Circa situm Conservation of Tree Genetic Resources: A Case Study from the Central Western Ghats of Karnataka, India

Abstract

Tree species are an integral part of agrobiodiversity. Several tree species have multifarious uses. India’s Western Ghats, with diverse climate, topography and soils, are home to a number of tree species. A study was conducted in the adjoining areas of Karnataka’s Central Western Ghats, including coastal lowlands/plains (Dakshina Kannada) and high mountain ranges (Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada). A total of 93 species belonging to 75 genera and 41 families are being conserved circa situm by the farmers of this region. From our study, it was found that the conservation of tree species solely depends on the farmers’ perception of the utilization of these species i.e., “conservation through use” and the species recorded in the present study area are conserved due to their uses as timber, fruit/nut/spice/ornamental, border/windbreaker, fuel, cultural significance, shade and other uses (gum, resin, soil conservation, etc.). Conservation through circa situm recognizes the ownership of the farmers of a given region and also considers the socio-economic context of conservation by meeting the food, nutrition, livelihood and income security of the farmers