Comparative biodiversity analysis of Kurichiya heritage rice-based farming system with other farming systems

The Wayanad district of Kerala, India resides on the crest of the Western Ghats, one of the 36 Biodiversity hotspots in the world and known for its rich abundance of flora and ethnic cultures. Switching of farm practices from traditional to modern and rapid urban developmental activities is seen as a trend in the district. In this scenario, analysis of biodiversity associated with rice-based farms under various farming systems is important in this district. The adjacent upland agriculture area of rice fields of 9 rice-based agroecosystems was selected for the current study. Out of the 9 sites, 3 sites were traditional farms maintained by Kurichiya tribal communities, 3 were organic farms, and the other 3 farms were modern. A total of 45 families, 99 genera, 129 species of tree, and 101 bird species which belonged to 48 families, and 17 orders were identified from the study sites. This study recorded 7302, and 2072 tree and bird individuals respectively. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) time series data was also derived for each site. The principal component analysis portrayed that there is a compositional relationship among native tree diversity indices, mean NDVI for May, June, August, and October, and bird diversity indices.  Further, Pearson Correlation proved their significant correlation. This study also exhibits the possibility of an increased abundance of Granivorous bird species in less native tree-abundant farming sites, which are considered a pest in rice farms. All the traditional farms were found to be abundant in native tree species and they are reported to have sustainable production in rice fields.  The culture and religious beliefs are the reason for the native tree abundance in their farming sites. Increasing native tree abundance can attract many species of birds which can act as natural enemies for the pests in the farmland.