STUDY AREA

Uttara Kannada is a 4th biggest district of Karnataka state, located between 13° 55´ and 15° 31´ N and 74° 9´ and 75° 10´ E. Total population of the district is 14,36,847, and more than 70% of the people live in rural area or in semi urban area. District is located in the Western Ghats ranges sheltering abundant flora and fauna. More than 75% of the total area is forest covered and has 140 km costal belt [6]. Figure 1 illustrates the topographic undulations of the region. Topographically, the district lies in three distinct zones namely narrow and flat coastal zone, abruptly rising ridge zone and elevated flatter eastern zone. The coastal zone is thickly populated with coconut clad villages. Ridge zone is a part of the main range of Western Ghats, which runs north to south, parallel to the coast.  The flat eastern zone joins the Deccan plateau. The taluks, which comprises the narrow flat coastal zone, are: Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal. Similarly, taluks, which comprises the ridge zone, are: Supa, Haliyal, Yellapur, western Sirsi, and western Siddapur. Flatter eastern zone includes Mundgod, eastern Sirsi and eastern Siddapur. Four agro-climatic zones based on geography and climate are coastal, evergreen, dry deciduous and moist deciduous. There are 1291 villages, 7 towns, 5 city municipal corporations/town municipal corporations/outward growth/census towns and 2 reservoirs in the district [http://uttarakannada.nic.in/].