RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Conservation strategy

The bulk of primeval forest fragments in whose conservation the pre-colonial farmers appear to have played key role, have perished during the period of modern forestry, whose foundations were laid by the British (Chandran and Gadgil 1993; Chandran 1997). Menon and Bawa (1997) estimated that between 1920 and 1990, 40% of the original natural vegetation of the Western Ghats was lost or converted to other land uses. Myers et al, (2000) estimate that only 6.8% of the 182,500 sq.km of primary forest vegetation of Western Ghats-Sri Lanka biodiversity hotspot  remain  today.  Most literature on sacred groves of the Western Ghats, which are relics of ancient forests, deal with mostly small isolated forest patches in the midst or close to human habitations. The current study highlights the possible existence of numerous vegetational relics of high biodiversity and watershed values.  Kathalekan is a live example of a relic forest with congregation of rare elements of Western Ghats biodiversity, practically unknown until recent studies indicated its biological importance (Dasappa and Swaminath 2000; Chandran and Mesta 2001). It was in another such  relic forest in Central Western Ghats Madhuca bourdillonii and Syzygium travancoricum, threatened species of Southern Western Ghats were reported for the first time (Chandran et al. 2008). The innumerable water courses of Western Ghats, under proper management, can better the hydrology of Peninsular Indian rivers. SSF forests with higher biomass highlight their greater potential in carbon sequestration. In this highly human impacted global biodiversity hotspot, small farmers and tribal population can be more fruitfully used as guardians of watershed forests and partners in more restrained use of water resources for agriculture. We suggest evolving a watershed based forest management system for Western Ghats and similar humid tropical mountains in which the relic forests and water course forests have huge scope for carbon sequestration. Such services while serving the cause of biodiversity conservation can mitigate global climatic change and uplift the livelihoods of local population due to carbon credits. As the bulk of forests come under governmental jurisdiction, the prime task before Western Ghat States is to initiate steps for identification of relic forests, which lie unknown otherwise amidst human impacted secondary forests, and preserve such precious heritage for posterity.