Abstract:

Identifying the tools that determine the factors driving change in natural resource condition are considered as indicators and were evolved locally through consulting knowledgeable individuals who belonged to different user groups of a village community in select ecological zones of Uttara Kannada district. The study was initiated in the year 2005 and monitoring is still being continued. Our study indicates that it is possible to evolve both bio and non-bio indicators. However, this study found that there are difficulties in quantifying the findings to state that to what extent the indicators are error free, as there are not many supporting literature available to ratify the facts thus leading to an only option of constant monitoring for many years to confirm the findings. Another option could be further exploring this initiative in scientific or other studies as basic tools of monitoring and management of natural resources.

Key words: Natural Resources, Monitoring, Management, Indicators, Western Ghats , Knowledgeable individuals, User groups

1. Introduction:

Soil, water, forest, cropland, grassland and many other land and waterscape elements can be considered as important natural resources. In India , there are many user groups, such as agriculturists, fishermen, people employed in unorganised cottage industries, NTFP gatherers, who depend greatly on natural resources for their livelihoods, especially in rural setups, where more than two thirds of its population are dependent on agriculture. About fifty percent of our national income still stems from agriculture.

Anthropogenic and natural disasters are considered major causes that bring about changes in the condition of natural resources. Conservation, sustainable use and development of natural resources is no longer an option but an urgent necessity. Sustained economic development of natural resources depends on their well-being and availability status. Conservation and sustainable use requires the knowledge of use pattern and the factors that bring about changes in their condition.

In India, there have not been significant developments in monitoring and management of natural resources, probably because it is difficult to subject the whole gamut of natural resources for scientific evaluation and there have not been any definite mechanism to validate the findings either. One of the options to address the issues concerned to natural resources monitoring and management is to involve the people who are directly dependent on them for their livelihoods. This participatory study may help evolve a multi-sectoral integrated strategy so that contributions and requirements of various stakeholders for sustainable management of natural resources are made. The researchers of this study have assumed that this user group has knowledge that is not only time tested but also unexplored. Hence, exploiting this understanding in evolving indicators, which are considered useful tools of monitoring, and furthering the knowledge on empirical approach to tackle this issue would be a useful attempt. Keeping this aspect in view an attempt has been made as an initiative with the following methods.

2. Study site and Methodology

2.1 Study area :

This study was carried out in Uttara Kannada district (13 ° 55 ¢ to 15 ° 31 ¢ N latitude; 74 ° 9 ¢ to 75 ° 10 ¢ E longitude), which is a hilly terrain with thick-forested area located in the middle of the Western Ghats of southern India . Uttara Kannada is a northern most coastal district in Karnataka having Arabian Sea to its west. It falls under the transitional zone of the Indian peninsula. Its coastal strip is densely populated and receives more than 3000 mm annual rainfall. Paddy, coconut and groundnuts are the major cultivated crops of this region. The hilly tract has low human population and high-forested area and receives an annual rainfall of 2500 mm. Beetle nut and paddy are the major cultivated crops of this zone. The plain area, which is towards the eastern side, receives 1200 mm rainfall annually. Cotton and pulses are the major crops of this zone, which are mostly rainfed.

More than two thirds of the land area (10,200 km 2 ) in this district is under the control of forest department. According to the Forest Survey of India, 1999, forest cover in this zone has been declining drastically. There have been many initiatives by the state departments to augment the degraded forests and barren lands. Timber, pulp and fuel wood species have been planted in these areas. According to the forest department, forests in this district are categorised into reserved forest that constitutes more than 60% of land area where as minor forest and leaf manure forest constitute 15 and 5 % respectively. Community members have restricted access to reserved forest while they have open access to minor and leaf manure forests.

Puri (1960) has classified the forests facing the western side as of the tropical wet evergreen type and included the eastern part in the tropical moist deciduous type. Champion and Seth (1968) have classified the forests on the western slope as of tropical evergreen type and have included the forests of the eastern zone in the category of moist deciduous type. According to Arora (1961) the following forest types are encountered in the district: evergreen forests, deciduous forests and scrub forests.

2.2 Methods :

This participatory study was primarily aimed to be achieved through the following four approaches. This study was initiated in the year 2005. Evolving indicators were done in the first year while monitoring and validation is being carried out in three different climatic seasons from second year.

Approach A. Identify and list the knowledgeable individuals and their area of expertise, different user groups and their livelihood activities, key community members among the forest dwellers and other stakeholders

Approach B. Consulting these stakeholders on the key environmental issues, cause and effect of change in the condition of natural resources and the factors or indicators that help them determine the change in condition of natural resources

Approach C. Identified factors or indicators through consultation are considered as test-tools of monitoring

Approach D. Monitoring to validate the reliability of the indicators. Validation is also done through consultation of literature and existing institutional practices

3. Results

3.1 Natural resource: Water

A. Indicators of water quality

Insects: Presence of stoneflies and caddis flies in and around water source should identify that water to be potable as these insects are found to be sensitive to polluted water. Sludge worms and leeches are pollution tolerant and if they are seen around any water source then it should be considered as water unfit for drinking.

Birds: Presence of Lesser Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis), which survives well in clean water area, indicates clean water source.

B. Indicators of ground water level

Tree: Ficus glamorata indicates highly charged ground water zone. Acacia auriculiformis indicates poorly charged ground water

C. Indicators of aquatic fauna: Little Cormorant ( Phalacrocorax niger ) and other two bird species of the same genus are indicators of water bodies rich with fishes

3.2 Natural resource: Forest

A. Indicators of type of forest: Birds:

Asian Fairy-Bluebird (Irena puella) indicates thick evergreen forest.

Black Shouldered Kite (Elanus caeruleus ) indicates destructed forest.

Indian Grey Hornbill ( Ocyceros birostris ) indicates matured forest

Red-vented Bulbul ( Picnonotus jocosus ) is an indicator of thorny forest.

3.3 Natural resource: Cropland

A. Indicators of change in land use pattern: Bar-headed Goose ( Anser indicus ), this bird is known to survive in pulse-cultivated area

B. Indicators of presence of damage causing insects: Black Drongo ( Dicrurus macrocersus ) feeds voraciously on lepidopterous larvae in agriculture crops

3.4 Natural resource: Rain

Indicators of onset of rain:

Bird: Pied Crested Cuckoo's ( Clamator jacobinus ) calling is an indicator of onset of rain.

Tree: Dalanyx pentandra is an evergreen forest tree; based on the percentage of fruits set in its inflorescence the stage of on set of monsoon is predicted.

3.5 Natural resource: Soil

Indicators of soil moisture and erosion:

- Eugenia umbellatum (Salle) & Aporoga lindlona (kabberalu) grow well in soil rich in moisture

- Eroded soils turn light brown to red colour

3.6 General Observations: Presence of

Terminalia arjuna indicates a place with high rainfall

Ficus religiosa is suitable for cultivation of all crops.

Diasporus fomentosa, Albigia lebek increases rice and green gram production respectively

Butea monosperma and Banana indicate presence of elephants and goats respectively

4. Discussions

Researchers were able to elicit information on almost all the natural resources' condition from the knowledgeable individuals belonging to various user groups. According to this group, degradation of natural resources is not as much as it used to be in ten years ago. Most of the participants were sure of the change in condition and causes, however they possessed their own knowledge on the scalable tools to identify the factors that drive change, which the researchers have considered as indicators and used in this study to monitor. One of the problems encountered was validation of these observations. Monitoring them in the field has ascertained the findings but was not good enough to quantify as to what extent the findings are error free. There has been not much literature available to further support the claims. Another dimension to this fact is that change in natural resource condition is dynamic and unpredictable to some extent. Hence it becomes all the more difficult to quantify the information.

Efforts are still underway to conclude with strong supportive documents and continuous monitoring. Presentations made herein are based on the work completed thus far.

References:

Arora, R.K. (1961) ‘the forests of North Canara district: Scrubs', Journal of Indian Botanical Society, Vol 40, No. 2, pp. 187-200

Champion, H.G. and Seth, S.K. (1968) A revised survey of the Forest Types of India, Government of India Press, Nasik , India .

Forest Survey of India (1999), state of Forest report – 1999, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Dehradun , India .

Puri, G.S. (1960) Indian Forest Ecology, Vol I, II. Oxford Book Company, New Delhi , India .

Nalini Sadhale (1996), Science of plant life, Asian Agri History Foundation, Seunderabad , India 76-79

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