ASSESSING VEGETATION CHANGES IN THE DRY DECIDUOUS AINURMARIGUDI-RESERVE-FOREST, SOUTH-INDIA

The dry deciduous forest of Ainurmarigudi belonging to Anogeissus lati folia - Tectona grandis - Terminalia alata type, was classified as a r eserve forest under the Project Tiger in 1973. Twenty years later, alt hough feeling has not been resumed, fires still occur regularly and th e density of herbivores has increased considerably. This article attem pts to determine the impact of 15 years (1978-1993) of total protectio n on the evolution of the stand from studies on the floristic and spat ial structures, mortality, recruitment and regeneration. The stand is still open and deficient in young individuals (except for the populati on of Grewia tiliifolia). All the species do not evolve in the same ma nner. Tectona grandis and Dalbergia latifolia have serious problems of regeneration. Tn contrast, Grewia tiliifolia, whose recruitment is im pressive, does not seem to be capable of establishing itself in the ad ult stage. From the point of view of regeneration, the only species wh ich appears to maintain itself in the forest is Anogeissus latifolia. Establishment of the reserve has thus led to the opening up of the sta nd as well as a fall in its biomass, and also a slight decline in its tree diversity. The increase in the populations of big herbivores prob ably plays a major role in this evolution.