Biodiversity of Ratanmahals Wildlife Sanctuary - an overview of Floral and Faunal Diversity and their Conservation Strategy in Malwa Region in Gujarat State, India

Ratanmahals Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat State and its surrounding areas in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh form last large block of surviving forests (515 km²) in Malwa region which qualify for conservation on priority under a regional/landscape conservation plan. A comprehensive ecological and socio-economic study, including the prospect of regional planning has been highlighted in this paper. Majority of the forest in the proposed ecological unit is under dense forest and Ratanmahals, a small Sanctuary, is an integral part of forest demarcated for conservation of biodiversity. Unlike other forests in the region, forest of the Sanctuary is relatively preserved, maintaining naturalness of the area. Flora diversity is also high. A total of 543 species of plants, 175 species of invertebrates, 147 species of avifauna, 10 species of amphibians, 23 species of reptiles, 28 species of mammals were recorded in the area during the study. This study reflects an overview on floral and faunal diversity and conservation need of the Malwa plateau in the two states. Sloth bear and Leopard are key species and other major mammals have low population due to hunting and food gathering habit of the tribal and loss of habitat. Population density of Sloth bear, a flagship species of the area, is highest in the Sanctuary in the western part of India. Due to good popUlation of Leopard in the region and poor prey base offood, Leopards encounter with man and livestock has become main issue ofthe wildlife management.