ENVIS BULLETIN - ENVIS Centre on Himalayan Ecology

native species were numerous in intact sites and had to be considered a permanent part of the flora ofremnant grasslands. Management must aim to minimize increases in cover of any non-native speciesor the disturbances that favour the establishment of competitive non-native grasses if the nativegrassland flora is to be conserved in small, fragmented remnants.RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT OF ECOSYSTEM FRAGMENTSWhen reduced to isolated patches magnificent forest ecosystems will break down affectinghuman beings at large. It becomes our duty then, as philanthropists and plant scientists, to savemankind and to save the forests from disappearing. In such an alarming situation restoration andmanagement of these ecosystem fragments have become a prime requisite. Restoration is an attemptto bring back a forested area to its presumed original condition. A new forest would contain the samecomplement of species and would have the same general structure as the original forest. For restoringthe species composition of damaged sites, management activities, which include the use of treeplantations, are very useful. Forest remnants can be linked by vegetation corridors that serve aspotential target areas for forest restoration. Keeping in mind the potential threat to biological diversitydue to habitat fragmentation, the restoration and management of ecosystem fragments has become theneed of the hour.As a result of deforestation, there is loss of species and degradation of tropical forestlands. Toevaluate the relationship between extinction of species and deforestation certain models are preparedbased on biogeography theory. There is an opportunity to couple natural processes with managementactivities to reduce species extinction and restore species richness to degraded lands (Lugo et al.,1993). Well-directed human actions provide us the means to conserve bio diversity and restore it inlocations previously degraded. Potential target areas for forest restoration include the following:• Habitats of particular species: Generally restoration prevents further species loss. Thus, habitats ofendangered species should be the sites for restoration.• Streamside: Riparian ecosystems are productive and comparatively species rich. Restoration ofsuch habitats allows populations of species to increase and enhance their capacity to colonizeother areas.• Degraded areas within and around conservation reserves: Here restoration should aim toconsolidate irregular boundaries and reduce the adverse ecological changes that occur at edgesand often penetrate some distance into forest remnants.• Corridors: Vegetation corridors that link together several forest remnants should be major targetsfor restoration. Enabling species to move between remnants may also enhance opportunities forgenetic or demographic interchange or facilitate seasonal movements.• Islands: Degraded island ecosystems may be particularly attractive target areas for restorationbecause they are one of the few locations in which pest species can be completely eradicated witha greatly reduced possibility of re-invasion (Downs and Ballantine, 1993).• In the matrix between remnants: Restoration of matrix areas can be used to create new habitatbetween existing fragments. The size and potential conservation benefit of this habitat will dependon the restoration effort, the landscape pattern of current fragmentation and the presence ofspecies that can colonize the new habitat. This strategy also offers the advantage of furtherincreasing the biological heterogeneity of the 'sea' between remnant forest "islands".Habitat restoration clearly has an important role to play in conservation and wild lifemanagement, especially in regions experiencing rapid forest fragmentation. Restoration practices thus,can help to reverse the ecological degradation of small forest remnants.26E N V IS C entre, G B P IH E D