Abstracto

Remote Sensing and GIS tools used to analyse the Floristic diversity in South Gujarat

G.D. Bhatt, S.P.S. Kushwaha, Kiran Bargali

The present study evaluates the floristic diversity analysis in south Gujarat forest using stratify random sampling technique. The forest cover in south Gujarat is 5492.05 km2 (17.54 %) out of total geographical area 31,495 km2. The maximum forest area covered by teak mixed dry deciduous forest (14.98 %) and minimum by riverain forest (0.0004 %), respectively. Based on the area of forest vegetation types 157 sample plots of 31.62 m x 31.62 m were laid in different forest vegetation types of south Gujarat. The IVI was calculated in different vegetation types and highest value was observed in teak mixed dry and moist deciduous forest. The dominant families were Leguminosace (19) followed by Poaceae (13), Compositae (12), Amranthaceae (11), Malvaceae (10), Lamiaceae (09) and Rubiaceae (08) respectively. The study demonstrates integration of stratified random sampling techniques in south Gujarat for an assessment of medicinal and economical plants.