Journal of Biology and Nature

Riparian areas are the unique areas adjacent water body. These transitional zones play a vital role in maintaining water quality and regulating hydrological processes. The current study focuses on the downstream agro-ecosystem landscapes of the Bhadra River, aiming to develop a comprehensive checklist of riparian flora. It examines the tree species diversity, composition and richness of Riparian area from January to May 2025. The study also emphasis to assesses anthropogenic disturbances affecting riparian vegetation in the study area. Random plots were laid on both the sides of Agroecosystem riparian areas of downstream Bhadra River. A total of 48 tree species belonging to 24 families were recorded from the riparian agroecosystem zones of the Bhadra River dominated by the Family Fabaceae. IVI analysis reveals that Albizia saman, Pongemia pinnata, Leucaena leucocephala and Eucalyptus as dominant contributors to the vegetation structure with IVI values of 66.1,35.8 ,30.1 and 18.3 respectively. In contrast native riparian species such as Terminalia arjuna and Syzygium cumini were observed with very low IVI values. The dominance of Non riparian species in the riparian buffers of Bhadra indicates the possible Anthropogenic pressures which requires an immediate attention for the restoration of native riparian vegetation for the conservation of river morphology and associated aquatic habitats also for the maintenance of essential ecosystem services.