Comparative assessment of Phyto diversity in Tangmarg Forest division in Kashmir Himalaya, India

Abstract

Enormous biotic stresses, such as uncontrolled grazing, logging, use of plants for timber and fuelwood, deforestation for cultivation, and road constructions have drastically deteriorated forests in the Kashmir Himalaya. On the basis of the intensity of biotic stress, three differently forest sites, protected, unprotected and roadside forest, were studied. Random vegetation sampling was done to record herbaceous diversity in the Tangmarg Forest Division of Kashmir valley in 2019. Six diversity indices were negatively correlated with increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance. The values further elucidated by the Rényi diversity profiles, indicated that the protected forest sites had significantly higher diversity as compared to the road side forest sites. Scaling based on an increased order of total number of species in the forest richness and diversity – on top were protected forest sites, followed by unprotected forest sites, while road side forest sites were on the lower end of this spectrum. The Principal component analysis (PCA) showed two distinct groups based on the composition and IVI of the plant species. The results of this study identify diverse biotic stresses and could help in framing the policies for forest management.