Western Ghats is one of the important Biodiversity hotspots of the world passing through six different federal states in India and harbors a very rich diversity of flora and fauna. About 4000 flowering plant species occur in this region of which 1500 are endemics. The faunal diversity of this region is also very large with major percentage of endemism being in Amphibians (85% endemics) and reptiles (62% endemics). The complex geography, wide variations in annual rainfall from 1000-6000 mm, and altitudinal decrease in temperature, coupled with anthropogenic factors, have produced a variety of vegetation types in the Western Ghats.

The central Western Ghats passing through the state of Karnataka is blessed with a good percentage of this biodiversity hotspot and has a rich natural resource. The central Western Ghats encompasses the districts of Uttara Kannada, Shimoga, Chikmagalur, Hassan, Kodagu and parts of Dakshina Kannada.This region is bestowed with wide range of vegetation patterns and rich biodiversity including large proportion of endemic and RET species of flora and fauna. Many important conservation areas like Kudremukh National Park, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary, Anshi National Park, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, Nagarhole National Park, Bandipur National Park, Brahmagiri and Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuaries, Bisale Reserve Forests and Dodabetta and Kattepura Reserve Forests are found to be occurring in this region. The important west flowing rivers harbouring biodiversity rich riverine ecosystems are Kali, Aghanashini, Bedthi (Gangavali), Sharavathi, Netravathi, Cauvery, Kumaradhara, Tunga, Bhadra and Hemavathi.

Many ecological and biodiversity investigations have been undertaken during the last three decades focusing on various aspects such as biodiversity, forest ecology, medicinal plants, riverine and coastal ecosystems, remote sensing and GIS applications, etc. Hence, in order to compile and review the vast collection of literatures spawning over different research aspects related to central Western Ghats (with a focus on Uttara Kannada district), frequent trips were made to the various universities and research institutions associated with the research work in this region. The libraries were browsed for collection of research reports, research papers and referring research thesis along with interaction sessions with the faculties/scientists associated with different departments. The broad research topics covered for literature review are listed as below:

1. Biodiversity
1. Angiosperms
2. Pteridophytes
3. Fungi
4. Phytoplanktons
5. Mammals
6. Fishes
7. Amphibians
8. Birds
9. Insects
2. Forest related studies in central Western Ghats
3. Riverine ecosystems in central Western Ghats
4. Coastal ecosystems of Uttara Kannada
5. Biodiversity hotspots of Uttara Kannada
6. Sacred groves in central Western Ghats
7. Myristica swamps and Relic forests
8. Ethnobotany or Medicinal Plant wealth of Central Western Ghats
9. Biotechnological applications
10. Energy related studies in Karnataka
11. Remote sensing and GIS applications in central Western Ghats
12. Ecosystem goods and services from central Western Ghats

The literature collection and review process commenced in August 2010 and continued upto December 2011. The literature collected and reviewed involves a huge compendium of more than 300 research papers, about 60 thesises and many technical reports related to various research aspects of central Western Ghats. The details of Universities/ Institutions visited, their locations and period of visit is elaborated in Table 1.

Table 1: Universities/Research Institutions visited for literature collection

Besides visiting the Universities and institutions for literature collection, the internet was explored for published papers and reports. The following e-resources were referred to for information related to research aspects of central Western Ghats:

1. Energy and Wetlands Research Group - http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/
2. Sahyadri E-News - http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/sahyadri_enews/newsletter/index1.htm
3. Nature Conservation Foundation - http://www.ncf-india.org
4. French Institute of Pondicherry - http://www.ifpindia.org/
5. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment - http://www.atree.org/
6. Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute - http://www.cmfri.org.in/
7. UGC Digital Library Consortium - http://www.inflibnet.ac.in/econ/eresource.php
8. Oxford University Press - http://www.oxfordjournals.org
9. Taylor and Francis - http://www.informaworld.com/
10. Springerlink  - http://www.springerlink.com/
11. JSTOR Publications - http://www.jstor.org/
12. Science Direct - http://www.sciencedirect.com/
13. International Union for Conservation of Nature - http://www.iucn.org/
14. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna - http://www.cites.org/

Personal interactions and discussions (wherever possible) were also carried out with various researchers/experts in different research domains for obtaining information related to research done and probable research areas which need to be explored further.