ISSN 2167-0447
International Journal of Agricultural Sciences ISSN: 2167-0447 Vol. 16 (1), pp. 001-013, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals
Full Length Research Paper
Impact of Hydropower Development on Vegetation and Environmental Gradients in Indrawati, Nepal
Ramesh Prasad Bhatt and Sanjay Nath Khanal
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering School of Science, Kathmandu University Kathmandu, Nepal
Accepted 13 September, 2025
Vegetation covering an area has a definite structure and composition developed as a result of long term interaction with biotic and a biotic factors, and any change in the status of these factors disturbs the floristic composition of the environment. Five quadrates with sampling size of 20 X 20m2 in 0.02 ha. area was selected for analysis of vegetation to quantify species diversity, composition, size class distribution and dominance of the species. A total of 387 tree individuals, representing 33 species, 32 genera and 23 families were recorded. Total stand density and basal area were, respectively, 638.55 trees ha−1 and 17.68 m2ha−1 in five plots. The highest IVI value was that of Alnus nepalensis (30.21) followed by Castanopsis tribuloides (21.22) and Lyonia ovalifolia (19.27) in plot 3 where the Dbh of tree was <10cm. Based on IVI values, Alnus nepalensis, Castanopsis tribuloides, and Lyonia ovalifolia were found to be the most dominant species in the study area. The three values as 0.09333, 0.9066 and 10.71 of Simpsons Diversity (D) of 33 species represent different biodiversity. The plot 3 of natural forest and plot 4 and 5 along the project area has found significantly deceasing number of species.
Key words: Vegetation Analysis, Indrawati III Project, Environmental Variables, Change and Impact, Species Diversity, Community forests