Ecology and Development Series No. 10, 2003 - ZEF

General introductionThe third chapter deals description of the study area and sampling design. Onlythe methods used for field data collection, data compilation and pre-processing arepresented. Detailed data analysis methods are presented separately in the respectivechapters.The analysis of the undisturbed forest is presented in Chapter 4. In this chapter,the results of the analysis of the forest vegetation, indicator species of the plant communitytypes, and the gradients in vegetation distribution are presented.The fifth chapter presents the analysis of the impact of human use on the structure,species composition and diversity of the forest vegetation. The results of the comparisonamong five forest categories under different intensities of human use/ disturbance, and theimplications of such management for conservation are presented.The sixth chapter focuses on the development of a tentative reserve design andmanagement plan. Methods for categorizing the forest area and its surroundings intodifferent management zones of the reserve such as core, buffer and transition zones arepresented. Appropriate management and monitoring strategies for each zone are alsoforwarded here. The final chapter of the dissertation contains conclusions andrecommendations.8