Large Scale Hevea brasiliensis Plantation Impact on Non-Human Primate and Floral Diversity in Khowai District of Tripura

Abstract

Over the past three decades, a large proportion of forest area in Khowai district of Tripura has been converted into a rubber plantation (Hevea brasiliensis) area. There is less information about the deleterious effect of such changes on non-human primate populations and plant diversity. To address this deficit, line transect and quadrat sampling programs were carried out in Khowai district of Tripura with the purpose of comparing non-human primate species diversity, number of individual primate species observed and also plant species diversity observed in the rubber plantation area and nearby forest area. Less number of non-human primate was observed in the rubber plantation area than in the forest area and individual numbers of tree, shrub and herb species were found to be maximum in the nearby forest area than in rubber plantation area. In shrub layer Shannon and Simpson diversity index were higher in the forest area, whereas in herb layer, Shannon index was lower and Simpson index was higher in rubber plantation area. From this study it was divulge that, rubber plantation have harmful impact on non-human primate and plant species.