Study area

Uttara Kannada district lies between 13°55' to 15°31'N latitude and 74°9' to 75°10'E longitude, extending over an area of 10,222 km2 in the mid-western part of Karnataka state, India (Figure 1). This region is having highest forest cover than among all districts of Karnataka existing with variety of flora and fauna. It is a region of gentle undulating hills, rising steeply from a narrow coastal strip bordering the Arabian Sea to a plateau at an altitude of 500 m with occasional hills rising above 600–860 m (Ramachandra et al., 2010). The district has 11 taluks covering three different zones i.e. coastal lands (Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal taluks), Sahyadrian interior (Supa, Yellapur, Sirsi and Siddapur taluks) and the eastern margin plains (Haliyal, Yellapur and Mundgod taluks). From early 80’s the region is started experiencing changes in land use for various developmental activities. This conversion has occurred largely at the expense of forests and grassland (Ramachandra & Shruthi, 2007). Karwar Port, is one of the main ports of Karnataka, total length of 355 meters. Major Industrial Infrastructure of area constitutes 8 Industrial Estates & 1 Industrial Area.

Figure 1: Study area