Reconciling conservation and livelihoods in the forest fringes: An introduction

Abstract

Spanning an area of 75 million hectares, the forests of India cater to the livelihood needs of 200 million people residing in and around them. Of these, the Western Ghats in southern India encompass an area of 16 million hectares, stretching along 1,600 kms, cutting across the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer. Averaging a height of 2,000 mts above sea level, the highest peak, the Anamudi, scales a height of 2,695 mts above sea level. The Western Ghats-Sri Lanka ranges are globally recognised as a biodiversity hotspot, which has lost 75 % of the original forest cover while still being home to 4,500 species of fl owering plants. Of these, nearly 35 % are endemic, 322 are among the globally threatened species, and 55 are critically threatened (Daniel 1997 ; Bawa et al. 2010 ). The area is also home to a viable population of most of the vertebrate species found in the peninsula (as many as 315).