ECOTONE STRUCTURE AS AN INDICATOR OF CHANGING FOREST SAVANNA BOUNDARIES (LINGANAMAKKI REGION, SOUTHERN INDIA)

To understand the dynamics between forests and savannas, a study of forest-savanna boundaries was conducted in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, India. Tree communities occurring in six transects cutting across the savanna, ecotone and forest were analysed. The floristics, structure and regeneration of the trees revealed three situations: forest expanding into the savanna, stability between the two ecosystems and forest regression due to human pressure. When the forest is protected from disturbance (human impact, grazing and fire), it expands into the savanna.