Study on the Vegetation Structure and Composition in the Community Reserves of Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Community Reserves (CRs) are an evolved category of protected areas that represent a vital conservation approach for safeguarding biodiversity on lands owned by entities other than government agencies. This research investigated the plant communities across six CRs within Meghalaya's Jaintia Hills region. Using stratified random sampling based on forest types, 287 plant species belonging to 96 families were documented. Among the different families Lauraceae emerged as the dominant family across all reserves, with particularly strong representation in Chyrmang, Longlang, and Mooshutia CRs. The species richness ranges from 119 species in Tuber CR to 49 species in Chyrmang CR. The Importance Value Index (IVI) analysis revealed distinct dominant species across reserves: Castanopsis tribuloides as the most widespread and dominant species (Mooshutia: 52.03, Tuber: 45.58, Thangbru: 28.69, Chyrmang: 26.07, Kur Pyrthu: 16.89) Lasianthus lucidus is recorded as the most dominant shrub species (Kur Pyrthu: 65.92, Thangbru: 65.98, Chyrmang: 50.15 and Mooshutia: 42.90). Dryopteris filix-mas dominated herbaceous diversity across reserves, with the highest IVI of 98.26 in Chyrmang, followed by Long Lang (51.40), Mooshutia (45.48), Kur Pyrthu (41.14), Tuber (37.45), and Thangbru (35.70). The various diversity indices indicated that Tuber CR preserved the most diverse vegetation community (Shannon diversity: 3.537). The stand girth and height class indicated different ecological successional stages across reserves, with Longlang showing characteristics of mature forest while Mooshutia and Thangbru CRs displayed patterns indicating younger or recouping forest structures.