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Ecological Status of Protected Areas (PA) in Northern Western Ghats – Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat States

Ecological Status of Protected Areas (PA) in Northern Western Ghats – Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat States

Ramachandra T V, Arjun S.R. and Bharath Setturu Cite
ENVIS[RP], Environmental Information System, Energy and Wetlands Research Group,
Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science - 560012
envis.ces@iisc.ac.in tvr@iisc.ac.in Phone: 080 22933099/22933503

Introduction

Conclusion

References

Conclusion
The Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot, is the greatest treasure of India has been serving humankind with water and food security. It plays a major role in moderating climatic and hydrological services for southern India. Protected areas were created to minimise the anthropogenic influences in rich habitats of flora and faunal species. There are 15 National Parks, 47 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 6 Conservation Reserves, many reserve forests and other protected areas. The two International Biosphere Reserves are situated in this mountain range, which shows the importance of the Western Ghats. The current study has illustrated the diversity of flora and fauna in the protected areas across northern Western Ghats.
Maharashtra has a higher number of fauna and Goa showed a high number in flora. Fauna species were least in Goa, and Gujarat had the least flora species. Goa is the only state in which the entire Western Ghats area is protected which makes rich biodiversity, but the current pattern of mining operations is deteriorating the biodiversity. Goa shows higher endemic species in protected areas of Western Ghats (23.89%). Gujarat has the lowest endemism and threatened status (13.01% endemism and 0.74% threatened). Restrict activities that lead to large scale land cover changes and deforestation. Suggestions to improve the ecological status of these regions are
⦁ Rehabilitate human settlements from the core area to the better livable condition location with the infrastructure and education facilities
⦁ Restore degraded forest patches and fragmented forests with native plants
⦁ Need to create water bodies (taking into account the topography) to provide water to the dependent biota
⦁ Restrict monoculture plantations and developmental activites in protected areas
⦁ Involve local communities in forest conservation activites
⦁ Awareness programmes- students and elders of effects of deforestion; afforestation of degraded forest
⦁ Reduce human-animal conflict by enriching animal corridor with food and fodder pecies, restricting traffic through protected areas etc.
Regular monitoring through laest techniques camera trap, etc. Developing a spatial decision support system for PAs of the Western Ghats, which would aid in framing approriate conservation strategies.