Biodiversity changes in response to human use of forests and climate change are monitored in the 1-ha permanent plots in the wet and dry forests of Western Ghats. The growth, recruitment, and mortality of trees of these forests are acclaimed to be good indicators to monitor the impacts of climate change globally. Especially the impacts of carbon release and anthropogenic sources of temperature increase have induced the reproductive and vegetative phenological patterns and changes in the structure of tree species across the world.

Permanent monitoring plots have been established in wet evergreen forests of KMTR to monitor the changes in the structure of a forest dominated by endemic species. The plots established in the dry forests of BRT are to monitor the impacts of human interaction with the forests in the form of harvesting NTFPs, forest fire, and invasive species. Of late, we have also realized that the structural changes are also influenced by climate changes and the monitoring plots could provide valuable data for the above purpose.