Sahyadri e-news is CES-ENVIS's quarterly newsletter, covering the issues related to Western Ghats biodiversity. Western Ghats is rich in diversity of life. Due to unplanned developmental activities, its ecological resource base is under threat, with extensive destruction of natural habitats, widespread degradation of ecosystems and a growing burden of air and water pollution. Simultaneously, knowledge base of uses of biodiversity is also being eroded, with the present generation becoming increasingly alienated from the natural world.

We need to carefully plan on conserving, sustainably using and restoring the biological diversity of the Western Ghats. We also need to conserve and benefit from the knowledge of uses and the traditions of conservation of this biological diversity. Also, we must ensure that benefits flowing from our heritage of biodiversity and related folk knowledge percolate down to the people at the grass-roots.

This issue discusses of forest canopies that are among the most species rich and highly threatened terrestrial habitats. They are exposed to greater daily temperature and humidity fluctuations, experience high levels of solar radiation, strong winds and pelting rain that could make the habitat extremely inhospitable for most organisms.  Canopies are the interface between the earth and the atmosphere, leading to many important interactions especially those relating to gas exchanges. Atmosphere interactions of the canopy contribute to the carbon cycle and  it is a key habitat for monitoring global climate change drivers such as CO2 and habitat degradation.