Gauging the Effects of Sustainable Permaculture: a Biological Index of Sadhana Forest in Auroville, India

 

The study site was a 28.3 ha permaculture farm within a tropical dry evergreen forest. Authors performed a non-destructive biological inventory including point counts for birds, and leaf counts, sweep netting, and flying insect counts for invertebrates. We also recorded a cumulative count of all species throughout the study. We found that animals were detected significantly more in areas of the farm with higher percentages of native trees, for both invertebrates and birds. Leaf counts also had significantly greater abundance of invertebrates in areas with more native species. Our data also had a trend of higher average detections in native areas. Our research corroborates other studies, and will provide data that support forest restoration of native habitats through permaculture.

Stream
Research