Anthropogenic Influences on Wild Nutmeg Fruit Crop in the Western Ghats of India

Abstract

Myristica dactyloides is characteristic of the mid- and high-elevation evergreen forests of the Western Ghats of India. Aril and seeds of the species are valuable nontimber forest products and are harvested extensively. We made visual estimates of fruit crop size in nine populations. We assessed disturbance using five variables: distance from road, method of harvesting fruits, nonforest matrix around the population, seedling regeneration, and protected area status. Unsustainable harvest and proximity to road impacted fruit crop, as did the nonforest matrix (F = 38.17 df = 5,102, p < .001). While high protection and measures against harvesting keep some populations safe, the harvest method plays a crucial role in determining total fruit production and seedling recruitment in the species.

Keywords:

• climax species
• disturbance
• fruit crop
• harvest
• Myristica dactyloides
• NTFP
• Western Ghats
• regeneration

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Karnataka State Forest Department for research permission for the Protected Areas. MVS wishes to thank the Wingate Foundation for a scholarship to support her doctoral research, of which this is part; and thanks also to Mr. Kethe Gowda, ATREE, for all field assistance. The authors are grateful to the referees for the valuable comments and suggestions.