XVI International Botanical Congess

Land-use change has significant impacts on the planet's biodiversity. Tropical countries with high levels of diversity and endemism also have the highest magnitudes and rates of change. We examine implications of land-use change for biodiversity conservation in India at three levels: national, regional, and local. At the national level, we critically evaluate the representativeness and adequacy of protected areas. At the regional level, we examine spatial correlates of forest loss and fragmentation, and the effectiveness of the protected area network. At the local level, we perform a vegetation-based gap analysis of the effectiveness of the protected area network in biodiversity conservation. Our findings have implications for future development, conservation planning, and land-use policies at the national, regional, and local levels in a wide range of countries.