Formally trained in Angiosperm Taxonomy during Masters Degree and Forest Ecology during Doctorate. I have worked with NGOs and Governmental set ups of different scales for last twenty years on diverse projects involving vast field work and intensive lab work as well. Work in most parts of India has given me opportunity to get versed with many of the climatic zones/ phytogeographic areas and the associated flora. Working in close association with several local communities in the remote areas facilitated a great insight in their valuable natural resource management practices.
International Journal of Plant and Environment, 2015
An understanding of vegetation change on <italic>jhum</italic> fallows undergoing rec... more An understanding of vegetation change on <italic>jhum</italic> fallows undergoing recovery following shifting cultivation is vital for developing a rehabilitation strategy for shifting cultivation areas. However, the pattern of vegetationchange during the recovery of shifting cultivation fallows is not well-studied. Therefore, the present study wascarried out in a subtropical forest ecosystem in the buffer zone of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in north-eastern India where shifting cultivation is being practiced extensively. The species composition and other plantcommunity attributes were studied in 1-year, 3-year, 6-year and 12-year old shifting cultivation (<italic>jhum</italic>) fallowsand were compared with an undisturbed forest in the adjoining core zone of the Biosphere Reserve. The rate ofrecovery of various community attributes such as species dominance and diversity, tree species populationstructure, stratification and life form spectrum was, in general, s...
The impact of land use changes driven by various anthropogenic disturbances on the taxonomic dive... more The impact of land use changes driven by various anthropogenic disturbances on the taxonomic diversity of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in northeast India has been studied. Twelve ecosystems representing natural, semi-natural, man-managed and man-damaged ecosystems were identified. In total, 710 vascular plant species belonging to 465 genera and 140 families were recorded from these communities. The flora of the NBR exhibits saturation of eastern Asiatic elements. Although the elements from 11 biogeographical regions of the world were found in the flora of the undisturbed ecosystems of the NBR, Indo-Malayan, Himalayan and Indo-Burman elements dominated the flora constituting about 86% of the total species content. Ninety-nine threatened categories of species including 43 endemics were recorded from the NBR. The presence of a large number of rare taxa with small populations and habitat-specificity indicates the vulnerability of threatened category of species. The taxonomic diversity...
International Journal of Plant and Environment, 2015
An understanding of vegetation change on <italic>jhum</italic> fallows undergoing rec... more An understanding of vegetation change on <italic>jhum</italic> fallows undergoing recovery following shifting cultivation is vital for developing a rehabilitation strategy for shifting cultivation areas. However, the pattern of vegetationchange during the recovery of shifting cultivation fallows is not well-studied. Therefore, the present study wascarried out in a subtropical forest ecosystem in the buffer zone of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in north-eastern India where shifting cultivation is being practiced extensively. The species composition and other plantcommunity attributes were studied in 1-year, 3-year, 6-year and 12-year old shifting cultivation (<italic>jhum</italic>) fallowsand were compared with an undisturbed forest in the adjoining core zone of the Biosphere Reserve. The rate ofrecovery of various community attributes such as species dominance and diversity, tree species populationstructure, stratification and life form spectrum was, in general, s...
The impact of land use changes driven by various anthropogenic disturbances on the taxonomic dive... more The impact of land use changes driven by various anthropogenic disturbances on the taxonomic diversity of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve (NBR) in northeast India has been studied. Twelve ecosystems representing natural, semi-natural, man-managed and man-damaged ecosystems were identified. In total, 710 vascular plant species belonging to 465 genera and 140 families were recorded from these communities. The flora of the NBR exhibits saturation of eastern Asiatic elements. Although the elements from 11 biogeographical regions of the world were found in the flora of the undisturbed ecosystems of the NBR, Indo-Malayan, Himalayan and Indo-Burman elements dominated the flora constituting about 86% of the total species content. Ninety-nine threatened categories of species including 43 endemics were recorded from the NBR. The presence of a large number of rare taxa with small populations and habitat-specificity indicates the vulnerability of threatened category of species. The taxonomic diversity...
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