The impact of L. camara establishment on the floral and avifaunal communities of Solan district in the mid Himalayas of Himachal Pradesh
Student name: Ms Shruti Gupta
Guide: Dr Sudipta Chatterjee
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: GIZ, Himachal Pradesh
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Joachim Schmerbeck
Abstract: The study explored the impact of Lantana camara on the floral and avifaunal communities
established in three treatments of L. camara cover: Treatment 1(0%), Treatment 2 (40-60%) and
Treatment 3 (80-100%). The results indicate no negative impact of L. camara on the floral and
avifaunal diversity. The work was carried out in Solan District, Himachal Pradesh at an elevation of
1100-1500m. For each treatment, 4 homogenous sites were chosen for both floral and avifaunal
studies. For the floral assessment, the diversity of species was assessed in three vertical strata
vegetation : >0-1m, >1-3m and >3m. The Shannon Weiner diversity index (H’) increased with
increasing L. camara cover. This relation was significant (p <0.05) for strata1 and 2. The species
composition was significantly different between treatments for >1-3m & >3m (assessed using MRPP
test). There was no negative impact on the number of regeneration trees by L. camara cover. The H’
for seedling was: 0.09, 0.38 1.05 for treatment 1, 2 and 3 respectively but with no significant
difference. The combined Relative Density of seedlings and saplings per hectare was 7961, 6988,
13476 for Treatment 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Multiple Regression Analysis pointed the L. camara
cover as the explanatory factor for the distribution of species in strata >0-1m (r
2
= 0.6).The avifaunal
communities did not show any significant differences amongst the treatments regarding diversity,
species richness, and relative abundance. There was no difference in association of foraging guild or
stratum utilization observed across treatments. The anthropogenic pressure was highest in Treatment
1. The results could have been better resolved with more sites and time availability.
The management of Lantana camara that includes high cost of eradication of this species has to be
reconsidered. A well planned management based on ecological principles is recommended.
Keywords:
Lantana camara, Mid Himalayan Region, Vegetation ecology, Avifauna, Biodiversity.
