Avifaunal and floral diversity assesment within core area of Gevra coal mine in Katghora forest division

Abstract

The State holds a major share of Coal deposits in India, which has led to the State being a major power producer and being one of the power surplus State in the country. The environmental impact is caused by processing, transporting and mining of coal and it’s by products. Study of the relationship between life forms and their atmosphere of coal mining area is essential as it directly, indirectly effects the wildlife population. Mining activities leads to a dusty environment which is responsible for deposition of dust on existing floral population in the core area due to excess mining activity due to that the ecological diversity in this area, that causes stressed condition, result of this there is displacement of Avifauna populations from the core zone to another adoptable sites e.g. buffer zone. As mining proceeds on a site, Avifauna migrates to adjacent areas and establishes their nest on host trees. These studies include detailed, systematic and scientific processes of identifying, predicting, evaluating and analyzing the potential impacts on floral and faunal diversity of core zone on OCP Gevra of Katghora Forest Division. Field observation  recorded around the core area shows presence of 280 individual birds belonging to 35 different species  in the study site a total of 144 individual trees are recorded which belong to 17 different types of species. Trees provide basic needs for living e.g. sap, buds, nuts, fruit as a food for survival, as well as they also host insects in bark and leaves as shelter, the trees provide local residence for birds in all seasons in core zone of OCP Gevra.

Keywords: Avifauna, Coal, Reclamation, Diversity, Floral Species.