for all the species available can be assessed from the database. Options in the database also facilitate identification of plant species through links to pictures of plant species.
New population of threatened plants
A new distributional range of a narrow endemic, Tropidia thwaitsii – Sri Lankan orchid, which was only reported from Tirunelveli forests in 1977, has now been located even on hills which are off-shoots of the Western Ghats.
Discovery of an extinct plant
Crotalaria digitata Hook.f. was collected by Robert Wight in 1829 from Madeira (Madurai), Tamil Nadu. It has not been collected for the past 178 years following its first report and presumed to be extinct in the botanical world. It was collected from an isolated and denuded hillock of Alagar hills complex surrounded by villages.