Assessing diversity and ecosystem services of trees in educational institutions: A case study of a university campus from the Global South

Abstract

ABSTRACT The university campuses in the Global South (low- and middle-income countries of the world) harbour a significant proportion of the trees outside forests which furnish precious ecosystem services. In this study, we conducted field surveys to document the tree flora in the campus of Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak (Haryana), India. We documented 35,184 trees belonging to 66 species in 29 families from the campus. Eucalyptus globulus was the most dominant tree species with 13,932 individuals and Fabaceae was the most speciose family. Nearly 60% of tree species in the campus were native. The mean height (m) and circumference at breast height (cm) for the tree flora were 6.51 ± 0.21 and 50.93 ± 1.11, respectively. The overall tree density on the campus was around 140 trees/ha, mean density 2.11 ± 0.87, and the average basal area 0.021 ± 0.0009 m2/tree. The values for Simpson’s, Shannon, Margalef’s and Pielou’s evenness indices were 0.18, 2.51, 6.21 and 0.6 respectively. The campus trees provide valuable ecosystem services with food and medicinal uses, ornamental and shade values being the dominant. Our findings will guide policy on urban environmental sustainability in the educational campuses in India – the second most populous country in the Global South.