Biodiversity and Livelihood: Lessons from Community Research in India

Oommen V. Oommen, Laladhas K. P., Erach Bharucha

• Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9789811482151
• Topic: Biowissenschaften
• Subtopic: Umweltschutz

Biodiversity and Livelihood: Lessons from Community Research in India Is a compilation of research articles on the ecological biodiversity and local conservation efforts of selected regions in India, and among local communities throughout the county. 18 chapters have been contributed by experts in ecology, sustainability and ethnic studies in India. The chapters provide information on a wide range of tops which cover local communities, their agricultural practices and the ecological relationships between their community and the species on which their livelihood depends. Contributions emphasize different aspects of these topics, such as observational ecological information about the aforementioned regions and communities, the local biodiversity, tribal customs of ethnic communities that are linked to conservation, specific programs which are aimed at the conservation of specific plant and animal species endemic to the region, the benefits shared by the communities involved with conservation programs and recommendations shared by the authors for sustainable management of the regional ecosystem and its resources. Readers will find a wealth of information about biodiversity conservation in different regions in India (most notably the western and eastern ghats and provinces such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh), from a basic and applied perspective. The book is, therefore, an informative reference for conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists and ethnologists who are studying the biodiversity and conservation of India. Readers involved in sustainable development programs in the region will also find the content valuable to their knowledge.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Dilapidated Ethno-Conservation Practices and Impending Impacts among Malayali Tribes of Kolli Hills, Eastern Ghats, India

Oliver King E.D. Israel^*

M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, 42 B2, President Venkat Rao Street, Gandhi Nagar, Mohanur Road, Namakkal – 637 001, India

Abstract

Local communities are the custodians of biodiversity and traditional knowledge and they are not only losing their rich crop genetic diversity, but also rural livelihoods. These changes have brought negative effects into their domains of knowledge, culture and management of natural resources and have affected their livelihoods significantly. This paper attempts to focus on the lives and livelihoods of the Malayalis of Kolli Hills, especially on three key areas of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge: neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS), sacred forest landscapes and local art forms that highlight ecological relationships. The experiences of several field based projects implemented by the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation since 1994 highlights the need for a participatory natural resource management strategy (PNRMS). People friendly pathways is required to be put in place to ensure long-term sustainability of resources in such a landscape so that livelihoods are sustained.

Keywords: Kolli Hills, Malayali Tribes, NUS, PPPPP Model, PNRMS, SACRED, TEK.

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^* Corresponding author Oliver King E.D. Israel: M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation, 42 B2, President Venkat Rao Street, Gandhi Nagar, Mohanur Road, Namakkal – 637 001; E-mail:[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Natural resources have a crucial role to play in the course of human evolution. Human societies devised different strategies for the management of natural resources to create stability and sustainability of their societies. Such strategies, knowledge and innovations of communities now constitute what is recognized as Traditional or Indigenous Ecological Knowledge. Experiences in the recent past indicate that such knowledge is subjected to major changes due to numerous internal and external driving forces.

Exposure of local communities to global forces results in the rapid erosion and dilution of centuries of traditional knowledge of communities. Local communities who were custodians of biodiversity and traditional knowledge are not only losing their rich crop genetic diversity andcommunity forests, but also rural livelihoods. These changes have brought negative effects into their domains of knowledge, culture and management of natural resources and have affected their livelihoods significantly. Hence, a participatory strategy for the management of nature and knowledge is essential.

Fig. (1))
Cultural Transitions, Agro biodiversity Impacts in Kolli Hills.

Malayalis are one among the major agrarian tribal groups dwelling in the Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu. The paper attempts to focus on lives and livelihoods of Malayalis of Kolli Hills, especially on three key areas of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge: neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS), sacred forest landscapes and local art forms that highlight ecological relationships. Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is the common thread that links them. Several contemporary forces influence traditional knowledge of the community...