Spatial assessment of ecological health of riverine forest ecosystem using Floristic Quality Index

Field based ecological studies are efficient tools enabling decision makers to keep an eye on the health of forest ecosystem especially under anthropogenic stress. In current work, by employing the Floristic Quality Index (FQI) technique, we have evaluated the ecological health status of 3 riverine forests comprising of 110 plants species. The results revealed a negative connection of anthropogenic activities with the FQI. FQI scores and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) exhibited a good correlation and co-variance at the places with high degree of human interference. The mean FQI score of these forests was 25.31. The Coefficient of Conservatism (CC value) score ranked 40 species at grade 0, 33 species into the range 1-3, 25 species into the range 4-6, 9 species in the range 7-8 and only 3 plant species attained the top score in the range 9-10. Bela Qila Jawar Singh (QJS) forest had the highest number of exotic species i.e., 36% followed by Khangarh (KG) forest (33%) and Thatha Faqir Ullah (TFU) forest (32%). Cluster Analysis (CA) revealed that QJS and TFU forests showed closer similarity in species composition, while Khangarh forest was ecologically distinct. Indicator species analysis revealed that intermediate groupings (Rankings 1-3 and 4-6) contained the majority of significant indicator species, with several species exhibiting high fidelity and specificity, indicating distinct compositional differentiation. The p-value (≤ 0.05) confirms their strong statistical reliability as indicator species evident of the disturbed health status of this environment. This study can assist in developing efficient management techniques, which makes it quite intriguing to protect ecosystems especially riverine forests from anthropogenic and climatic threats to biodiversity. Strengthening habitat restoration and reducing human-induced disturbances are recommended to improve forest health. The recovery of indicator and native species should be the main focus of efforts. To monitor development and preserve ecosystem stability, it is also recommended to conduct ecological evaluations on a regular basis.