Assessing plant
species diversity and its ecological contributions in the urban landscapes of Sirsa,
Haryana, India: an exploratory study
Chaudhary Akshay Kumar and Sudhir Ridhi
Res. J. Chem. Environ.; Vol. 29(5); 92-103;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/295rjce920103; (2025)
Abstract
Urban biodiversity serves as the foundation for ecological stability, resilience
and sustainable development within the urban ecosystem. Progressive development
and rapid growth in urbanization have posed the significant threat to green spaces
and have prompted to conduct diversity studies to plan effective conservation measures
and strategies. This study assessed the plant species diversity across eight urban
sites in Sirsa, Haryana. The phytosociological parameters like abundance, density,
frequency and Importance Value Index (IVI), along with statistical calculation of
Shannon-Wiener and Simpson indices were determined to gain insight about species
dominance, evenness and richness. The result obtained from the study showed significant
spatial variation, as plot A (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Stadium) reported the highest
biodiversity because of the effective maintenance, whereas plots in smaller size
such as home gardens showed reduced biodiversity.
The study also highlighted the dominance of invasive species like Cannabis sativa,
which is a significant threat to biodiversity and requires immediate management
efforts for its mitigation. These findings highlight the cultural, ecological and
socio-economic importance of urban green spaces and advocate for the integration
of biodiversity conservation strategies into urban planning frameworks to promote
sustainable development.
