Vegetation diversity and structural analysis of Bettalands and natural forests in Uttara Kannada District, Central Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Bettalands (Soppinabetta), the traditionally managed forest lands adjoining arecanut plantations in Uttara Kannada, play a vital role in sustaining agroforestry productivity and biodiversity conservation. The present study aimed to evaluate the vegetation diversity and structure of well-maintained bettaland, poorly maintained bettaland and natural forests across three bioclimatic zones Hilly, Eastern and Coastal zones. Vegetation sampling was carried out in 20 × 20 m plots following stratified random sampling. Diversity indices such as Shannon-Wiener, Simpson’s, Evenness and Species Richness were calculated. Results revealed that natural forests exhibited the highest species diversity (H’ = 2.15) and richness across zones, followed by well-maintained bettalands. Poorly maintained bettalands recorded lower diversity and structural attributes, reflecting anthropogenic disturbance and poor regeneration. The study highlights the ecological importance of bettalands as potential biodiversity reservoirs and emphasizes the need for their restoration and sustainable management.