Landscape structure is often regarded as an important factor that governs the distribution and abundance of species. Therefore it is critical to understand the landscapes and their dynamics. Patterns of landscape elem...Landscape structure is often regarded as an important factor that governs the distribution and abundance of species. Therefore it is critical to understand the landscapes and their dynamics. Patterns of landscape elements strongly influence the ecological characteristics. This study was designed to document and map the current status of the tropi-cal dry deciduous forest of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve （TATR）, Central India, （using IRS P6 LISS IV data） and to describe its landscape structure at three levels of organization viz. landscape, class, and patch. The study area was classified into 10 land cover classes that include 6 vegetation classes. The landscape structure was analyzed using FRAG-STATS using 12 set of indices. The TATR landscapes have a total of 2,307 patches with a mean patch size of 25.67 ha and patch density of 1.7 patches per km2. Amongst all land cover classes, mixed bamboo forest is dominant-it occupied maximum area （77.99%）-while riparian forest is least represented （0.32%）. Mixed forest has maximum number of patches among all vegetation classes. Results have shown that despite being dominant in the area, mixed bamboo forest has low patch density （0.25/100 ha）. Dominance of mixed bamboo forest is attributed to large patch sizes and not to the number of patches. This study has focussed on the approach of integrating satellite forest classification and forest inven-tory data for studying forest landscape patterns.展开更多
The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos...The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos gaurus, is categorized as ＂Vulnerable＂ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009. The study has used ENFA （ecological niche factor analysis） to understand the distribution status of Gaur in TATR （Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve）, Central India. TATR was sampled using stratified random sampling strategy. A total of 21 continuous variables were used, categorised under 4 environmental descriptors categories viz. habitat, anthropogenic, topographic and hydrological variables. All the variables were tested for the correlation and one of the variable among strongly correlated （r 〉 0.7） variables was discarded to avoid redundancy. A total of 14 variables were retained. The model resulted in marginality of 0.56 and specialization of 2.608. Presence of Gaur showed the positive association with canopy density classes （〈 30% ＆ 40-60%） and open forest. However, it was negatively associated with elevation, non-forest, riparian forest, scrub and teak forest. The study has delineated the areas where appropriate habitat conditions exist to sustain Gaur populations vital for planning strategies for conservation of this megaherbivore species in tropical forests.展开更多
基金National Natural Resource Management System(NNRMS)and Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF),Government of India for funding the project"Mapping of National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries"
文摘Landscape structure is often regarded as an important factor that governs the distribution and abundance of species. Therefore it is critical to understand the landscapes and their dynamics. Patterns of landscape elements strongly influence the ecological characteristics. This study was designed to document and map the current status of the tropi-cal dry deciduous forest of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve （TATR）, Central India, （using IRS P6 LISS IV data） and to describe its landscape structure at three levels of organization viz. landscape, class, and patch. The study area was classified into 10 land cover classes that include 6 vegetation classes. The landscape structure was analyzed using FRAG-STATS using 12 set of indices. The TATR landscapes have a total of 2,307 patches with a mean patch size of 25.67 ha and patch density of 1.7 patches per km2. Amongst all land cover classes, mixed bamboo forest is dominant-it occupied maximum area （77.99%）-while riparian forest is least represented （0.32%）. Mixed forest has maximum number of patches among all vegetation classes. Results have shown that despite being dominant in the area, mixed bamboo forest has low patch density （0.25/100 ha）. Dominance of mixed bamboo forest is attributed to large patch sizes and not to the number of patches. This study has focussed on the approach of integrating satellite forest classification and forest inven-tory data for studying forest landscape patterns.
文摘The rapid pace of development of GIS （geographical information system） has assisted in identification of conservation priority sites by delineating species distribution using models on habitat suitability. Gaur, Bos gaurus, is categorized as ＂Vulnerable＂ in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2009. The study has used ENFA （ecological niche factor analysis） to understand the distribution status of Gaur in TATR （Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve）, Central India. TATR was sampled using stratified random sampling strategy. A total of 21 continuous variables were used, categorised under 4 environmental descriptors categories viz. habitat, anthropogenic, topographic and hydrological variables. All the variables were tested for the correlation and one of the variable among strongly correlated （r 〉 0.7） variables was discarded to avoid redundancy. A total of 14 variables were retained. The model resulted in marginality of 0.56 and specialization of 2.608. Presence of Gaur showed the positive association with canopy density classes （〈 30% ＆ 40-60%） and open forest. However, it was negatively associated with elevation, non-forest, riparian forest, scrub and teak forest. The study has delineated the areas where appropriate habitat conditions exist to sustain Gaur populations vital for planning strategies for conservation of this megaherbivore species in tropical forests.
