Species Diversity and Standing Stock of Homestead Forestry in Singrauli District of Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Loss of biodiversity is one of the triple planetary crises that needs to be addressed with urgency to shape a sustainable habitat for all life forms. This paper investigates the diversity, composition and standing stock in rural homesteads of Singrauli District, MP, India. A multi-stage random sampling was used to select villages (16) and households (128) for the field survey. Data on species composition and standing stock were collected using interview schedules and homestead inventories. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics, mensuration formulas, and diversity indices. Results indicated that about 153 species of plants belonging to 55 families and 122 genera of flora were raised other than conventional agricultural crops in homesteads. Among these, 92 tree, 26 shrubs, 25 herbaceous, and 10 climber species were identified. On average, households practiced homestead forestry in an area of 0.25 ha, with 47 individuals of 15 species. The average height, diameter, basal area, and standing stock of trees in the homesteads were recorded as 12.01 m, 34.50 cm, 934.82 cm2, and 15.18 m3, respectively. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index of 3.57 and Simpson’s index of 0.05 implied high floristic diversity, and the Shannon Equitability index of 0.70 indicated a considerably even population of plant species. The Importance Value Index (IVI) indicated that Mangifera indica (27.78) and Madhuca longifolia (18.96) were found to be the dominant species in the sample homesteads owing to their multi-faceted uses. The findings specified that homestead forestry can be a viable strategy to conserve biodiversity, improve ecosystem services, expand the green cover, and secure livelihoods.