Floristic Biodiversity of Barda Hills and Its Surroundings

Contents: Foreword. Preface. 1. Introduction : biodiversity. 2. Background and research site. 3. Floristic diversity. 4. Biogeography. 5. Species diversity. 6. Genetic diversity. 7. Bioresources. 8. Threat to biodiversity. 9. Conclusion. References. Abbreviations used in appendix - 1. Appendix I.

"The book "Floristic diversity of Barda Hills and its surroundings" is first of its kind emphasizing the contribution of J.I. Thaker (1910) to the field of plant taxonomy and ethnobotany of Gujarat. His major contribution was on "Vanaspati Sastra - Barda dungar ni-Jadibuti taeni Pariksha anae Upayog" in Gujarati (1910). After his premiere work, no comprehensive study were undertaken to identify the multifarious changes that have come about in the area. In view of this, an attempt was made to understand the floristic diversity with different facets of taxonomic and ecological understanding in the Barda Hills and its surroundings. The basis of the whole study was based on the hypothesis that -- the "habitat destruction, over-exploitation of biotic resources, pollution and introduction of exotic species as a result of human activities in the area over a period of ten decades, might have caused decline or shift in the species composition in the Barda Hills and its surroundings."

Justification to the hypothesis includes various descriptive findings on biodiversity, historical understanding, floristic diversity, biogeography, species diversity (ecological prospective), genetic diversity and  bioresources."