Demography of Calamus brandisii Becc. Ex Becc. & Hook.f., an endangered rattan species at Agasthyamalai and its conservation

Abstract

Calamus brandisii Becc. ex Becc. & Hook. f. is an endangered Rattan species of the Agasthyamalai region in Kerala. This species is extracted in large scale for the furniture as well as the handicraft industries and the population is decreasing very rapidly. Hence conservation strategies and management practices should be developed to protect this species and for its sustainable use. Demographic studies were carried out to find out which life stage of the population is adversely affected. Results show that there is an annual decrease of 61 per cent in the population. Sensitivity and elasticity analyses reveal that sub adult stage is more important in the conservation point of view. The adult survival rate is very low. The number of flowering plants and the number of fruits produced by each plant are very low which affects the seedling generation. The germination percentage of seeds under natural condition also is very low. Seedlings contribute only 4.65 per cent of the population. Since Agasthyamalai is a famous pilgrimage center, human interference also may be a major factor acting adversely in the population. Hence, in the conservation strategies for this species importance should be given to seedlings, sub adult and adult plants. It is better to collect the fruits at maturity, germinate and transplant them in a protected area since natural regeneration is scanty. In situ and ex situ conservations are equally important for this endangered species.