Socioecological dataset and cumulative threat index for Myristica swamp forests in Uttara Kannada, Western Ghats, India

This dataset contains ecological and socioecological data from a study of Myristica swamp forests, a rare and ancient freshwater wetland ecosystem of the Western Ghats, India. The dataset integrates field-based threat assessments and community-derived information to examine ecosystem services, disservices, and site-level vulnerability across 27 swamps in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. The dataset includes scored variables representing hydrological alteration, land-use change, resource use, and protection status. These variables were weighted based on ecological impact and combined to calculate a cumulative threat index (CTI), a standardised measure of ecological disturbance ranging from 0 to 1. Swamps were further classified into low, medium, and high threat categories based on terciles of the CTI distribution. In addition to the main dataset, this repository provides detailed documentation of the threat assessment framework, variable definitions, and scoring criteria to ensure transparency and reproducibility. The survey instrument used to collect socioecological data and the qualitative coding framework used to analyse open-ended responses are also included. Interview-based data were collected from 102 respondents and used to assess local ecological knowledge, ecosystem service perceptions, and human–swamp interactions. Likert-scale responses were used to quantify perceived importance of ecosystem services, while open-ended responses were thematically coded. Respondents were classified into knowledge categories based on their interaction with and understanding of Myristica swamps. Raw interview data and respondent-level information are not publicly available due to ethical and confidentiality considerations. Swamp identifiers have been anonymised to protect sensitive ecosystems. This dataset is intended to support research, conservation planning, and comparative analyses of freshwater wetlands and socioecological systems, particularly in tropical forest landscapes.