Designing a protected area network for conservation planning in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Jhum</Emphasis> landscapes of Garo Hills,Meghalaya |
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| Authors: | A Kumar B G Marcot G Talukdar |
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| Institution: | 1.JalaSRI Watershed Surveillance and Research Institute,M.J. College Campus,Jilha Peth, Jalgaon,India;2.USDA Forest Service,Pacific Northwest Research Station,Portland,USA;3.Wildlife Institute of India,Chandrabani, Dehradun,India |
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| Abstract: | We studied vegetation and land cover characteristics within the existing array of protected areas (PAs) in South Garo Hills
of Meghalaya, northeast India and introduce the concept of protected area network (PAN) and methods to determine linkages
of forests among existing PAs. We describe and analyse potential elements of a PAN, including PAs, reserved forests, surrounding
buffers as zones of influence, and connecting forest corridors, which collectively can provide old-forest habitat for wildlife
species linked across a landscape dominated by jhum (shifting cultivation) agriculture. ANOVA and Chisquare analyses of patch characteristics and forest tree diversity suggested
the presence of equally species-rich and diverse old forest cover (tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen and deciduous forest
types) in portions of unprotected private and community owned land, which could be designated as additions to, and network
linkages among, existing PAs. Such additions and linkages would help provide for conservation of elephants and existing native
forest biodiversity and would constitute a PAN in the region. Most (80%) of the total forest cover of the region belongs to
private or community owned land. Therefore, such additions could be formally recognized under the aegis of the 2003 amendments
of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which include provisions to designate selected forest patches within private lands
as Community Reserves. |
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