Tree Diversity, Regeneration and Ecological Status in Koppa Forest Division, Central Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Forests and their trees support human and animal lives by the provision of food and food-associated materials, fodder and foraging sites for their livestock, and medicinal materials, as well as multiple ecological services. However, unbalanced utilization of these resources and the biotic and abiotic disturbances interrupt their sustainability and ecological functions. We studied the tree population structure, diversity, and regeneration status of tree species in the Koppa Forest Division. The present study reports 207 species of adult trees belong to 140 genera and 49 families were present in the area and nine species were present only as regenerating individuals. The ecological status of the tree species of the region according to International Union for Conservation of Nature, red list indicates that four species are of data deficit, five species are endangered, six are nearly threatened, 17 are vulnerable and 81 species are of least concern. The study concludes that among the recorded 207 tree species, 22 species showed a frequency value of < 0.01 and 185 species showed > 0.01, which indicates that only 10% of the species were less frequently found in the region. This indicates the species richness of the area. To maintain the diversity the rate of survival of regenerating individuals should be increased. This study may pave the way for further research on regeneration potentials of the native species for conservation and enhancement of forests in the future.