The evergreen forests of Agasthyamalai in south Western Ghats, India have the highest percentage of endemic species in the Western Ghats. Despite its richness and importance, there are very few studies on the long-term demography and population changes of the tree species in the evergreen forests of Agasthyamalai (Parthasarthy, 2001; Ganesh et al., 1996).

Between 1993 and 1994 three 1-ha plots were established in an undisturbed wet evergreen forests at Kakachi, Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) of the Agasthyamalai range. The site is located at 1300 m asl and receives an annual rainfall of over 3000 mm. The vegetation is characterized by three dominant tree species, Cullenia exarillata, Palaqllium ellipticum and Aglaw bourdillonii. The principal objective of this study was to measure the changes in plant diversity, recruitment and mortality of the species. All trees above 10 cm dbh at 1.3 m above ground were measured and tagged.