Ecological status of a particular region is determined by assessing its biodiversity, prevailing conditions of the environment and their interactions. Such an assessment is carried out through the estimation of species composition and their relative abundance with reference to space and time in a region. Prioritising the region, based on these, helps to evaluate and emphasise the protection needs of a habitat, considering its local and global distribution, habitat preference and threats to species and habitats. ENVIS centre at Indian Institute of Science has planned to bring out a series on ecosystem conservation and management related to Western Ghats . This document is the first in the Sahyadri Conservation Series (Sahyadri Conservation Series – 1, ETR – 19), on Sharavathi Valley Wildlife Sanctuary documents the species diversity, composition, and community and population ecology along with habitat conditions and suggests management strategies considering also the socio-economic-ecological linkages in the region.