Gopakumar Sukumaran NairKerala Agricultural University · Department of Natural Resource Management
Gopakumar Sukumaran Nair
PhD in Forest Management
About
27
Publications
19,893
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27
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I am trained in tropical forestry and works as a Professor. My research interests are in forest ecology and social dimensions of tropical forest management.
Additional affiliations
September 2015 - October 2018
August 2015 - present
Publications
Publications (27)
The article reports an observation on the phytophagous behaviour by the insect larvae of two insect species on a fern, Pteridium revolutum, which is fast emerging as an invasive plant species threatening local biodiversity and wildlife in Kerala State, India
Survey in three different seasons were conducted for collection and characterization of fungal diseases affecting nursery raised teak seedlings in central Kerala, India. Based on visual symptoms and morphological identification, nine diseases were recorded and among them six were first time records in teak from the state viz; leaf blight caused by...
Acacia nilotica (babul gum) reinforced with cellulose nanofibers was investigated for a green, biodegradable, and water-soluble nanocomposite. Cellulose nanofibres (CNF) were extracted via a widely accepted steam explosion process and were reinforced in the babul gum. The films were fabricated by solution casting method using sorbitol as a plastici...
Webinar on Resurgence- Life rising above COVID19
Teak is predominant timber species of the tropics on account of its diverse wood qualities. Stump (shoot-root cuttings) has been the conventionally followed planting material for teak. Recently, root trainer grown seedlings are also used for teak cultivation. However, the efficiency of these two techniques has not been tested at the field level. In...
Sawn coconut palm wood of differing wood densities (high and medium) were treated with three organic preservatives, viz., neem oil, cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) and turpentine. The method adopted was diffusion treatment at various diffusion periods viz., 40, 80 and 120 minutes and absorption percentage of preservatives by sawn coconut wood sample...
Kerala enacted the Kerala Forest (Vesting and Management of Ecologically Fragile Lands) Act, 2003 to conserve ‘fragile ecosystems’ lying contiguous to reserve forests. As this Act led to several litigations and conflicts, the current concept of Ecologically
Fragile Lands (EFL) was concept mapped among the different stakeholders, including ‘small an...
A study was conducted in Silent Valley National Park from March 2013 to April 2015 to deduce the distribution and phenological patterns of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa along various altitude gradients. The study revealed that the highest density (23/ha) of Rhodomyrtus tomentosa was in Valliyamkandam (2200-2250m), followed by Cheriyamkandam (19/ha) Sispara...
KAU has designed a MOOC titled “Trees for Sustainable Cities” in order to create better understanding, appreciation and awareness about retaining and maintaining trees and urban greenery in the context of rapid urbanization and global warming. The course author, Dr. Gopakumar, S has twenty years experience in forestry education, research and outrea...
The indigenous communities residing near to the forest areas depended on the forest resources for
sustaining their livelihood. An attempt to document the level of dependency of the tribes in Western Attappady (Irula, Muduga and Kurumba) on Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) was done through this study. Pre-tested questionnaire survey and semi-struc...
A survey was conducted in the home gardens of Cherpu block in Thrissur district of Kerala state to elucidate the floristic attributes of the shrub species and to document the associated ethnobotanical information. Plant diversity analyses revealed 23 shrub species distributed in 15 families in the homegardens. These were observed to be useful in ev...
A phytosociological and edaphic study was carried out in the mangroves of Chettuwai backwater system in Kerala. Floristic analysis revealed that the vegetation comprised of 12 mangrove species belonging to 10 families. Rhizophora mucronata reported maximum density and basal area, whereas, maximum frequency was observed in the case of Bruguiera cyli...
Although Carl Linnaeus passed way in 1778, the life and methods of this Prince of Botanists continues to inspire taxonomy. A visit to Uppsala Hammarby in Sweden, is an eye opener regarding his life and science. Linnaeus surrounded himself with “curios and curious” students. Though he seldom travelled abroad, he profusely networked with his peers wh...
Using the stochastic production frontier approach, the technical efficiency of splint and veneer industry of Kerala was analysed. Ailanthus triphysa, Bombax ceiba and Melicope lunu-ankenda (Gaertn.) are still the main raw material species. But the demand of rubber wood as an alternate raw material is now rising. The mean technical efficiency (TE) o...
In the tropics, the traditional ecological knowledge regarding utilization of diverse Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) available with different human communities remains under-explored. Though not on an organized scale, the collection and sale of various NTFPs, help the members of tropical rural communities to sustain themselves. Bombax ceiba, a...
A survey was conducted in the home gardens of Cherpu Block in Thrissur district of Kerala state to elucidate the floristic attributes of the wood perennials and to document the associated dendrobotanical information. Plant diversity analyses revealed 81 tree species in different families with a Simpson’s index of diversity of 0.91. The collected de...
Several species of phyllodinous acacias have been introduced to Kerala, India. Examples include Acacia mangium Willd., A. auriculiformis A. Cunn. ex Benth, A. crassicarpa A. Cunn. ex Benth and A. aulacocarpa A. Cunn. ex Benth, which are used for raising social forestry plantations and afforestation of degraded lands. Although morphological variatio...
The most sought-after fruit in Kerala, India can be eaten, employed as a food flavouring
and for curing fish, used to treat rheumatism, bowel problems, and mouth diseases of cattle,
helps coagulate rubber latex, and polishes gold and silver
Questions
Questions (5)
"Human wildlife conflicts" is on the rise. Most tropical forest fringe communities can now identify a clear "peak" and "lean" conflict season in a calendar year. Are wildlife moving into humanospheres in certain times because the conditions inside forests (their natural habitat) at that time are bad? How to check this ? Will analysing the various biotic (vegetation characteristics) and abiotic (select meteorological parameters, stream water parameters) in the adjacent forests in the two "conflict seasons" answer the question? If so, What are the other possible measurable parameters?
I would like to understand the methods to measure the functional diversity (of plants) in the context of a tropical forest.
What are the possible projects?
Are there any standardized protocols for monitoring the health of tropical forest ecosystems? Is it possible to suggest forest management strategies based on forest health monitoring?
On the planted areas, diversity can be accounted through listing. On the natural areas go for plot wise assessments to account species richness and evenness. Is this correct?
