Ecological Niche Modeling of Endemic and Endangered Plant Species of Western Ghats India

2 Feb 2005 Western Ghats, India, Indian Sub-continent Forests

Giriraj Amarnath


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14 Apr 2003

The Study of Land Use and Endemic Plantlife on the Western Ghats, India

Ecological Niche Modelling of Endemic and Endangered Plant Species of Western Ghats India

Aglaia bourdillonii is a plant narrowly endemic to the southern portion of the Western Ghats (WG), in peninsular India. To understand its ecological and geographic distribution, we used ecological niche modelling (ENM) based on detailed distributional information recently gathered, in relation to detailed climatic data sets. The ENMs successfully reconstructed key features of the species’ geographic distribution, focusing almost entirely on the southern WG. Much of the species’ distributional potential is already under protection, but our analysis allows identification of key zones for additional protection, all of which are adjacent to existing protected areas. ENM provides a useful tool for understanding the natural history of such rare and endangered species.

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