the impact of biomass extraction on the species diversity of a scrub forest has not been studied adequately in India. A study by the Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore and the Council for Social Development in Delhi has done exactly this. The researchers say it's the first of its kind in India.

Researchers say well-planned relocation of forest communities can help check the alterations. They do not dismiss the importance of the local community to the ecosystem. The study comes after a public debate over relocation of forest communities in the aftermath of the report of the the Tiger Task Force, set up by the Centre in 2005. Intruders? The study was carried out in 2005 in the Sariska tiger reserve of Rajasthan. It found the use of forest by local communities altered the structure of the trees in the forests, affecting diversity and abundance of bird species.The study was published in the July 16 issue of Forest Ecology and Management Vol 246, No 1).

The researchers monitored ten sites in Sariska