Abstract
National wellbeing is dependent on the productivity of its lands. Productivity is central to the interestof natural ecosystems and the systems of farming. Water is essential for sustaining life, for ensuring foodsecurity as well as for effectively driving all development projects. Security of water is ensured by securenatural ecosystems centered on biological diversity. The terms productivity and biological diversity aresynonymous therefore it is essential for all processes and projects of development to internalize the securityof biological diversity/natural ecosystems. The principle at present however is almost non-existent in alldevelopment programmes because had it been so the forest and environmental clearances would not beconsidered loud and clear as hurdles to development. Western Ghats are one of the ecological hotspots of theworld. The northern Western Ghats have diverse forests, protected areas, ecologically sensitive areasdeclared under law, ecologically sensitive tehsils and villages and sacred groves managed and maintained bylocal communities. There are significant catchments and watersheds, origins of important rivers, manysprings and lateritic plateaus with unique species assemblages that are characteristic only of the northernWestern Ghats. These units together constitute the foci of conservation of natural ecosystems. The tract hasseveral dams and the largest hydroelectric facility. It supports diverse economies including the most rapidlygrowing tourism industry with many visitor destinations and famous hill stations dotted across thesemountains. In order to ensure ecological security of these fragile mountain ecosystems it is necessary toaddress land use at the largest spatial scale recognized as the landscape. Landscape allows using thedisparities within its constituents—the mosaic of interacting land uses by creating opportunities forreducing their inter se contradictions. The paper discusses such opportunities and strategies at variousspatial scales.National wellbeing is dependent on the productivity of its lands. Productivity is central to the interestof natural ecosystems and the systems of farming. Water is essential for sustaining life, for ensuring foodsecurity as well as for effectively driving all development projects. Security of water is ensured by securenatural ecosystems centered on biological diversity. The terms productivity and biological diversity aresynonymous therefore it is essential for all processes and projects of development to internalize the securityof biological diversity/natural ecosystems. The principle at present however is almost non-existent in alldevelopment programmes because had it been so the forest and environmental clearances would not beconsidered loud and clear as hurdles to development. Western Ghats are one of the ecological hotspots of theworld. The northern Western Ghats have diverse forests, protected areas, ecologically sensitive areasdeclared under law, ecologically sensitive tehsils and villages and sacred groves managed and maintained bylocal communities. There are significant catchments and watersheds, origins of important rivers, manysprings and lateritic plateaus with unique species assemblages that are characteristic only of the northernWestern Ghats. These units together constitute the foci of conservation of natural ecosystems. The tract hasseveral dams and the largest hydroelectric facility. It supports diverse economies including the most rapidlygrowing tourism industry with many visitor destinations and famous hill stations dotted across thesemountains. In order to ensure ecological security of these fragile mountain ecosystems it is necessary toaddress land use at the largest spatial scale recognized as the landscape. Landscape allows using thedisparities within its constituents—the mosaic of interacting land uses by creating opportunities forreducing their inter se contradictions. The paper discusses such opportunities and strategies at variousspatial scales.
Highlights
There are two categories of land uses in the class of renewable resources in which productivity of the land is central to the objective of management
Forests are natural lands managed for production of goods – ranging from timber of varied qualities to a formidable list of non-timber forest produce (NTFP) that support the livelihoods and economy, cultural security and spiritual needs, and significant support to human and livestock health of many millions of forest dwelling people
Besides those forest areas that serve production functions an estimated 20% of the recorded forest area (RFA) is under the network of Protected Areas (PAs) – national parks, sanctuaries, conservation reserves and community reserves[2]
Summary
There are two categories of land uses in the class of renewable resources in which productivity of the land is central to the objective of management. The report has further identified Ecologically Sensitive Localities These include Lonavla-Khandala; a cluster of 25 villages from Sawantwadi and Dodamarg talukas and has recommended ESAs around the PAs. It is on record that the Government of India in the Ministry of Environment, Forests, Wildlife and Climate Change (MoEFCC-changed designation from the previous MoEF) has announced that it is processing the HLWG report – here it is not about questioning such decision or debating the merits of the two reports or the differences but to emphasize the fragility of the Western Ghats underwritten by the two reports of which the NWGM is a tract. They would do well to read the disastrous consequences of improvident use of renewable resources chronicled dispassionately, truthfully supported by brilliant and incontrovertible research that spans the history of human societies from the fourth to the twentieth century in different parts of the world in a book that has the title of equal weight – ‘Collapse – How societies choose to fail or survive’ penned by one of the most erudite scientists of our time-Jared Diamond[56]
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