Diversity, population structure, and regeneration potential of tree species in five sacred forests of western Odisha, India

Pradhan, Antaryami; Ormsby, Alison; Behera, Niranjan

doi:10.1080/11956860.2018.1522148

Cited by 25 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Numerous studies on SFs support the view that the practice leads to tangible conservation benefits (Byers et al 2001, Boraiah et al 2003, Mgumia & Oba 2003, Bhagwat & Rutte 2006, Verschuuren 2010. Although such comparisons of SFs have often been made against intensively managed systems (Ambinakudige & Sathish 2009), this appears to hold true even with more equitable comparisons (Metcalfe et al 2010, Ruelle et al 2018, Pradhan et al 2019. For plant groups or resources that are intensively extracted (e.g., medicinal plants), the contrast is usually starker (Boraiah et al 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Odisha state has high forest cover (38% of total land area; Forest Survey of India 2017) and a significant proportion of indigenous native people (23% of the total at the state level, but much greater in parts) who follow traditional livelihood practices dependent on forest resources to varying extents. Odisha may have many SFs, which are only now being systematically documented and studied (Rath & John 2018, Pradhan et al 2019; however, traditional practices of community-based forest conservation and forest dependence are well known from the region (Nayak & Berkes 2008, Singh 2013. We focused on one administrative block (Banspal) in the Keonjhar district of Odisha and carried out comparative analyses of tree species diversity and tree size structure in two contrasting land tenure systems: SFs and reserve forests (RFs).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Greater tree community structure complexity in sacred forest compared to reserve forest land tenure systems in eastern India

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummarySacred forests are small patches of forest that are preserved and protected from human exploitation. Although they are identified primarily for spiritual or religious purposes, their contribution to biodiversity conservation has been widely debated. Sacred sites are known to harbour greater biodiversity compared to exploited forests, but the patterns are not well known. We studied tree diversity in a remote forested location in eastern India where sacred forests and reserve forests used by people are present. Tree data from eight sacred forest sites and nine reserve forest sites showed that species richness was significantly greater in sacred forests; species diversity and evenness tended to be greater, but these were not statistically significant. Basal area (a measure of aboveground biomass) was significantly greater, mainly due to the greater density of large trees. There were significant departures from the theoretical expectation of stem size density distributions under pure asymmetric competition for both land tenures, which indicated that extraneous mortality increased death rates of large trees under both regimes, but sacred forests had a greater range of stem sizes. Our results suggest that sacred forests can contribute to biodiversity conservation by preserving greater tree diversity than forests subject to human use.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greater tree community structure complexity in sacred forest compared to reserve forest land tenure systems in eastern India

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Odisha's sacred groves have been studied for their birds (Pradhan et al 2016), trees (Pradhan et al 2019b) and carbon sequestration (Pradhan et al 2019a). Our research fills a gap in understanding of cultural values by documenting the following in five sacred groves in four districts of western Odisha: the types of groves; grove activities; resource use; management approaches; and ecological disturbance levels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…For example, we used three species as indicators to record the presence of exotic and/or invasive plant species: Lantana camara, Acacia auriculiformis and Chromolaena odorata (scoring 0 = absent, 1 = present in herbaceous layer (<1000 ha -1 ), 2 = present in herbaceous layer (>1000 ha -1 ), 3 = present in both herbaceous and shrub layer). Full disturbance criteria are provided in the Supplemental Materials (see also Pradhan et al 2019b).…”

Section: Survey Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biocultural conservation in the sacred forests of Odisha, India

Pradhan

Ormsby

2020

Envir. Conserv.

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Summary Biocultural and indigenous approaches to conservation, such as the sacred forests of India, are increasingly being recognized and valued. At these sites, the ecological aspects as well as the local community management and cultural significance of the landscape contribute to conservation success. From 2012 to 2015, we investigated five sacred forests in western Odisha (India) that varied in size from 1 to 1000 ha. Through interviews with 81 residents, we explored the types of groves, their use and management approaches. We investigated levels of grove disturbance and plant use with botanical survey methods. Some groves experience pressures from annual pilgrimage visitors, and we documented the relative impacts of pilgrims and other activities using ethnographic methods. Community participation or management by the Forest Department alone has not been completely effective in conserving these sacred natural sites; however, collaborative work can contribute to successful conservation. Continued community involvement is key to future biodiversity conservation in the sacred groves.

show abstract

“…The detailed information regarding the selected sacred forests, their size, area, associated ethnic gropus and geographical locations are presented in Table 1. The vegetation of these sites can be categorized as tropical dry deciduous types with Shorea robusta Gaertn., Chev and Lagerstroemia parviflora Roxb as some of the dominant tree species (Pradhan et al 2019). Table 1 here> The general climate of the study areas can be considered as Tropical Savanna Climate.…”

Section: < Insert Figure 1 Here>mentioning

confidence: 99%

Litterfall, Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Sacred Forests of Western Odisha, India.

Pradhan¹,

Behera²

2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Recognizing that litterfall and decomposition are key ecosystem functions for ecosystem stability in a terrestrial ecosystem, litterfall and decomposition in four sacred forests were studied from western part of Odisha. The present study focuses on the detailed aspects of litter dynamics, decomposition and consequent release of nutrients to the forest floor. The results obtained in this study will be beneficial in understanding the ecosystem functioning associated with nutrient cycling, which helps in determining possible management strategies for optimization of ecosystem functioning and productivity of these sacred forests. Results Litterfall and standing litter showed a seasonal pattern with most of the litter accumulated during the dry seasons and lowest in the rainy season. However, no significant difference was observed between the litterfall patterns of the sacred forests. The annual turnover rate (KL) was found to be in the range of 3.59/yr to 4.22/yr in studied sacred forests. The litter decomposition study was performed by litter bag technique and almost 95% of mass loss was observed within a period of 6 months. Such fast decomposition leads to faster rate of nutrient release across the sites. The studied elements can be set in the following order as regards to their return to the topsoil during decomposition in the order of K (Potassium) > N (Nitrogen) > P (Phosphorus). The approximate amount of nutrient released to the forest soil is quantified in the range of 184.76 to 33.61kg/ha of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) in different sacred forests.Conclusion Such nutrient release and dynamics in sacred forests, may contribute an effective nutrient flow to the topsoil as well as to the surrounding agricultural landscapes boosting agricultural productivity and sustainability. This signifies the role of sacred forests in rendering an important ecological service in terms of nutrient cycling.

show abstract

Diversity, population structure, and regeneration potential of tree species in five sacred forests of western Odisha, India

Cited by 25 publications

References 38 publications

Greater tree community structure complexity in sacred forest compared to reserve forest land tenure systems in eastern India

Greater tree community structure complexity in sacred forest compared to reserve forest land tenure systems in eastern India

Biocultural conservation in the sacred forests of Odisha, India

Litterfall, Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Sacred Forests of Western Odisha, India.

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About