Diversity and Phyto-Sociology of Shrub on “Kota Stone” Mining Waste Dumps in Rajasthan, India

Mining activity is one of the main causes of disturbances in a community and has effect on the subsequent development of vegetation. Kota district is known worldwide for “Kota Stone” and rank fourth in total area under mining wastes in the state of Rajasthan. Shrub forms the dominant vegetation on the mining waste dumps in the study area. Present study focuses on the assessment of the diversity of shrubs in and around the areas with extensive mining operations. The vegetation data recorded for shrub population were quantitatively analysed for frequency, density, basal area and IVI (Importance Value Index) and dominance-diversity curve was prepared. Only 13 plant species belonging to10 families form the shrub layer of the vegetation on 5 to 10 years old waste dumps. Family Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae have highest contribution of species richness in the study area. Prosopis juliflora (Swartz.)DC. has highest IVI, density and basal area whereas Azadirachta indica A. Juss. has lowest values of IVI, density and basal area amongst shrubs. The index of the dominance (Simpson's index), diversity (Shannon-Wiener index), evenness (Pielou index) and species richness (Menhinick's index) were also calculated and analysed for the shrub layer of the existing vegetation. The study result can provide scientific basis for selection of appropriate plant species for rehabilitation of mining waste dumps through revegetation.