Forest Ecology and Chickoo Belt of South Tapi

The southern parts of Tapi district along the Maharashtra border receive some of Gujarat's highest rainfall (2,500-3,000mm), supporting dense semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forest that transitions into the Sahyadri ranges. These forests are the habitat of leopard, sambar deer, four-horned antelope (chousingha), and an extraordinary diversity of birds, butterflies, and reptiles. The forest understorey yields valuable NTFPs: mahua flowers, aonla, hirda (Terminalia chebula), beheda (T. bellirica), and bamboo are regularly harvested by tribal families under Forest Rights Act entitlements. The chikoo (sapodilla) cultivation belt of south Gujarat extends into Tapi's hill-foot zone, with small orchards managed by Dhodiya tribal families using traditional organic methods. Medicinal plant collectors from Tapi supply herbs to Ayurvedic manufacturers in Surat. The ATREE (Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment) has established biodiversity monitoring plots in Tapi's border forests.